After Many a Year

In the east wing of the White House one day last week, Jimmy Byrnes stood by while his longtime friend, Judge Fred M. Vinson, took the oath of office for the job Byrnes had just left: Director of the Office of War Mobilization and reConversion.

Jimmy Byrnes had stayed in Washington an extra day to attend the quiet ceremony. At Fred Vinson's request there were no pictures. When it was over, Byrnes shook hands with his successor, walked wearily out of the White House to go back to the practice of law in his home town--Spartanburg. S.C.--and in Washington.

For small, shrewd Jimmy Byrnes, ex-Supreme Court Justice, ex-U.S. Senator, ex-Economic Stabilizer, it was the end of a tough, heart-breaking job. At 66, he had been at his desk seven days a week, had flown to Europe on a mission for Franklin Roosevelt last fall, had made another trip to the Yalta Conference. Now, with V-E day in sight, he felt his part of the job was done. He wanted a rest.

Dear Jimmy. Washington knew, too, that while there had been no break between Byrnes and the President, their intimate relationship had sometimes been strained by the peculiarly personal vagaries of White House politics. Last year, Byrnes had been summarily taken out of the race for the Vice-Presidency. There was a time after that when he might have been Secretary of State. Finally he failed to get his friend, Ben Cohen, a job as counsel in the State Department.

In a traditional "Dear Jimmy" letter, Franklin Roosevelt had regretfully acknowledged his resignation, had said he was not surprised, since Byrnes had long ago indicated that he wanted to leave. But friends of the former Justice thought he had made up his mind suddenly. No one knew last week whether his long career in Government was finally ended or not.

The New Boss. Grey, owlish Fred Vinson had rounded out less than a month as the new Federal Loan Administrator when he was called over to step into Byrnes's shoes, and another tough assignment. But the 55-year-old former Kentucky Congressman was well equipped for the hot-corner spot. He had built a reputation as a skillful Government servant, able to resist pressures, capable of untangling economic snarls with the shrewd persistence of a veteran poker player.

The Judge took with him, as his general counsel and No. 1 adviser, young (30), rolypoly Edward F. Prichard, who had been his right-hand man in the Office of Economic Stabilization and also in the loan agencies. In substituting Vinson & Prichard for Byrnes and his military deputy, Major General Lucius Clay, Franklin Roosevelt was getting no team of yes-men, even where the War Department was concerned. It was a team that might work more happily with civilian officials, who had resented the military-first policies of smooth, determined General Clay (who had gone off to be top U.S. civil affairs director in occupied Germany under General Eisenhower).

In particular, there was joy in OWMR's Advisory Board, which had wanted General Clay sacked, and in the War Production Board, whose boss, J. A. ("Cap") Krug, had been smarting under the general's stiff and stern policies.

It looked as though the new set-up would mark the start of the long-awaited period of readjustment. Fred Vinson was no easy-war man, but Washington knew he would stand for no more restrictions than absolutely necessary. And now there would be no military policymaker in OWMR. The emphasis would be on keeping the U.S. economy headed for the day when it could break loose from war restrictions.

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