White Week

One day last week a truck, lumbering along Washington's snowy Thirteenth Street, hit a rut, shook & shivered. On the truck was a cake, 5 1/2 feet high). On the cake was a legend--HAPPY BIRTHDAY to our PRESIDENT--and 58 candles cased in 58 photostats of 58 $100 checks. At the jolt, one of the four layers of the cake cracked, collapsed. Back to its confectioners went the injured cake, but on to the White House went A. F. of L.'s William Green, three pretty girls, three publicity men. On behalf of contributing A. F. of L. unions they apologized for the absence of their cake (which was repaired and delivered next day), presented $5.800 to the President's (58th) Birthday Ball fund for infantile paralysis.

"A very nice thing." said White House Secretary Steve Early, contrasting this behavior with John Lewis' goings-on in Columbus.

Last week the President:

>Smiled, asked his inquirers to state one good reason why he should comment on the news that John Lewis is ag'in him.

>Received the following Third Termites: Pennsylvania's Senator Guffey (who also paid no attention to John Lewis) ; Norman Littell (Assistant Attorney General) and Marshall Dimock (Second Assistant Secretary of Labor), whom John Lewis denounced last year for conniving to put the President up again.

>Attending a Birthday Horse Show at the Army's Fort Myer, Va., left his usual evening topper at home. Instead he wore a soft, black English Homburg (gift of his military aide. "Pa"'Watson, who was struck with Anthony Eden's Homburg when the Britisher visited Washington last year).

>Chided correspondents for asking, four months after he had found the answer, whether U. S. citizens could join foreign armies without losing citizenship. Answer: Yes (if they do not swear allegiance to the foreign government concerned).

>Appointed an Army-Navy-Treasury committee to coordinate foreign and domestic purchases of U. S. planes, other war supplies.

>Was blackballed by the Quarryville, Pa. Slumbering Ground Hog Lodge. After pondering reports that Mr. Roosevelt is kind to ground hogs, the Lodge decided that he would be too busy to be an active member.

>Gave baldish, hard-working Lewis Compton of Metuchen, N. J. a job which the President and three other Roosevelts have held. For Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Franklin Roosevelt chose Mr. Compton at the insistence of the Navy high command and Secretary Charles Edison. Messrs. Edison and Compton came out of New Jersey together to serve with early New Deal agencies, went to the Navy Department together when Mr. Edison became Assistant Secretary in 1937. When & if Charles Edison resigns to run for Governor of New Jersey, they will presumably go out together. Reason: in the team of Edison & Compton, Lewis Compton supplies the administrative zing, the political brains.

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