Next Best Thing

For three weeks members of the Senate Public Lands Committee have been busily investigating Franklin Roosevelt's nomination of Ebert K. Burlew as First Assistant Secretary of the Interior. Turned up in the process have been lurid stories of "secret police," embezzlement, telephone-tapping (TIME, Jan. 31). But though they kept at work just as busily last week, they turned up only one fact that was even faintly lurid: Harold Ickes has three expensive Government Packards (one sedan, two limousines).

Mr. Burlew: "There was emergency. The Secretary required those cars."

Senator Stelwer: "What was the emergency?"

Mr. Burlew: "Well, the Administrator wanted the cars, and, after all, Senator --"

Meanwhile Mr. Ickes, who has been irritated by the delay in approving Mr. Burlew, thought he had discovered who was egging the Senators on. Since 1935 Charles West, smart and sharp-nosed Brain Truster, has been doing odd jobs for President Roosevelt in Congressional cloakrooms. For a while he was on the payroll of the Farm Credit Administration, but for over two years he has held the title of Under Secretary of the Interior. Mr. Ickes hates to have anyone in his office who is not working for him. Mr. West has been at loggerheads with Mr. Ickes ever since he parked his car in the portico of the old Interior building in a space reserved for Mr. Ickes' Packards. But he is a Presidential appointee and cannot be removed. Last week Mr. Ickes did the next best thing. He removed James Rohrer, Mr. West's brother-in-law and administrative assistant, transferred his secretary, his stenographer and his messenger to the General Land Office. All Mr. West had left was a receptionist.

Wrote Columnist Alfred Friendly next day in the Washington News:

"A wonderful place is Interior, A temple of culture and rest, Where Ickes speaks only to Burlew, And no one at all speaks to West."

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