While the War Waits

Al Smith, in white suit and Panama hat, strutted into the White House one day last week for a 15-minute chat with Franklin Roosevelt on New York politics. The talk was so good that Mr. Smith overstayed his time by 30 minutes. In an anteroom Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson and OWI's Elmer Davis cooled their heels until the political talk was over.

This made the fourth successive day on which Franklin Roosevelt, pushing aside the problems of war, had received New York politicos, had engaged in long political discussions. Earlier callers had been Senator Robert F. Wagner; Representative Michael J. Kennedy, the pushing new leader of Tammany, and gum-champing, pewter-haired Edward J. Flynn, who came for lunch. On Tuesday the President devoted a goodly part of his only press conference of the week to a discussion of New York's gubernatorial race.

Blitz Tactics. One non-caller was James Aloysius Farley. Genial Jim had made a White House call early in June, had indicated that the President had approved Jim Farley's man for Governor: mild, blameless Attorney General John J. Bennett Jr. By last week 51 of the 62 county organizations, said Farley, were committed to Bennett.

Then came the White House blow-off Jim Farley had prepared against. Senator Wagner, on leaving the Executive Mansion, announced that the President would back any "liberal" candidate. Next day Tammany Leader Kennedy amended the definition: Franklin Roosevelt would back any liberal who had backed the Roosevelt foreign policy 100% before Pearl Harbor.

Man to Fit. Unperturbed, Jim Farley smoothly said that the man who fit those requirements was, of course, John Bennett. Ed Flynn, hedging, declared that the description could cover many men: Bennett or New Deal Senator James M. Mead --even Al Smith. But Smith quickly eliminated himself; "I'm too old," said he.

Out of all the doubletalk, one fact was clear: the President wanted tall, toothy, honest, earnest Senator Mead. The President's choice was based on the practical belief that Jim Mead was the only Democrat who could get American Labor Party support, needed to beat Tom Dewey. Jim Mead, with four secure years in the Senate ahead of him, and with at least 50 friends among the 51 bosses committed to Bennett, was cagey. He craftily named his own candidate: Jim Farley.

Everybody had lots to say about who was to be the next Governor of New York --except the people.

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