Exit

THE ADMINISTRATION

William Francis Gibbs, already rich in achievements, rang up another. He had gone to Washington with a reputation. Last week he resigned, reputation intact.

Head of the biggest U.S. naval architecture firm (75% of all U.S. ships, merchant and naval), designer of the method of mass-producing Liberty ships, nine months ago Gibbs was drafted by WPB to head up the country's cargo shipbuilding program. Dour Designer Gibbs unwillingly went to Washington. There he ran head-on into the Maritime Commission which, with an eye on a postwar merchant marine (TIME, Aug. 23), had its own pet shipbuilding program'. Standardizer Gibbs hurled himself into battle. When he left Washington: ^ Merchant-ship types had been reduced from six to three, of which one is expected to be discontinued.

^ Types of geared turbines being manufactured had been reduced from 27 to 8. ^ Types of turbogenerators (used for power and lighting in all Navy vessels) had been reduced from 77 to 17.

Mass production of ships, which depends on the standardization of parts, was now possible on a far greater scale.

The job done, Gibbs resigned and went back to managing Gibbs & Cox, which has one boss, no boards and bureaus.

Exit Despite Flowers

One of the last of the top-drawer bright young men of the New Deal packed up last week. Able, jug-eared Abe Fortas, 33, quiet No. i man to noisy Interior Secretary Harold Ickes, had asked the Army to take him in.

Fortas tried once before to join the Army, to chuck his many jobs as Under Secretary (guiding Ickes' power policy, handling U.S. insular possessions, helping supervise the coal industry, tussling with petroleum reserves). President Roosevelt had refused to accept his resignation, wrote: "You can best serve your country by continuing to do your job." Last week, unwilling to wait until his draft deferment expires on Nov. 15, Fortas resigned again, saying "I feel most deeply . . . that I should not be denied the privilege of joining the fighting forces." This time, Secretary Ickes accepted the resignation, but commented, "You have been indispensable. You are 'irreplaceable.' "

Said Abe Fortas: "If I stayed, my usefulness would soon be ended by the attacks I know would come. Besides, I'd like to see a little of this fighting."

FISCAL

Drive III

The Third War Loan drive was on. Wanted from private investors: a whopping one-third of the $15 billion goal. Sales for the first five days: $2,369,000,000.

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