"Hurry Upkins"

Franklin Roosevelt's personal representative was covering a lot of ground. Exactly three days after he made a radio speech in London, promising immediate aid to Russia, the skinny fellow who is called by London's pert cockneys "that there Mister Hurry Upkins" turned up at the Kremlin in person. He flew to Moscow to find out just what Joe Stalin wanted, and how to get it to him in a hurry.

Acting Secretary of State Sumner Welles (see p. 10) gave out the news in Washington. Curious reporters immediately wanted to know: Did President Roosevelt's Lend-Lease Administrator's visit to Moscow mean that Russia would get aid under the Lend-Lease Act? No, no, said Sumner Welles. The Russians had plenty of cash in the U.S.* to pay for what they bought; let's not talk about their credit.

Harry Hopkins had two long talks with Joseph Stalin, repeated the President's offer to start war supplies flowing toward Russia at once. The Soviet Premier expressed his "heartfelt appreciation" to Hurry Upkins, penned a personal note to Franklin Roosevelt.

His first night in Moscow, Hopkins saw an air raid. He stepped out on a balcony to watch the Luftwaffe come over. Next night the Nazis came again. This time Hopkins did not stop to see the fun: he went below for three hours, until the raid was over. Touring the city afterwards, he said he was amazed at the "insignificant damage" done by Hitler's bombers.

Three days after he arrived" in Moscow, Harry Hopkins was on his way back to London again, just as secretly as he came.

"Magnificent Defense." Meanwhile, in Washington, Hurry Upkins' boss was seeing some Russians on his own account.

At the White House, President Roosevelt had an hour-long talk with Lieut. General Filip Ivanovitch Golikov and Engineer General Alexander Repin, heads of a Soviet military mission.

Russia needs metals, machine tools, gasoline for her engines of war (in spite of Russia's vast oil resources, the Soviet petroleum industry cannot produce enough gasoline), artillery, long-range bombers, scientific instruments. The President promised her all the U.S. can spare to help her win the war.t The problem was: how to get them there.

As a starter, Oil Coordinator Harold Ickes last week asked OPM to grant a priority for the manufacture of 10,000 steel drums in which to ship 420,000 gallons of oil and gasoline to Russia. Reynolds Metals Co. asked OPM to approve sale of 2,000,000 pounds of aluminum to Russia--enough for 200 medium bombers.

In case anybody thought he doubted Russia's ability to survive, the President added that Russian resistance had been "magnificent," told newsmen they might quote his words.

Then Franklin Roosevelt sat back with a smile, waited for Mr. Hurry Upkins to hurry home.

-- An estimated $50,000,000 in gold and credits. t This week Russia's Ambassador Oumansky emerged from a conference with the State De partment's Mr. Welles to announce happily renewal of an annual trade agreement between the U.S. and Russia.

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