National Affairs: New Adviser

New AdviserTo reduce delay and remove confusion around his own desk, Franklin Roosevelt last week appointed short, stumpy Isador Lubin, 44, head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, to tell him what is what among figures. There will be plenty of work for Lubin. Today nearly every visitor to the White House comes armed with statistics to back his arguments. Usually there is a delay—which sometimes, as in fights over steel capacity, turns into monumental confusion—while conflicting figures are checked and argued over. Moreover, President Roosevelt, no economist, naturally leans toward the views of the men with the pleasantest figures.

Often called a statistical genius, Economist Lubin is one New Dealer who won the respect of conservatives for his professional achievements, has long been a member of the inner circle of New Deal economic advisers, but has rarely been at the White House. His new, jawbreaking title: Economic Assistant to the President on Defense Matters.