Committee of One Dictator Authority

"HARRIS: I wish Mr. Baruch would form himself into a Committee. BARUCH: If you will give me the authority of all the Governments I will do it and I can assure you it will be done. HARRIS: There is nobody like a Committee of one. BARUCH: If there was ever a dictator wanted in the world there is one wanted now."

"Baruch recorded his disgust in homely intermittent diary entries. For example: “Fiddle while Rome burns,” “What is everybody’s job is nobody’s job,” and, apropos of a fruitless meeting to discuss the fixing of nickel prices: “It seems useless to have the whole board meeting and not deciding.”"

"I say again that I think the coal and the transportation situation is the gravest one we have in front of us. We have formed committees and we have done nothing. The world will never excuse us for not doing it. It can be done only by mutual self-sacrifices and it cannot be done by everyone holding on to his little pile. This thing has to be done wholeheartedly and I would not give one penny to any nation that would not come through and work the situation out to the mutual benefit of all concerned."