The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-03-07

Ned Mclean, its owner, was one of the rulers of Washington. A member of the Harding gang, he was a friend of Fall and Daugh- erty, once was elected from the White House by Mrs. Harding.
 Today the era of Ned McLean'S parties, his house, his power is over. But on the site of this one- time glory is being erected 8 new building which demonstrates that, despite an alleged New Deal, the old days of personal pull and privilege have not changed.
 Briefly, two officials who re- signed from the New Deal have now turned around and borrowed 5,600,00 of government money from the REC through their old friend Jesse Jones, and are now erecting on the Mclean site a new office building into which Jesse Jones will move his REC. In other words, Jesse Jones having advanced government to build a building, later will pay out government money as rent so his two friends can repay their government money.
 All of which would indicate a profit of about $1,100,00 The two gentlemen who will receive most of this are Colonel Horatio ("Rash") Hackett, former head of the Public Works Administra- ton under Ickes, and Angelo ('.Nfike'') Gas, former director of the PWA Housing Division.
 HORATIO ALGER?
 To get the full story, 1t is neces- sary to go back to the >pre-Roose- welt days when ClaS was 8 sales man with the Holabird and Root architectural firm in Chicago, and when Hackett was an architect with the same firm. Later Secre- tary Ickes, also of Chicago, brought the two men to Washing ton and they became the Castor and Pollux of PWA.
 Where one went, so went the other. When Hackett was pro- noted from Director of Housing to be Assistant Administrator of PWA, he got Gas the job of Di- rector of Housing. And when
 Gas proved . dud as housing
 director, Hackett promoted him to be Assistant Administrator of PWA.. When Hackett resigned
 from PWA, Gas followed . month later.
 Horatio Hackett then became president of Thompson -Starrett, New York contractors, and sud- denly put in an appearance in washington last fall to camp on the REC doorstep of Jesse Jones. Jones and Hackett are old friends, Jesse having once taken Hackett to the Kentucky Derby in his pri- vate car. Mrs. Hackett also came to Washington and was seen with Mrs. Jones almost every day, play ing bridge and visiting mutual friends.
 After all this personal pow wowing was over, the REC put out an official and very innocent an- nouncement that 1t had approved a loan of S, 800 900 to the "Lafay- cite Building Corporation" to construct 12-story office build ing on the site of the Mclean mansion.
 MYSTERIOUS DUMMY
 No explanation was given re- garding the incorporators of the Lafayette Building Corporation, and as far as possible 1t is kept d mystery to this day. George Rogers, listed as"assistant secre- tary" of the corporation says: .sI don't know who, the directors are or anything else about the setup. All I know Is that I'm as- sistant secretary. But I don't have
 anything to do with the affairs of the compaAy. The whole thing is run from New York"
 Jesse Jones' henchmen at the REC are equally mysterious. Al- though information regarding gov- + ernment loans is supposed to be q matter of public record, the REC refuses to give any information re- garding the Lafayette corporation. Any publicity, it says, might re- veal secrets to competitors.
 Officials of the American Secilr- ity & Trust company, however. trustees for the Mclean estate which sold the property, state that the Lafayette Building corporation was formed by the Thompson Starrdkt company. of which Col, l Horatio Hackett is president.