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C L A S S OF SERVICE This is a full-rate Telegram or Cablegram unless its deferred character is indicated by a suitable symbol above or preceding the address. WE TE UNION A. N. WILLIAMS PRESIDENT NEWCOMB CARLTON CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD J. C. WILLEVER FIRST VICE-PRESIDENT 1204 SYMBOLS DL=Day Letter NT =O vernight Telegram LC==Deferred Cable NLT =-Cable Night Letter k Ship Radiogram • The filing time shown in the date line on telegrams and day letters is STANDARD TIME at point of origin. Time of receipt is STANDARD TIME at point of destination \ KH X K0 ST LOUIS MO 1125A MAR 22 19^3 MARRINER S ECCLES UP RR TRAIN NO 10^ CITY OF LA GREENRIVER WYO. IF JIM BYRNES REACHED YOU BY TELEPHONE SATURDAY YOU WILL UNDERSTAND WHY I AM SO ANXIOUS TO TALK WITH YOU. UNDERSTAND IT WILL BE POSSIBLE FOR YOU TO TELEPHONE ME FROM CHICAGO TOMORROW. HOPE YOU WILL DO SO WITHOUT FAIL. CHESTER C DAVIS 1105A THE COMPANY WILL APPRECIATE SUGGESTIONS FROM ITS PATRONS CONCERNING ITS SERVICE Board of Governors oftne Federal Reserve System * leased Wire service Received at Washington, D.C. WA78G49WASH Hi 01 STL 24-250 8 ECCLES BOARD TALKED TO BYRNES WHO WOULD BE GLAD TO SEE NARDIN WITH YOU DAVIS O FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF ST. LOUIS OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT March 24, 1943 AIR M I L - SPECIAL DELIVERY Honorable Marriner S, Eccles, Chairman, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Washington, D. C. Dear Marriner: Justice Byrnes called me by telephone this morning and intends to talk to you on your arrival in Washington. After talking with you yesterday, I wired him and then air mailed a letter, a confidential copy of which I am enclosing. My wire read: "Have studied problem intensely since leaving Washington. Proposed plan has some fundamental defects concerning which I am writing airmail tonight. Hope nothing final will be done until you have studied my letter.11 The President has talked with Wickard and told him what he intended to do without mentioning the man he proposed to name. That is as far as it has gone. According to Byrnes, they are just waiting for me to say when. Bill Nardin reaches Washington this morning and will be at the Carlton Hotel. I would like for him to hear first hand from Byrnes how this thing developed. It will help immensely at this end if this can be done. I would like best of all to have you and Bill see Justice Byrnes and Marvin Jones together while Nardin is in town. When it comes right down to the point of decision, I am going to have to be a soldier. I am not much of a hand to bargain for position. I believe my letter to Byrnes sets forth the truth; if they insist in spite of it, I will go down and do the best I can. The hell of it is there is so little time. Things cannot be left up in the air with April 1 nearly here. Another thing I wish you would be thinking about; we will have to move fast on all imported labor from Mexico, Latin America and some of the islands that we can get. See if you can think of someone out of thetfestwho has had a lot of experience in recruiting, receiving and transporting Mexican labor and other imported labor - a man who is practical enough to get things done fast but is high class enough to act as an agent of the Government. - 2 - Honorable Marriner S. Eccles There is a lot I want to say but the particular point is I hope you will arrange to see Byrnes with Uardin. Sincerely, Chester C. Davis. March 23, 1943 Honorable Jaaes F. Byrnea, Director of Boonoaic Stabilisation, White House, Washington, D. C« Dear Justioe Byrnes: There was no tine for reflection or judgment during my hurried visit to Washington Saturday* Since then the fundamental defect in the program you discussed has beoc&s increasingly d e a r to me, end I want to net it out plainly before it is too late* If that Bseoutive order is issued, the Secretary of Agriculture will resign, or. if he does not resign, he will be extremely bitter about the change. If ha resigns, together different from another course night be sheet of paper to write then the administrative situation becomes elthe one the order is designed to correct, and sore desirable. You would have a fairly clear on* If he does not resign, but continues as the head of the Department of Agriculture, the Cabinet Sfeaber and the member of your Conmittee and of War Production Board, consider the situation of the Administrator under the proposed arr&iageae&t* The Administrator and his staff will either have to rely on the Secretary and the personnel of the regular Department for essential service*, or attempt to set up duplicating services* I refer to such routine but important natters as provision of personnel, provision of sp&oe, print lag, aultigraphing, supplies, etc., Information and press service, legal staff, and other details. It will not be humanly possible for the Secretary and his friends to give the proposed Administration dose and friendly cooperation; on the contrary* he and his friends will hope for it to fail. X lived in Washington long enough, and had enough experience with the Department of Agriculture to feel absolutely certain that the incoming Administrator would have a fight on his hands with the Secretary and the Secretary's forces from the minute he landed in Washington. Sooner or later the arrangement would blow up. I think it would be very soon. - 2 Honorable Jaste* F« Byrne*. The job is so big that the Administrator should be able to devote his full time to it, without having to devote increasing attention to an intornal row* It may be argued that the order gives# or ean be xaade to give the Administrator all the authority he needs regardless of the attitude of the Secretary of Agriculture* Tnis overlooks the enornous statutory and institutional powers which the Secretary possesses and has strengthened during over two years in office. Two years ago as a member of the Defense Advisory Conaission, I urged that steps be taken then to organise for a clean-cut Food Administration which, as need developed, would occupy the full field, with all the authority necessary to do the job concentrated in the single agency. I do not think the proposed order accomplishes that purpose, but that it adds another layer of complications to an already confused situation* I am not seeking to run out on you or to dodge a tough assignment, There are other complications in the split authorities in the field of farm prices and manpower which I think are general handicaps to the present Food Administrator, but I haven't raised them because the factor I have discussed is so packed with trouble that the others seen relatively easier to get along with* Sincerely yours# Chester C* Davis. m r. •> n CCD:AF
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