THE ADMINISTRATION: The Stand-in

For a man with so much talent for public relations, handsome Ed Stettinius has had a queer whirl from history.

As chairman of the War Resources Board (1939), priorities director of OPM (1941), Lend-Lease administrator (1941-43), and Under Secretary of State (1943-44), he added an impressive governmental finish to his civilian luster.

But when he became Secretary of State (1944) he found he was just Franklin Roosevelt’s standin. Eight months later, when Harry Truman replaced him with Jimmy Byrnes, Truman offered Stettinius what he termed “the most important job at my command”—i.e., permanent representation on the U.N. Security Council. But here again, Ed turned out to be the stand-in for his successor.

Last week, earnest Ed found the Byrnes stand-in one whirl too many. In a letter to the President, he announced his wish to retire from history, and declared (a trifle dizzily, perhaps) that the job of organizing the U.N. was completed. After a decent interval for surprise and protest, the President accepted his resignation, and began casting around for a successor. Unfortunately, good stand-ins were as scarce in Washington as stars.