Evening star., 1942-01-27
A||-|nc|usive Inquiry
On Pearl Harbor Is
Pledged by Mas
Ronkine 6. O. P. Member
Of Naval Group Makes
Promise After Meeting
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
A sweeping, supplementary
study of the Pearl Harbor disas-
ter "and all that led up to it" by
the House Naval Affairs Com
mittee was promised today by
Representative Mas of Mime
sofa, World War veteran and
ranking Republican member of
the committee.
Mr.. Mas statement followed
a closed meeting of the commit
tee. Chairman Vinson refused
to comment.
While declining to divulge what
happened at the executive session,
Mr.. Mas told the newspapermen
that after conference with several
members, I can assure the country
that the House Naval Affairs Com
mittee will undertake thorough in
vestigation OF the entire Pearl Har-
Dor situation. and all that led up to it
and will study also the Roberts re-
port"
After a White House legislative
conference this morning, Senate Ma
tority Leader Barkley said there had
been no discussion of the Roberts
report on the Pearl Harbor attack.
Norris Demands Unified Defense.
Earlier Senator Norris, Independ-
ent, of Nebraska demanded that
Army and Navy commands be uni
fed in a single defense department.
Laying a share Of the blame on
Congress for the success OF the
japanese attack, Senator Norris de-
clared that the time had come to
abolish the War and Navy Depart
ments as such and to place the
Army, Navy and Air Force under one
Defense Department.
Congress can't escape its part Of
the blame for this thing" the vet
eran Nebraska Senator told report
ers. Long ago it should have
streamlined our military organiza-
ton. 1t ought now to provide for a
unified command from the top
down."
What was described as an en-
courgaing report on American pro-
duction and distribution Of war
equipment was said to have been
given to a Senate Military Affairs
Subcommittee yesterday by 1t. Gen.
H. H Arnold, chief of the Air Forces.
While committee members refused
to discuss any of the details Of Gen.
Arnold's testimony on pending
$12,555 0O0,0 900 defense appropriation
bill, some said they we're highly
gratified at the progress made not
only in producing fighting and
bombing planes, but in transporting
them to critical military areas, such
as the Orient.
The pending bill, slated for COM
mittee approval today. would pro-
vide funds for %, 900 combat planes
and 10000 trainers for tremendous
increase in the air forces. Gen.
Arnold was reported to have ex-
pressed confidence that the training
of new flyers would keep pace with
the production of these new craft.
Senator Norris, who is not mem
ber of this committee, said it was his
idea in proposing the single defense
department, that the Army, Navy
and Air Force should be made COM
ponent branches and that there
should be unified command in the
field. He cited a portion Of the Rob-
erts report which pointed out the
lack of cooperation between Army
and Navy commanders at Pearl
Harbor.
Meanwhile it was pointed out that
both 1t. Gen. Walter c. Short and
Admiral Husband E. Kimmel have
suffered automatic demotion in rank
on being relieved of command In
Hawai-. Admiral Kimmel has be-
come 4 rear admiral losing the rank
of full admiral, title which went
with the post of commander in
chief of the fleet. Similarly, Gen.
Short, who held the rank of lieu
tenant general as long as he COM
manded the Hawaiian department,
has again become a nnaior general