f
Veterans' Administration
Has Capable Leader
General Bradley Has Fatherly Interest
In Veterans; Actions Show His Ability
to Administer This Big Job
By BAUKHAGE
Commentator and Newt Analyat
i WNU Service, 1616 Eye SI., N. W,
Washington, D, C.
I have just come back from a
visit with the father of 16 million.
That isn't snch a far-fetched
figure to uae in describing the tall,
rangy Missourian, who is in charge
ef "the biggest bnsinesa in the
world," which la how they describe
the Veterans' Administration in
Washington.
To call Omar Nelson Bradley
"father" of the service men and
women isn't stretching it. Ernie
Pyle once said: "If I could pick
any two men in the world for my
father except my own Dad, I
wonld pick General Omar Bradley
or General Ike Eisenhower. If I
had a son, I would like him to go
to Bradley or Ike for advice."
Ernie was a pretty keen judge of
human nature on the hoof. I
thought of that when one of Brad
ley's co-workers in the Veterans'
Administration, who is almost a
decade older than the general, u)d
"fatherly" waa the way to de
scribe the manner in which he wae
treated the first time they had a
problem to straighten out with the
boss.
And then I met the General.
1 found a weather-beaten, wiry,
long-legged soldier, whose eyes
twinkled brighter than the four
stars on his collar. Fatherly, yes
?and 111 have a word about that
a little later. But I found out
something else. I found out why
he ought to be able to run one
of the hardest jobs in the govern
ment And I'U admit, right off,
it sounds almost too good to be
true.
We had been talking about the
details of the reorganisation of
the agency which is now going on
and with which General Bradley is
minutely familiar. Then 1 asked
him what it was, if anything, in
his military training and experi
ence that he eould nse in his pres
ent position.
He said that he thought it wae
the same with all jobs such as
this. And here is the theory oa
which he works:
"First, build your organisation
oa functional lines^ Second, get
the right man to Mao op eacn
fonetion. Third, girt him foil re
sponsibility to act on his own au
thority."
How, I inquired, doss this (It
la with poor military experience,
baring had soma of that branch
of adventure myself?although
running ? platoon isn't running
an army.
Tt's a good deal like the army,'*
he answered. "You hare your
staff. You bare say to sections,
each with a special function. Work
ing under your chief of staff.
Sometimes, of course, you group
some of the functions, but the or
ganisation is along functional
lines."
And how, I asked, do you choose
the men to head up these various
activities T His answer came back
without the slightest hesitation.
"I choose a man, first for his
ability, second for his loyalty?and
I count heavily on the loyalty.
Get loyal men of ability and you've
gone a long way toward solving
your problems in any organise
tiou."
That sounded pretty good te
me. but what about the present
situation vtot, after all, there
te always a Congress on Capitol
HOI, a Congress with eoaetltnenta
who haea to tee aad eome of whoa
want Jobs. I naked the General,
what about polities! Ha didn't
?earn worried. He add that ha
hadat had any trouble.
"Ta net a politician," ha said.
"I aarer la tend to ran for office."
That waa all ha woo Id any, bat
hare la a story I picked up later
at the ether end of PeansyhranU
A certain Congressman got a
hat latter from a constituent who
had keen ftaad from the Veterans'
Administration. No doubt with
doe causa He hot-footed It ap to
the General aad spoke, sa legis
lators often da to officials, with
considerable rigor.
"I want the asaa re-hired at
ones," the Congraaaman demanded.
The General was polite bat sorry.
Be itood by hi* decision.
"If you don't. 111 attack you on
the floor."
"Go ahead," aaid Bradley, faintly
recalling, I imagine, aome of the
attache in Normandy.
"Ill block your bills," aaid the
Irate Congressman.
That wae a horse of a different
color.
"You will?" said the General.
"All right, and if you do that,
IH go to the President with my
resignation. Hell get that or find
a means to stop you." (Period.)
We all knew about the Gen
eral's war record?in Tunisia, on
the Normandy beachhead, among
the hedgerows, where he smashed
a gateway at St Lo which made
Patton's lightning dries possible.
But we didn't know much about
the man. Most of us didn't know
he was from Missouri and later
?/ima of us mierht hare suspected
that that waa the reaaon why he
waa picked, although the Presi
dent aaid it waa because he wanted
a World War II aoldier to take
care of the wants of World War II
veterans. Now we hare aome
other reasons for believing that
the choice waa predicated on wise
advice and is going to prove itself
a fortunate one.
On the horse-sense side, it is
because Bradley has established a
record as an administrator. He
proved that in the army and had
the acumen to see the chief faolt
ia the veterans' organisation and
has set out to remedy it.
On the emotional side?well, Br
nie Pyle was right.
The trouble with the Veterans'
Administration was that it grew so
rapidly that it didn't have time to
delegate authority. And there was
another reason for this. It was
built on what seemed a very sound
theory. Let's take its services to
the veteran. For instance, small
hospitals were scattered all ever
the country, many in little commu
nities where the veteran could get
to them easily. Bat that didn't
work out It was hard to get ex
pert medical men, good service and
the latest equipment in the smaller
communities and because the re
gional organisation eras spread so
thin, it was necessary to hare a
strong hand in Washington. The
result was that the grip of that
hand was to tight that the whole
system was cramped.
