Evening star., 1934-02-04
AirWays Manager Says
MacCraCken Selected Let.
terS to Be Removed.
FORMER COMMERCE
AIDE TO TELL STORY
Documents Sent to New York Re.
turned Because of Serious"
Nature of Inquiry.

Disclosure that a mass of dOcu-
ments and letters which were taken
from the flies of William P. Mac
Cracken. jr.. former Assistant Secre-
tary OF Commerce for Aeronautics.
after he had been subpoenaed to ap-
pear before the Senate Mail Inves-
tigating Committee, contained much
material that Vas not personal was
made yesterday before the committee.
This disclosure was made by Gilbert
L. Givvin. former secretary to Harris
M Hanshue, president of Western Air
Express. and now Washington repre-
sentative of this company. Givvin
was examined by the committee
while MacCracken, arrested Friday
night by order of the Senate but re-
leased on the personal bond of his
attorney, Frank J. Hogan. prepared
for the ordeal of appearing at the
bar Of the Senate tomorrow noon and
replying to the questioning of Sena-
tors in such a way as to avoid prose-
cutiOn for contempt.
The Senate committee took up
about three ,ilours in trying TO get
to the bottom of the facts with re-
SptCl W lIlc ItllION dl lIOlIl lllc N1dC-
Cracken files, after his subpoena, of
various letters and documents on the
theory they were personal and not
included within the scope of the sub
poena. It heard not only Givvin. who
took material from the MacCracken
files and mailed it to New York. but
also Col. L H. Brittin, president Of
Northwest Airways.
Letters Destroyed.
Col. Brittin had informed the COM
mlttee Friday that he had taken let
tiers from MacCracken's files Thurs
day and had destroyed them. He gave
testimony yesterday backing up what
he said Friday. and saying the letters.
about half dozen in number, were
destroyed.
On the other hand Givvin came
before the committee yesterday with
A letters and documents. purportins
to be those he had mailed to New
York, and turned them over to the
committee. which made list of them
and kept them for careful examina-
tion.
Givvin told the committee he had
brought the papers back because S.
w. voorhees,. travelling auditor for
| Western Air Express. to whom he had
mailed them. ascertained from the
newspapers that the committee want
| ed the letters and documents taken
from files in MacCracken's office.
VOORHEES,, he said. brought the papers
down from New York Friday and
turned them over to him that night.
saying it was "a serious matter" and
advising him to turn them over to
the committee. Givvin accordingly
did so.
Chairman Black and other commit
tee members interrogated Givvin at
length and had him go through the
papers and list them. In the list
were numerous letters, resolutions OF
the directors of Western Air Express
and other material which, Senator
Black repeatedly indicated in his
questions, could not be construed as
personal and confidential.
Says MacCracken Acted.
Givvin testified that as matter of
fact he had not removed the papers
from the files himself, but that Mac
Cracken had selected them. Givvin
said he had been directed by Hanshue
to find out if there were any papers
in the MacCracken files which be-
longed to Western Air Express. He
followed directions, and he and Mac
Cracken took out the papers which
ne sent to VOORHEES, Thursday night.
When he was being grilled by Sena-
tor Black as to whether copies of reso-
lutions and letters dealing with air.
mail contracts were considered by him
as personal" the witness replied:
Il went on the assumption that
anything in the files that did not be-
long to Mr.. MacCracken did not be-
long in the files. Mr.. Hanshue told
me to go down and take out personal
matter in the files He left it to me.
Mr. Hanshue frequently went to Mr..
Continued on Page 2. Column g.