Program Notes

The prologue was over. The opening movement of the new concert of death was about to begin. From the White House came a 22-word program note: "The conference of the combined staffs in Washington has ended in complete agreement on future operations in all theaters of the war." Millions of players stood with instruments raised, ready on signal to crash out the first chord of the Roosevelt-Churchill Invasion Symphony.

Now, for a moment, the President paused to act on domestic troubles. This program note was an executive order creating a new superagency called the Office of War Mobilization. Headed by Justice James F. Byrnes, OWM will include in its membership Secretaries Stimson and Knox, Harry Hopkins, Donald Nelson and the new face of Judge Fred M. Vinson. Mr. Roosevelt's personal program was unwritten but plain: from now on he would be Commander in Chief. "Assistant President" Jimmy Byrnes would boss the home front. Boss Jimmy promised the U.S.: "Many attacks on many fronts lie ahead."

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.