State Secretary Jimmy Byrnes had played for high stakes in London, with something less than average success. Last week, for future play in the European game, Harry Truman gave him a new stack of chips: control of surplus property disposal abroad.
By executive order, President Truman transferred to Jimmy Byrnes's Department of State:
¶ All functions of the Army-Navy Liquidation Commission, which has an estimated six billion dollars in surplus property in Europe alone.
¶ Control of U.S. participation in UNRRA, which has plans for distribution of $150 million worth of surplus property to European nations as relief.*
¶ Jurisdiction over...
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