CBB. Yes, sir. DONNELL. I appreciate your coming back and you gentleng back. Mr. Cohen here, please? Mr. Cohen, would you come forase, sir? hen, we had the pleasure of having you appear before a sube, Senator Murray and I, a few weeks ago. Would you be gh to state your full name and your connection with the Government for the record? NT OF WILBUR J. COHEN, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, BUREAU EARCH AND STATISTICS, SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRAACCOMPANIED BY R. G. WAGENET, DIRECTOR, BUREAU OF YMENT SECURITY -HEN. My name is Wilbur J. Cohen. I am the Assistant of the Bureau of Research and Statistics of the Social Secuinistration, Federal Security Agency. And on my left is ordon Wagenet, who is the Director of the Bureau of EmSecurity which administers grants to the States for the ment insurance program. DONNELL. Now, Mr. Cohen, you have come here, not as a but because you have been requested to come. I state that don't want to create any embarrassment on your part or rt of the Department in your testifying on a matter in which Department has an interest. You have come at the request mmittee and that is also true of Mr. Wagenet, who is with - did not specifically call him, but he is here and we are happy m here. Ir. Cohen, you are familiar, I take it, with the reorganizaknown as Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1948 proposed by lent? HEN. Yes, sir. DONNELL. Have you had occasion to study that plan? HEN. Yes; Senator. DONNELL. Will you state, please, whether or not you are with a letter dated December 5, 1947, from Oscar R. Ewing, rator of the Federal Security Agency, to Mr. James E. Webb, Bureau of the Budget? Agency. Senator DONNELL. I beg your pardon. You are rig fourth paragraph. Mr. COHEN. Beginning with that paragraph and the fo graph, I participated in the formulation of the ideas an of those two paragraphs. Senator DONNELL. That is, beginning with paragraph "The Bureau of Employment Security is an integral pa eral Security Agency," and continuing how far on? Mr. COHEN. Down to the end of the next or fifth para concludes with the following sentence: It is essential, therefore, that these insurance programs be a gether as a part of a broad single program of economic security. Senator DONNELL. Do you know whether anyone colla Mr. Ewing on the succeeding paragraphs to the one fro just quoted? Mr. COHEN. I think there were a number of people who in the Bureau of Employment Security, in the Commiss and in the Office of the Administrator. Senator DONNELL. May I inquire of Mr. Wagenet if he nection with the preparation of this letter? Mr. WAGENET. Yes, sir; in the preparation of the draf Senator DONNELL. The initial draft? Mr. WAGENET. Yes, sir. Senator DONNELL. That was the entire draft of the to initial draft, I mean? Mr. WAGENET. That would be the total letter. Senator DONNELL. And did you confer from time to ti with your associates and Mr. Ewing in regard to th progressed into its final form? Mr. WAGENET. There was some, Senator, but I think limited participation after the draft went from the Burea ment Security through channels to the Social Security C Senator DONNELL. Mr. Cohen, if you have not already you tell us, please, in a nutshell, how long you have b Federal Security Agency and something of your knowled ground and experience? I don't mean in great detail, bu to have the record show your thorough acquaintance with you do have a thorough acquaintance with it, which I beli o Mr. Arthur J. Altmeyer, who at that time was a member o rd, later Chairman of the Board, and now Commissioner fo ecurity. t capacity I assisted in development of all aspects of the socia program, later becoming Assistant Director of the Bureau o and Statistics. In that capacity it is my responsibility t arily concerned with legislation on all aspects of social secur uding unemployment insurance, the employment service, old rance, survivor benefits, what is known as temporary disability sickness benefits, permanent-disability benefits, health insur d public assistance. rticular area of competence, if I have any, is in the coordina he various programs and their interrelations which I under one of the things you are particularly interested in today. or DONNELL. Yes, sir. Thank you, Mr. Cohen. Now, Mr before we adjourned earlier today, the name of Mr. Oscar R vas brought into the matter by myself, and I inquired of one entlemen on the stand whether or not Mr. Ewing had recently h the Federal Security Agency and what was his background. ould like at this time to inquire whether or not Mr. Ewing is Oscar Ross Ewing that is listed in Who's Who in America 47: Oscar Ross, lawyer, having been born in Greensburg, Ind., on March 8, d by George McClellan and