Daniel W. Bell, Undersecretary of the Treasury, Washington D.C. 1939

Daniel W. Bell was an American career civil servant for 30 years when was appointed to political office. Born in Kinderhook, Illinois, he was acting director of the Bureau of the Budget (now the Office of Management and Budget) from September 1, 1934 until April 14, 1939. He left the post to serve as Undersecretary of the Treasury, Washington D.C. He succeeded John W. Hanes. Hanes resigned in Jan in January to reenter private business.

Bell negotiated with Colonel Kenneth Nichols for the transfer of silver from the West Point Depository to the Manhattan Project, to substitute for scarce copper in the electromagnets used in the electromagnetic separation process at the Y-12 National Security Complex; eventually about 14,700 tons of silver was used. Colonel Nichols initially said he needed six thousand tons of silver, but neither of them could convert the weight to troy ounces. When Nichols said, what difference does it make how we express the quantity Bell replied, young man, you may think of silver in tons, but the Treasury will always think of silver in troy ounces. 

Harris & Ewing

1939

http://cdn.loc.gov/service/pnp/hec/27800/27879v.jpg

Source: Library of Congress Catalog No. 2009014577

Library of Congress

Library of Congress

Medium: Photograph.

English

Figures

Budget, Daniel W. Bell, Electromagnetism, Silver, Treasury, Undersecretary

Historic