The Waterbury Democrat., 1935-09-05

caviar and vodka, listening to
Soviet soprano who trilled in a
way that hurt the ears of the
senator from Missouri.
He glanced cautiously about
the room, saw his enemy, 1ckes,
with arms folded and a scowl on
his face. He, too, thoroughly dis
liked the song-bird.
Ickes turned his head at that
moment, caught Clark's eye,
turned away, then looked back
and winked.
Clark, who was seated where
his wife couldn't see him,
winked back and grinned.
When the musicale was over,
Clark went up to Ickes, who put
out his hand.
"I'm glad to, see we have mu-
tual tastes in music" said the
senator from Missouri.
''Right!" said the secretary OF
the interior.
Since that time they haye been
warm friends.
Spanked
Only a few insiders know how
seriously the recent bill, strength
ening and extending Che powers
Of the iva, clipped the critical
claws Of Comptroller General J.
r. McCarl.
Under the original IVA act,
he had authority to hold up con-
tracing bids, audit accounts and
file reports to congress without
first giving the IVA an oppor-
tunity to see them.
McCarl, hostile to the great
power project, used this au-
thority to snipe at the iva.
He objected to bids, compiled a
list of exceptions to expendi-
tures-which mysteriously got
Into the hands of iva foes be.
fore being sent to congress
and kept a STAFF of fifteen in
vestigators i'm Knoxville at a
cost of $4,000 a year-which
the iva had to pay.
The agents occupied them
selves with counting the number
of cows purchased to supply milk
for IVA construction camps and
how many workers paid admis-
sions to IVA movie shows. On
one occasion the agents by mis-
take counted the ushers and fled
a report charging the IVA with
mismanasement.
The nee statute puts an end to
these tactics. McCarl is still en-
powered to audit IVA accounts.
But quietly slipped into the act
are three provisions:
az barring him from holding
up bids; (2) requiring him to
bear the cost of his cow and
movie audience checkers; and
(3) specifically directing that be-
fore submitting an auditing re-
port, he must turn it over to the
iva and include as an official
part of the document, the iva
rebuttal.
For McCarl there is an add
ed bitterness in these provisions
because in the bill as reported
out by the house military af-
fairs committee, his control
over iva finances was greatly
enhanced and he saw himself
about to become the real ruler
of the project:
Instead, as the bill finally
passed, he was stripped of most
of the powers he once had.
Russian Expert
Rotund Robert Kelley, ardent
Russian batter and for ten years
chief of the state departments
RUSSIAN Division" has been
trying desperately to visit Mos
COW.
The nearest he has ever
been to the Soviet capital was
when ne was military observer
In Latvia, later consul In Cal.
cutta.
He has advised his state de-
partment chiefs against Russian
relations, and the fact that he
has never been there has been a
definite handicap.
So last summer, Kelley finally
decided to visit the land on
which he was supposed to be q
specialist. But just as he was
about to leave, came the i'm
passe over debts, forcing him to
I cancel the trip.
This summer he again set to
learn something firsthand about
Russia. This time came the crisis
over propaganda. Again Kelley
did not sail.
He was the original author
of Roosevelt's. singing blast
to the Soviet. Wisely, ne ng-
.ured he would not be welcome
I'm MOSCOW.
Merry-G0-R Round
When Ambassador Bingham
left for England he lent the
yacht, Eala, to the department OF
commerce for 81 a year. Conn
merce now has put It in drydock
for extensive repairs. 1t will be
new ship when Bingham gets
It back. The number OF re-
lief Clients to be engaged In
y