The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1933-05-20
PLOT TOBLIND
ROOSEVELT At
SHOALS Barred
Triekery With Mechanism
to Hide Equipment Mis-
use Is Revealed.
DOCUMENTS ARE SEIZED
High-Priced Machinery Is
Damaged to Cover Up
Power Fraud.
BY RAY TUCKER
Times SpeciaI Writer

President Roosevelt was hood
Winked on his visit to Muscle Shoals
in January for fear that his party
might detect alleged misuse of the
power plants machinery by private
companies is revealed in the opera
tons log of that day, now in the
hands of administration officials.
The story of the alleged discon-
nection and lookup of the inter
connecting mechanism on that day
is held by officials to show that
those responsible for alleged eX-
change of energy from one private
company to another through the
federal plant knew it was in viola
ton Of war department. regulations,
destructive of the costly equipment,
and a means of depriving the gov
eminent of legitimate revenue
through sale of it's own power to the
two companies.
Documents Are Seized
The orders, telephone messages
and operation sheets of that day
were seized by Louis R. CLAWS, head
of the interior departments inves-
tigating bureau, when he visited
Muscle Shoals in April.
They are hello by preliminary
studies to show that a deliberate
system of utilizing the government
plant for inter-company transfer of
power has been in existence for
some time.
This development shared interest
toda7' with the possibility that the
agreement for sale of power to the
two companies - Alabama Power
company and Tennessee Electric
Power company-may have been
framed in such way as to furnish
legal defense for alleged misuse of
the military plants machinery
The agreement was negotiated by
Patrick j. Hurley, secretary of war
in the Hoover administration who
probably will be questioned when
the formal inquiry opens.
Subterfuge Is Barred
Denials by power officials and
Ma jor- General Lyle Brown chief
Of army engineers, stress the fact
that the agreement has been lived
up to- That document bars ex-
change of power on the high ten
sion side" but says nothing about
exchange through the low tension
side"
1t is across the latter system that
the alleged interf1ow of power was
effected. Experts say transmission
in the manner charged is SO de-
structive over low tension wires
that it ordinarily would not be
though necessary to bar it in any
agreement. But it is feared that
it may furnish technical defense
against the charges
The President is understood to be
deeply disturbed over the report of
happenings during his visit to
Muscle Shoals. According to in
veStigators, operators at the plant |
got orders to disconnect the con-
Meeting equipment the morning of
Jan. 81.
President Is Hoodwinked
So when Mr.. Roosevelt entered |
the plant, he saw nothing unusual, |
and, even if accompanied by an
electrical expert, there would have
been no discovery.
When the President left, it is
charged another order to hook up
again was given. Telephone calls
containing such alleged instructions
are on record, according to federal
officials.
Senator George w. Norris, who
accompanied Mr.. Roosevelt, re-
turned to the plant in the after
noon after the President departed
To guard against discovery by the
senator's party, it is charged that
hurried orders to disconnect again
were given, and this telephone call
is said to be in the files now under
federal scrutiny.
Mr.. Norris, not being an expert,
did not discover anything out of
the way. He got his information
from employees and private citizens,
indignant at alleged misuse of the
military Dl9Ot'S continent