The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-10-24

Later he heard that the six iron furnaces he had put in the new Goering plant had burned out in the first six weeks. Rea- son: BraSSert had left the job without giving the Nazis the se- cret of his new process.
 More recently, BraSsert has been trying to give these secrets to the American steel industry and to the War Production Board. But all he got until this week was gen. erous and consistent rlin-around.
 First run-around came from the U. s. Treasury, which put him on the blacklist and froSe his funds. Brassert has been many years an American citizen but was born i'm England and is distantly related to the sec.
 Ond wife of Goering's father
 (GoeFing's mother was his fathers first wife).
 However, the U. s. Treasury later removed him from the black list, apologized, unfroze his funds. Meanwhile, Brassert had been warning the steel industry as early as two years ago that there would be a scrap iron shortage, that IL would be absolutely necessary to find a quick source of iron, in- dependent of scrap.
 Also he has urged that the pres- ent steel shortage could be ren- edied by working small iron de- posits all over the United States For instance, the Dover, N. J., Iron Works, which produced can- non for the Revolutionary War and the War Between the States, could be reopened under the new sponge iron process. Also old iron deposits in New York and Penn sylvania. which thrived in the Eighties, could be opened, to say nothing of important deposits in Missouri, Texas and Oklahoma, which are near natural gas. Iron ore is also found in South Caro- lina, North Carolina, Virginia, Kentucky and Washington, while the sponge iron process would per- init Wisconsin and Minnesota to produce their own iron on the spot, and save delay to tying np ore boats during heavy freezes on the Great Lakes.
 CONGRESSIONAL PROBE
 His process. known as the Bras- sert-Cape process, is a refinement Of the sponge iron system, and produces iron at low temperatures instead Of smelling by the blast furnace method. Brassert had designed the Corby plant in Eng land. also has signed contract to erect q steel mill for the goy- ernment of Peru. But the War Production Board opposed similar operation in the U. s.
 The WIPE was willing to erect blast furnaces costing el3IO00I 900, including coke plant and Besse- mer converter. It was not will- ing, however, to use a new pros cess which would cost only e4,- 5000 0,D00. Friends Of the steel ip- dustFy on the WIPE were blunty opposed to change, didn't want to upset longtime practices in the in- dustEy,
 WEBS objection vas not based on the fact that Brassert once had been blackllsted. For such Iekes, Senator OAInh0ney of Wyoming, and Congressman Boy- kin of Alabama had been ham, merlng at the WIPE for months. Opposition was based on the fact that WIPE advisers just don't like change.
 HELL OF A MESS
 Regardless Of this. Congressman R0ykln has been stirring uD the WIPE steel experts with a Con- gresslOnal investigation. trying to show that the country could get enough steel if the WIPE wanted to go after it. one witness sum- moned was 6. Q. Hobart, of WIPES Blast Furnace Unit. who, before the hearings opened, telephoned to nrassegt la New York,