Evening star., 1935-05-02
M'SWA|N PLEDGES
FUTURE SECRECY
SAYS Error of Publishing
Closed Testimony Will
Not Be Repeated:
Nv the Associated Press.

Following his statement yesterday,
IN which he assumed full response
bilitv for publication of secret Army
testimony which drew for him
stinging rebuke from President Roose-
welt, Chairman McSwain of the House
Military Affairs Committee sent
long letter to the President pledging
that no such error will occur again.
McSwain also entered plea with
the President that the publication
of the secret testimony of Brig. Gen.
Charles Kilbourne, former assistant
chief of staff in charge of war planS'
and of Brig. Gen. Frank M. Andrews
chief of the new General Headauar-
ters Air Force. might not be helo
against the records of those ofhcers'
The committee leader, in his letter
tn the President made public TO-DAY.
nledced himself Ito cooperate 10
The fullest in the preservation OF
friendly relations with all nations
and at the same time in maintaining
a safe and sane national defense, as
all nations must do
Will Bar StenOgraphers.
He said in future Stenographlc re-
porters will be barred from MS COM
mittee room when testimony Is taken
in executive session to guard against
nossible publication by mistake OF
secret testimony. He noted, now
ever in his letter to the President
that, in its duty of providing lot
the national defense, Congress must
have the frank and candid opinions
of all who have information pertinent
to the inquiry"
Cen Andrews had testified to the
need of seizing nearby British ana
French isles in event OF an emer-
eencv Gen. Kilbourne testified con-
cerninc a "camouf1age" air base near
the unfortif1ed Canadian border.
McSwain's letter follows:
NV Dear Mr. Roosevelt:
Il have Just returned at noon tooay
from New York, where attended yes
terdav afternoon and last night
meeting of the R. o. T. C. Association.
On nv return l have Just received
YOUR letter of April 29 concerning the
printing of that part of the testimony
taken at the hearings on H. r. bo2l
and n r. 4l30 before the Committee
on Military affairs.
Assumes Full Blame.
It have not taken the matter up
with the committee, because the COM
mittee as such is not responsible Tor
the mistake that has been made, but l
and the clerical employees of the com
mittee alone are responsible. and for
that reason | make at once tnls nur-
ried acknowledgment of your letter TO
assure YOU and the public that l con-
cur cordially and sincerely with your
desire and resolution to live up to both
the letter and the spirit of any treaty
to which this Nation is party con-
corning the boundary between this
Nation and Canada.
To show that personally l hold
that our military and naval policy Is
and should ever continue to be purely
defensive, l inclose clippings from
three New York papers reporting said
r. o. T C. meeting, and reporting
very briefly my own remarks. among
others, from which it will appear that
I believe in maintaining an Army ard
Navy for defense, but for defense
only.
Il have not recently read our treaty
with the British government concern
ing the disarmament of our Cana dian
border line. but my present reco.lec-
tion is that. following shortly after
tivity upon the Great Lakes. including
the victory of Commodore Perry, this
treaty expressly stipulated only
against battleshipS or armed vessels
upon the Great Lakes.
Points European Parallel.
1T was true then and has ever
since been true that we had and con-
tinue to have several fields, forts and
posts near or relatively near to our
Canadian frontier, and these have
never been in any way regarded aS
unfriendly gestures. BY analogy. th1y
might be compared with French forti-
f1cations along the Belgian border.
They are maintained not against Bel
gium, but against what might come
over and through Belgium, as has
happened in the past.
7 greatly regret the unfortunate
inclusion of the executive testimony
along with the other testimony when
it was sent to the public printer. We
work cry hard from 8 to II hours a
day trying to carry on the work of
this busy committee before which are
pending over thousand bills, many
of which are of great public impor
tance.
Il can assure you that no such in
cident will again occur because so
long as 1 shall preside as chairman,
any testimony that may be given in
executive session and that may af-
feet our foreign or diplomatic rela-
tions will not be taken down steno-
graphical and, therefore. cannot be
transcribed and, therefore. cannot
even by accident be sent to the
printer.
1T is often necessary that Con-
gress, which is charged under the
Constitution and in the conscience
of the country with the duty of pro-
viding for the national defense, shall
have full information from all avail
able sources, including Army and
Navy officers and civilians. For obvi
oJls reasons some of this testimony
should be taken in executive session.
MisinterpretatiOn.
"Not that anything said in execu-
tive session is ever intended as indi-
eating a hostile or aggressive attitude
or disposition, but for prudential rea-
sons should not be published lest mat
ters relating even solely to defense
should be misconstrued and misin-
terpreted.
I'm order properly to discharge its
constitutional duty, the Congress must
have the frank and candid opinions
.-l>- l,,,nn ir,f form, finr, raartinart