Evening star., 1942-01-09
Group Fighting
Agency Shifts 70
Go 10 President
BorkIey Pledges Aid
After Smith Refuses
Confidential Dotu
By ]. A. O'LEARY.

by J.. "A. " OLEAhI.
Plans to offer a rider to the
price-control bill to prevent re-
moval of Government bureaus
from Washington were dropped
this afternoon after Senate Ma
jority Leader Barkley told men,
bers of the House and Senate Z
District Committees he would
cooperate with them in seeking
a conference with President
Roosevelt on the subject.
Chairman McCarran of the Senate (,
District Committee said the majority
leader indicated he is 'wholeheart-
ediy with us against moving the bu- :,
reaus," but did not want to inject
the issue into the price-control de-
bate now going on. =
Chairman Randolph of the House
District Committee also revealed
that he went over the problem ear ..
lier in the day with Speaker Ray
burn. He acquainted him with the
testimony regarding the effects of 4.
transferring IL agencies to widely
scattered points. including Chicago.
Pittsburgh. Cleveland. ST. Louis, u,
Philadelphia and Richmond.
Smith Fails to Testify.
Senator Barley spent half an T..
hour this afternoon with a special
subcommittee from the House and
Senate District Committees. ap-
pointed this morning after Budget
Director Smith did not comply with
request to appear and bring the =
files and records relating to the
proposed decentralization.
Mr.. Smith sent note saying he
had a previous engagement with the
House Appropriations Committee,
but even if he had not he would :
hesitate to supply the decentraIza-
ton data because they were con-
fdential in character" This led
Senator McCarran to state mis- belief
that no executive order for decen-
tralization exists.
Immediately after the conference
with Senator Barley. Chairmen
McCarran and Randolph dispatched, &,
TO Mr.. Smith another letter, drawn
up at this mornings hearing, re-
questing him again to appear with,
the data, and to delay the removal
program until he considers the COM
mittee's alternative of building in or
near the District any additional
temporary Office and housing space
needed
The two Chairmen met Mr.. Smiths
contention that the decentralization
records are confidential by offering :
to make sessions of the committees
executive.
Labor Representatives Heard.
Speaking for the American Fed
Grafton of Labor. William c. Hush
ing went before the joint committee
this morning to reiterate that labor y
groups opposition to the transfer of
the agencies.
AS the meeting convened Chair
man McCarran asked if any spokes-
man for the Budget Bureau were
present in response to the letter
written by the committee yesterday
afternoon. No one answered, but
r. F. Camalier, Senate committee
counsel, presented the note received '
this morning from Budget Director
Smith. 1t read as follows:
My dear Senator McCarran: =
Your letter of January 8, convey O..
ing to me a request of the Senate
Committee on the D. of c., to appear<
before the committee at 10:30 o'clock .
this morning with certain members
of my staff, and to bring with me-
the records of the bureau which
pertained to the the decentralization
of the Federal Government, was re-
ceived by me at 4:30 o'clock yester-
day afternoon.
"Hesitancy About Complying"
Owing to previous engagement
with the House Committee on Ap-
propriations for this morning, I am
unable to comply with the commit
tees request.
Even were this not the case, how.
ever, would have some hesitancy
about complying with the request.
in view of the fact that I have
acted in this matter at the direction
Of the President, and the papers in
question are records of the execu-
tive Office and to some extent con-N
fidential in character. I believe this
is in accordance with the opinion
rendered by the Attorney GeneralS
in a letter to the chairman of the J
House Committee on Naval Affairs.
date April 80, 194l, copy of which,
is inclosed.,
Nevertheless. I should like to CO.
operate with the committee. andS,
while the situation in the District
has apparently been pretty well can
vassed already by your inquiry, l.
should be glad to make available to J
the committee any additional data
it may desire concerning space needxx.
of the Federal Government In the
District of Columbia"
Inquiry's Motives Explained. y.
Senator McCarran said he wanted
the record to show the investigation
was started with the highest mos.
tives, namely to conserve the inter- J
ests of the Federal Government, and
to avoid a ruthless and useless ex>
penditure of money" The commit.
tee, he said, acted. first in the in
terests of the Federal Government
Continued on Page X-2, Column -
Fifth in Family EnIists \