Bradley put his finger on the
situation (with the help of well
chosen counsel) and reversed the
former policy. Now ifs "bring
the veteran to the hospital." Bring
him by rail or plane in an emer
gency, but bring him to a well
manned, well-equipped center
whose size and Importance will at
tract the beet there is in medical
skill, when he needs specialised
care.
Band in hand with this regional
centralisation of the medical facili
ties, the new organisation has de
centralised the authority. As soon
as Bradley looked over the set-up
he said:
"This is like having a 110 regi
ments under one man. In the
army that would be unthinkable.
We'd break it down into corps and
divisions at least"
And 10 that is what waa dona.
Bat tint ha mads a sharp cleav
age between tha medical organisa
tion and tha rest of tha activities.
Ha eras tad a saw office, "Acting
Surgeon Ganaral ad tha Vatarsns'
Administration.' And ha ap
pointed tha bast man ha knew,
Major General Paul Ramsey Haw
lap, who had been ehiaf surgeon
tar tha European theater and did
an outstanding Job.
And ban I wonder U than
wasn't sua of those Important ua
twitrhmi impnuiooi
which helped. Bradley', middle
name. Nelson, is for a well-loved
family physician. And Bradley's
fatharlinaaa is attested la in his
interest in tha physical welfare ef
his man. Again and again war
eorTespondants mentioned tha fact
that ha planned ?g-gim.nt. so
that his troops would suffer tha
fewest casualties possible. Ha has
an instinctive understanding of tha
afflicted.
BARBS... by Baukhage
Milmaat went to the mountain.
11a Mikado wont to MacArthar.
This, it Menu only fair to eay,
merely demonstrates the excellent
lodgment of ail partieo toacanad.
- o ? ?
Aa 1 look back orsr a few deo
adca 1 kaeo enjoyed on this moo
daae sphere, the only things I
regret seem to be the things I
A lot of Now Yorkan who had
forrottoa than won ouch things
had to oaa (tain donna tho aia
oator man's strike. And this did
?on for tha calm than if they'd
taken tha caOinf pries off of real.
a a a
Production of rwbfcar haala la
?till hahind demand. Bat than
an still non of Mm other Mad af
haala thaa wa need.
Kids Govern OPA Office in Brooklyn for a Day
Japanese Sidewalk Salesmen
Photo ?howi the price panel in (eeelon, whip the students of Midwood High school took over the operation of
the Office of Price Administration's local rationing board in Brooklyn'! Flatbush section for a day. For twelve hoars
the enterprising youngsters ran the rationing and price control machinery, with, of coarse a little expert super
vision by a regular aide in interpreting some of the knottier problems that arose.
Customers crowd aroand the sidewalk stands In the Ginza District in Tokyo, which is similar to New York's
Fifth Arsons. Shopkeepers, their stores destroyed by bombs, set np their wares in the street, and carry on (heir
business outside the wrecked buildings. In the background is the famous Jap Department Store, Takashimaya,
where only two floors ars now la use.
Wants to Cross Atlantic in Barrell
Bum -It b taerttobb that aoa? day. eeaieoae will eroaa tha Atlantic
la a barrel." Mark Charitaw. diachargad Canadian anay veteran, wanta to da
M int. Ha la daaa with tha barrel la which ha plana to nuke the attcaipt.
Women's U. S. Softball Champions
The Ju Maida rf New Orteaaa drora to tha War Id Softball Ckaaipion
ahip to Blk< it thair UM year la the Uat four that they hare woa the title.
Thar aaa la IMS a ad IMS. The harp of beaatlee hammered oat a wta orer
the Toronto Croftoa Chib liaaiaa by a acore of 5 to ?, aa Niaa Korfaa of the
Jaz allowed bat twe kite. Photo akowa the Jax with their trophy.
Had Kenny Treatment
Mr*. John RyboH, at home in Los
Angeles, after a year of tha Kenny
Treatment for PoUo, is shown as she
erected her children, Brian 1, and
Johnny, I, while her hnsband looks on.
Physicians say Mrs. RyboH will be
able to walk erentaally with the aid
of cratches.
Opens Trade Parley
Brie Johnston. President of the
D. 8. dumber of Commerce, addres
ses s plenary Session of delegates to
International Beninese Conference in
New Yerk recently.
. ii, _.. _ ' . \
Newsxlx
Behini?
the/ne?
By PaulMulcmO^
Released by Western Newspaper Union.
ATOMIC BOMB CREATES
SUPER-SPY SYSTEM NEED
WASHINGTON?Major General
Wild Bill Donovan bowed ont of
the first real American intelli
gence service (OSS) with a some
what cool-sounding response from
President Truman to his Idea of
developing his line of effort fur
ther for peace. Mr. Truman cut
up OSS, sending part to the War
Department, but most to State.
The Donovan notion of hiring
someone like Sumner Welles, the
ex-diplomat, to keep intimate and
independent watch on the inner
international world, was left hang
ing in ?ir?somewhat foggy air.
