No. 3 Man?

The top brass of General Motors Corp. this week heard advance news of a shuffling of their ranks. Executive Vice President Marvin E. Coyle, who started with G.M. as a secretary 39 years ago, will retire Jan. 1. Into Coyle's shoes as head of body fabrication, car assembly and accessory production will step short, dark and chunky Louis Cliff Goad, 49. It looked as if Goad was becoming the No. 3 man in the world's biggest manufacturing corporation. Ranking him will be President Charles E. Wilson and Harlow H. Curtice, the top executive vice president of the corporation and heir to Wilson's job when he retires.

A University of Illinois engineering graduate, Goad was hired by Charlie Wilson for G.M.'s Delco-Remy (electrical) division, worked up to boss of Fisher Body and Buick-Oldsmobile-Pontiac assembly plants. During World War II he headed G.M.'s Eastern Aircraft Division, whose plants at Linden and Trenton, N.J. were the only U.S. auto factories to convert to the production of complete airplanes (Grumman fighters and torpedo bombers).

Also moved up in the shuffle was Jack Gordon, former boss of the Cadillac division, which had a big hand in G.M.'s tank production during World War II. As a vice president and director, Gordon will assume Goad's previous duties. It looked as if G.M. was building up a strong top team to handle heavy war orders, when & if they come.

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