Is Industry Presenting Its Case Well?: In too many instances the public gets a more exciting view of faults than of virtues

In the Saturday Evening Post for March 3, Stewart Alsop, in discussing the State Department's troubles, defended the ability of its people. In one instance he reported the comments of a "solidly conservative" corporation executive who had served as a public member of the Foreign Service Selection Board. The man declared himself flabbergasted at the quality of the people interviewed: "Frankly, they were so much better quality people in my judgment than comparable people in business ... it was hard to believe." It is gratifying indeed to hear that government service is attractive to able people. Dealing with the overwhelming problems facing our Government calls for the best brains and backbone available. But aren't the implications for industry disturbing? We hear mounting complaints from industry about government interference, domination, and harassment of business. Clearly, government is big business. The apparent lack of success of the Administration-favored bill to set up a private corporation for a ...