General Donovan has never been
a glamour boy. He la a rather
crusty soldier-lawyer. Those who
know what he did in the confi
dential special agent part of the
war say his work in the Balkans
particularly was excellent and
could have been done by no one
else as well. Into his organisa
tion, however, crept a number of
persona who did not fit the best
nature of the endeavor and gave
it distaste with Congress. I think
this fairly sums up OSS. It did
great work, but was not popular.
(I can never learn what accom
plishes popularity in this era when
a bank robber can possibly attain
it by merely being for the 30-hour
week or some such social innova
tion.)
In the wake of this peculiar con
dition, congressmen are arising to
shout "There will be no American
Gestapo," and I assume also they
mean no OGPU or NKDV. In
deed there will not. But there is
a grave danger that the first vital
necessity for a secure postwar
world will be ignored and shunted
aside by muddleheaded political
thinking about it.
If you thought Pearl Harbor a
surprise and blitx warfare sudden
as lightning, you are already old
fashioned and obsolete in your
thinking. The next war will start
like a flash?the brilliant blinding
flash of the atomic bomb. If our
aeienses were arcnaic last ume,
they will be pitiful next time un
less our officials know everything
going on in this world. Advance
knowledge is more essential to de
fense in a future world than a
superior air force, an army or ,
fleet.
Not the Fascists or the Com
munist nations, but the British,
a democratic nation, have the
best world intelligence. It was
built up through generations.
Their survival depended upon it,
because their little islands had
absolutely nothing to justify
their snperior position in the
world, except an awareness of
the facts of national existences
and a superior shrewdness in
using them. That is what we
need?only a better one.
It cannot be an army enterprise
because the army covers only one
phase of world facts influencing
peace and security. It cannot be
navy, marine corps, or merely all
three together, because diplomacy
must be founded upon such in
formation. (The British even move
commercially from such realistic
ground news.) It cannot be split,
or you will have each department
performing again the coordination
they showed about Pearl Harbor
namely none.
INDEPENDENT BUREAU
NRRDRI)
Consequently it most be an in
dependent bureau covering at
least these government elements
and probably more (Justice De
partment and FBI.) Furthermore,
the head most be a man whose
character and personality guar
antee full pursuit of the business
to be done, and a complete dis
avowal of any political implica
tions in the work. He must not
be a leftist or right or even a
professional Democrat or Repub
lican. That service must lean
over backwards to keep itself po
litically inviolable, and beyond
even the faintest suspicion of po
litical use. (The British know
how to do it.)
The ealy limit ea its appro
priatiens should be ear need of
information. If we need the
information?get ft. If the
spenders waat to let Treasury
I money lease, here Is one place
where they could get something
> out of it. 8ome interested par
ties wish Is limit the scope ef
activity te foreign imfermatieaL
It should be limited oaly by need.
If it is found counterespionage
in this country it inquires action.
cMarattmmohoidd heaBOTroTto
atari in the way ef getting K.
Squeezing Gnptiiut
You can squeeze large mpAaB
on an ordinary orange juice naanr
if you cut the fruit in half lengthen
(rather than crosswise), belao
again, aqueeze each quarter on An
reamer, pressing cut aide agafeet
point of juicer. Smaller grapdMI
can be cut in halves like orange* /"
juiced on regular reamer. '
Batter SabiiHates
Adding salt and sugar to olen or
other butter subslitutea make* B
more palatable.
Night
Coughs
aMMMadwtralAi
are cased, sticky phlegm loomed ^
irritated upper breathing passages sac
toothed ana relieved, by nil iliiad Vita
VapoRub on throat, chest aad had
at bedtime. Blessed relief as Vapefe*
PENETRATES to upper hudM
tubes with its special medicioal wqpafc
STIMULATES chesta?dl?cfc?
fines like a warming poullice.
Often by morning most of the mtf
try of the cold is gene] Remember?
ONLY VAPORUB ChmYmdibfe
cial double action:- Ittfthne-teaH^
home-proved... the best-knows haree
remedy for rdiev- & m a
ing miseries of 1/1 Ce |%9
children's colds. ? V A PORVI
it rout iiKirr^Hl'
COLDS' MUSCLE SORENESS/^V
quickly eased by Penetro? L|ja
Grandma's old-time mutton suet Wf
idea developed by modern scicnos
into a counter-irritaut, vaporising
salve thai brines quick, comfort
ma relief. 25c, double sise 35c.
PENETROW
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COLD PREPARATIONS
UQUI?. TABLETS. SALVE, MKC MR
i?i8my?sAi(Tt?
WHY GAMBLE?
It dotsn't pay to kt brukrt,
cuts or burns go un tended ...
even minor ones. Play ufe .. .
cleanse at once, and drewehfc
Dr .Porter's Antiseptic Oil.This
old reliable stand-by .. . eke
formula of a long-experienced
railroad surgeon ... is wonder
fully soothing, and tends do
promote nature's healing pro
cesses. Keep it on hand Cor
emergency use in taking -care
of minor burns, bruises, abra
sions, chafing, sunburn.nan
poisonous insect bites. Use only
as directed. Three dlfssint
sixes at your drugstore.