Evening star., 1939-02-10
Senate Group
To Bare All But
Army Secrets
Members May Tell
What They Hear in
Closed Sessions
B, the Associated Press.

B. the Associated Press.
The Senate Military Affairs Com
mittee agreed today to permit men,
bers to make public all information
they obtain in future closed ses-
sions. except military secrets
1t voted down, however, a motion
to hold open hearings ON the ad-
ministration's current defense pro-
gram and defeated by an 8-to-8 vote
motion by Senator Austin, Repub-
lican, of Vermont to hold open
hearings on future bills.
The committee postponed until
Monday action on a motion by
Senator Clark, Democrat, of Mis-
souri, to make public the record of
its investigation of the proposed
sale of the latest type of military
planes to France.
Austin's Interpretation.
Senator Austin said he interpreted
today's action to mean committee
members would be free to discuss
with neWspapermen all that had
taken place in the committee room
in closed sessions except matters
involving military secrets.
Before today's meeting Secretary
of the Treasury Morgenthau said he
had suggested that the Senate COM
mittee withhold parts of his testi-
mony on the sale of American planes
to France, but declared these
portions would not conceal the
Treasury's part in the deal
What he wanted held back, he
said, were Incidental remarks, sup
preston of which would not hide
any part of the true story OF the
plane transaction.
- Wide Controversy Created.
The committees inquiry has re-
suited in a senatorial controversy
over general foreign policy, includ-
ing the advisability of letting France
and Great Britain buy latest model
warplanes from American manufac-
turers. At a meeting with the COM
mittee last week, President Roose-
welt was reported to have taken re-
sponsibility for approving the French
transaction.
Before the committee took up the
question of disclosing the details of
its inquiry, Republican House men,
bers gave their approval to most of
the administrations defense pro-
gram, virtually assuring its passage
by the House next week.
The Republicans baked at ex-
tending defense lines in the Pacific
as far west as the Island of Guam,
where the Navy proposes to spend
$5,000,00O for patrol plane landing
facilities.
They protested, too. against the
proposal to build the Army Air Corps
up to $500 planes in two years and
suggested the increase be spread
over three or four years to min
imize obsolescence.
Scheduled for House Monday.
Legislation to authorize the Army's
share OF the program, including the
s3000o0,000 Air Corps expansion, is
scheduled to come before the House
Monday. Leaders said it would be
followed in about week by the $685.
100000 naval air base program.
The Republicans adopted a report
drafted by an 1l-member Defense
Committee created to formulate the
minority's policy. 1t counseled in
slant measures to prevent any
threatened establishment of hostile
bases in Central or South America.
obviously, our military establish
ment must be adequate to carry out
the obligation so clearly implied in
the Monroe Doctrine" the report
said, the obligation to prevent the
extension of foreign political dom
nation through military action in
the Western Hemisphere.