The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-04-16
By RODNEY BUTCHER :, Democrats Washington Corre-
 

SpnOOent.
 (Copyright, 1884, NEA Service, Incl
 Washington, April 16-Since a congressional committee is to hear the replies of five "brain trust satellites" and one newspaper man to Dr William A. Wirt's charges that they furnished him with details of a plot to fcment revolution by retarding recovery and to displace "Kerensky" Roose- welt with a "Stalin," 1t is now safe to report precisely what happened at the now famous dinner party at Mclean, Va.
 Here is the true story as 1t was told to this writer last September by guests.
 Quite a few people in Washing ton knew about the dinner party and of Dr Wirts performance thercat. But until Wirt appeared before House committee to ex- plain his charges, the idea that he had based his weird tale on that affair was too preposterous for any of them to believe.
 Miss Alice Barrows, Wirt's hos tess, had idolized the Gary school superintendent for 20 years as an educationalist. She had energetic ally fought his battles for the pla- toon school system and main- tained contact with him during her service with the office of educa- ton.
 Wirt Is Prize Guest X
 So Wirt was her prize gNest that evening. She invited the others to hear him discuss education. None of the party could be classed as radical with the exception of Lau- renee Todd, who has written for labor newspapers for many years and was then correspondent here of Federated Press, though he now serves official Russian news service.
 The others were loyal support CTS of most reform measures which Roosevelt has said are essential to survival of our economic system.
 The two women named by Dr Wirt as declaring or concurring in the remarkable things he says he heard that night are well known here as two of the most brilliant of their sex in the government service.
 Their superiors and those of Miss Barrows stand solidly behind them in tho face of Wirt's charges, expressing complete condence in their integrity. veracity, loyalty, and good sense.
 None belongs to "Trust''
 To call them "brain trusters" is rather absurd. Miss Hildegarde Kneeland is chief economist in the Bureau of Home Economies and was employed during the Coolidge administration.
 Miss Mary Taylor, editor of the AAA's Consumers Guide, first came to Washington as a Depart ment of Commerce strade specialist in the Hoover administration.
 She shared the Mclean country house with Miss Barrows.
 A pcrfunctory cocktail was served before dinner and tho party with the exception of Todd, who came later--sat down, as it devel- oped, to listen to Dr Wirt.
 Fros, that time on, as everyone agreed at the time and as every one still insists, all hands became Increasingly bored and irritated by Wirt's incessant monologue.
 Wirt Talks and Talks During dinner, Wirt talked con- stantly of education. After dinner he talked steadily for three hours about the monetary problem and the 50-cent dollar.
 The first person to gain the en- viable distinction of breaking through the barrage with ques- tion, after much effort, was Robert w. Bruere, chairman of NRA'i cotton textile industrial board Bruere is an educationalist, too.
 Bruere wanted to know what Wirt was doing to children in the U. S. Steel city of Gary toe their environment. The nearest ap- proach to an answer he got was Wirt's boast of football teams music clubs, and art clubs. He Can't Be Stopped Coffee was served in the living room and Miss Barrows sought to divert Wirt to his other favorite ubject--ihfiation.. During the next three hours she tried often tc divert the monologue again, but never succeeded. Wirt stuck like grim death.)
 Miss Kneeland qualified as the evenings heroine by jamming ir wto questions.
 She asked Wirt whether he wal .~----z-----------1--