There'll Be Some Changes

No sooner was Harry Truman back in Washington than White House aides hastened to spread the soothing word: the Boss was not in a vindictive mood. There would be no wholesale firings in the new Administration. But some changes were certainly in the works.

The first hints were not long in coming. Outside the White House photographers approached Defense Secretary James V. Forrestal, who had taken no part in the campaign. "Haven't you got enough pictures of us?" asked the secretary. Said a photographer: "Yes, but another four years is just beginning." "But not for me," replied Forrestal with a grin.

Another hint came from Treasury Secretary John Snyder, who had let it be known that he was anxious to get back to a better-paying job in private life. Other Cabinet shifts were in the wind. At the behest of the President, Secretary of State George Marshall had again & again deferred his retirement. White House aides let the word drop that the President might now reluctantly let him go--and Under Secretary Robert Lovett with him. Among Democratic politicos there was little doubt that the ax was sharp for Army Secretary Kenneth Royall, who had remarked that Harry Truman's re-election was not "essential" to the national defense.

Scores of names had already been suggested for their places. Everyone from Chief Justice Fred Vinson to ECA's Roving Ambassador Averell Harriman had been mentioned as a possible replacement for George Marshall. Ex-M.I.T. President Karl Compton suddenly popped into the picture as a possible next Secretary of Defense. As available as Available Jones was Harry Truman's old crony Mon C. Wallgren, who had just lost his job as governor of Washington. And there was even talk of bringing back the old sulphurous, incorruptible Harold Ickes.

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