Nettie Moore (Ross); education: A. B., University, 1910, LL. B., Harvard, 1913; married Helen E. Dennis, No1915; children: James Dennis, George McClellan; instructor, Univerwa Law School,1913-14; member, Weye, Jewett & Ewing, law firm, lis, 1915-16; assistant to general counsel, Vandalia Railroad Co., St. ., 1916; assistant to general counsel, Pennsylvania Lines west of Pitts7; member, Hughes, Schurman & Dwight, New York, and predecessor 1920 until its dissolution, June 10, 1937— the firm of which Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes was a was it not? OHEN. Yes, sir. ▪r DONNELL (continues reading) : ef Justice Hughes' son a member of that firm now? mber law firm, Hughes, Hubbard & Ewing. ef Justice Hughes' son a member of that firm now? HEN. I don't know if he is now. He was a member of it at Agency? Mr. COHEN. It is, Senator. Senator DONNELL. Now, Mr. Cohen, among the ques least, see them involved here is a question, not as to wh there should be a consolidation of functions so that the shall administer on one hand the unemployment compens the other hand the employment service functions-I t general agreement as to the advisability of that part o question as to the agency in which it would be best fo States Government to effect that combination, if it is to b In the first place there is, of course, the preliminary to whether anything should be done until after the Com headed by former President Herbert Hoover shall ha its report, but for the moment, laying that in abeyan like to inquire into any views you may be in a positio which will give us the information as to what, in your be the effect upon the operation of these two functions if into the Federal Security Agency, the effect financia Government, the effect from the standpoint of the Fed Agency, and any other effects that such consolidation i eral Security Agency, as distinguished from the con those two services into the Labor Department, might expected to have. And I am going to ask if you, Mr permit me to read the letter which we have mention viously from Mr. Ewing, and to invite your commen priate points to the various statements made in that le ticularly with reference to the ones you, yourself, co preparing. The letter is dated December 5, 1947, but it is publ Congressional Record under another date. Do you kno for the error? Mr. COHEN. The correct date is December 5, 1947. Senator MURRAY. What was the date of the prelimin Mr. COHEN. November 26, 1947. Senator MURRAY. It is entirely likely earlier drafts that got typed on there. the House when they had the hearing? that time? that is a date How did that g Did they have tor MURRAY. I mean the prelimary draft. tor DONNELL. But the letter which appears in the Congre Record-what was that page number, Mr. Wagenet? WAGENET. Pages 1770-1771, February 5, 1948, dated in th as November 26, 1947. As a matter of fact, the correct da mber 5, 1947. COHEN. I think that is due to our fault, Senator, in this sense the request was made of Mr. Ewing's office, what they did wa carbon copy out of the file which was one of the extra copie he draft, and someone who sent it forgot to change the date è correct date is December 5, 1947. tor DONNELL. And it is the same letter, December 5, 1947, same letter on these pages Mr. Wagenet has just mentione late of November 26, 1947? COHEN. It is; yes, sir. i tor DONNELL. If I may call your attention to this letter, ther oportions which you don't want to comment upon. I shal about any particular sentence. If there is anything you wis ment on, feel free to interrupt. MR. WEBB: This is in response to your letter of November 14, 1947 you request that any new proposals for reorganization under the ac be submitted to the Bureau of the Budget by December 1, 1947. Ther ain functions performed in other departments and agencies of the ent which might, in the interest of good administration, be transferred Agency. However, in view of the President's approval of Public Law ich provides for the establishment of a Commission To Survey the Ex Branch of the Government, I feel it would be well to withhold any addi roposals pending the report of that Commission. I inquire whether that Public Law 162 is the act frequently d to as the Brown-Lodge Act or the Lodge-Brown Act, passed gress, and that creates the Commission of which Mr. Hoover the head? COHEN. That is correct. tor DONNELL. Are you today the highest-ranking official in deral Security Agency presently in Washington? COHEN. In the Social Security Administration, sir. tor DONNELL. Yes, sir; very well. Would you be kind enough e whether or not, in view of the establishment of a Commission vey the Executive Branch of the Government, would it be well er any reorganization plan involving the functions of unem |