Evening star., 1934-07-02
KvALE BELIEVES
F0UL0|S SINCERE
Head of House Committee
Insists, However, He
Violated Law.

As a House investigating committee
today was preparing TO give Maj. Gen.
BENJAMIN D. Foulois. chief OF the
Army Air Corps, additional informa-
ton" pertaining to its dishonesty"
and "incompetency" charges against
him, Acting Chairman Kvale an
nounced his opinion that F'oulois "be-
lieved he was acting in the best in
terests OF the Air Corps"
Kyale, in q statement, insisted that
Foulois deliberately violated the law"
and attempted to mislead the COM
mittee under questioning. However,
he added, he was willing to grant
that Gen. Foulois did so sincerely
believing he was acting in the best
interests Of the Air corps"
Chairman Rogers was expected to
reply today from his home in New
Hampshire to a letter from Gen.
Foulois, requesting, among other things
further information from the commit
tee in connection with serious charges
made in q special report forwarded
10 Secretary Of War Dern several
weeks ago
Correspondence bearing on Foulois'
request mysteriously disappeared last
week, and investigators for the Post
Ofice Department are endeavoring to
trace the missing papers, mailed from
the Capital and addressed to Chair
man Rogers at his New Hampshire
home
In the meantime committee mem
bers here prepared and mailed sub
IL -
derstod to have received this morn
ing. His reply. on behalf OF the
House Military Affairs Subcommittee,
should reach Gen. foulois within the
next "a hours. The contents Of
Foulois' letter. and the reply drafted
by the committee, have not been
made public, but were characterized
by a committee member as well
worth reading"
Graft Evidence Lacking.
Representative Kvale. Farmer-IA-
borite. Of Minnesota. emphasized that
in Issuing his statement on Foulois
today he was speaking strictly as an
individual" 1t is known members Of
the subcommittee have been con-
NEIA ONCl EAOAACOLLe ACAsAOtlo
said TO have been crea ted as to the
integrity and character Of Gen. Fou-
lois. 1t was pointed out the COM
mittee SO far has found no evidence
of bribery or graft in connection with
aviation procurement but committee
members have declined to give a sim
liar clean bill of health in connection
with their inquiry into other War De-
partment purchases.
While I can, of course. speak only
for myself" Acting Chairman Kvale's
statement said, Il believe my COL
leagues will. If questioned. gladly bear
me out in the statement that up to
this date. through the exhaustive
hearings and inquiries We have con-
Quoted, we have failed to uncover one
single instance OF any financial dis
honesty on the part Of any officer in
the Air Corps. or in any of the trans
actions jointly involving the corps
and the aviation industry in procure
ment affairs.
That naturally applies also to Gen.
Foulois. who was criticized in the COM
mittee's report for dishonesty. The
report. if recall correctly. went on
to explain that word as meaning the
dishonesty Of expressions the general
made before the committee under oath
and his evident efforts to mislesd the
committee.
He did deliberately violate the law
and the report shows that from the
omcial records. That he did so sin
cerely believing he was acting in the
best interests Of the Air Corps, I, for
one. am willing to grant
The report speaks for itself. 1t is
public document. We signed 1t
unanimously. after careful thought.
Again speaking for myself and not for
the committee, believe its content is
factual and fully justified by the off,
cial records it quotes"
Meets Investigators.
Kvale was in executive conference
today with committee investigators
who have returned from New York
and Philadelphia with important evi-
dence regarding testimony Of Lieut..
Col Joseph I. McMullen, chief Of the
patent section of the judge advocate
generals ONCE of the Army. to the
effect that he accepted fees from
private sources.
A witness whose name Is being
withheld has been subpoenaed to ap-
pear before the committee tomorrow
in this connection. The witness iS
said TO be the representative Of radio
interests headed by Atwater Kent.
McMullen has told the committee.
under questioning, he received more
than $4,000 from the Atwater Kent
interests for patent services several
years ago and that he had received
remuneration also from the Cuban
American Manganese Corporation.