A Sense of Urgency

Threatened with a potential lag in essential war production, grave-faced officials of WMC, WPB, Selective Service and Army & Navy met hurriedly last week in a Washington office. Their problem: to devise rapid ways & means of giving the nation a new "sense of urgency." The trouble was partly of their own making. For two full years the congenitally optimistic U.S. people had been soaking up the sunny predictions of official and semiofficial spokesmen. Samples:

Admiral William F. Halsey (New Year's Day, 1943): "1943 will see . . . complete, absolute defeat...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!