Good Servant

Perhaps the busiest official in Washington last week was James Vincent Forrestal, 52, a slight, slender man with a broken nose, a man who once told an interviewer that his hobby was "obscurity."

With the death of Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox (TIME, May 8), pipe-smoking Jimmy Forrestal had taken over as acting boss of the biggest navy in history. As the brisk and efficient Under Secretary of the Navy in charge of procurement, he had had a major share in bringing that navy to its awesome strength.

Jimmy Forrestal plunged into his new job with characteristic vigor. Returning from Frank Knox's funeral at Arlington National Cemetery, he put in two hours of work at his office. Forthwith, he inaugurated daily staff meetings with Assistant Navy Secretaries Ralph A. Bard and Artemus L. ("Di") Gates. He conferred with top admirals on progress of the war, talked with the Army and Congressmen over the proposal to combine the Army & Navy into one department after the war. Then, with WPB's bustling Charles E. Wilson, he made a flying trip to Boston to pep up production of landing craft, of which the Navy wants 80,000 this year.

The landing-craft program is Acting Secretary Forrestal's biggest worry. He has made recent trips to eight shipyards, exhorting bosses and workers to speed up production. The program is lagging, though not seriously. But, says Jimmy Forrestal, "it's touch & go if we are going to meet the schedule."

Up from Wall Street. Jimmy Forrestal is a notable example of able businessman turned able public servant. Born a Dutchess County neighbor of Franklin Roosevelt, he went to Princeton, edited the Daily Princetonian, got his nose flattened in a friendly boxing match, was graduated in time to enlist in the Navy in World War I. He emerged a lieutenant (j.g.).

From a bond salesman's job with Wall Street's potent Dillon, Read & Co., he rose to head of the bond department, became President Clarence Dillon's righthand man, in 1937 took over the presidency. Eleven years earlier he had married socialite Mrs. Josephine Ogden, then on the fashion staff of Vogue. They have two sons, Michael, 15, and Peter, 13.

As that lonely being, a Democrat in Wall Street. Jimmy Forrestal preached the inevitability of securities regulation, became fast friends with Tommy Corcoran. Harry Hopkins, Bill Douglas. He also urged businessmen to enter government. His own chance came in the summer of 1940, when Franklin Roosevelt picked him as an administrative assistant. Two months later he moved to the Navy.

At that time, just after the fall of France, the U.S. Navy had 15 battleships, seven aircraft carriers. Jimmy Forrestal quietly started building. He got as much by suave behind-the-scenes work as others did by shouting.

In 1942, long before the fighting had stopped on Guadalcanal, he visited the island. Last February he flew to Kwajalein, in the wake of furious shelling. He gets along fine with the admirals. Last week speculation remained brisk whether the President will shortly remove the "Acting" from Jimmy Forrestal's new title.

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