The Wilmington morning star., 1943-11-11
By WESTBROOK PEGLER

NEW YORK.-It is too bad that testimony
runs into so much Wordage that the newspaper
can't reproduce in detail the process by which
Congressman Edward Hebert, of New Orleans
former reporter, played to the vanity of
lying, arrogant imposter in the Brewster sabo-
tage case in Washington, blew him up with
compliments and then, suddenly began to
bounce him off all four walls like a handball
He was examining the CLIO union boss known
variously as Harry Fosner, Thomas Vincent
de Lorenzo and by several other names and
preparing to reveal the brutal selfishness and
cynicism which had held back plane production
for the Navy in conformity WITH Posners dec
laratlon. as president of local 365 ct the United
Automobile Workers, that he would let Ameri.
can fighters die for lack of planes if necessary
to preserve "our way of life or rights or
whatever you want to call it''-meaning his
unions power
MIR. Hebert had come by information that
Posner was a liar by deliberate preference
and masquerader with a police record but
with no conviction except in multiple traffic
cases. But Posner didn't know this so Mr.
Hebert led off by recognizing him as ''defin-
ltely force in your selected field and one
who had risen to the top He then read an
excerpt from Posner's union publication Aero
Notes which abused Congressman Mas of
Minnesota, who had taken leave from the
House to be at Guadalcanal as Marine Corps
officer and said Rant and rave, Congress
man Mas. We in the shop will decide and
we alone, who our president is and will be.
You can have your Rickenbackers, we will
have our de Lorenzoes.
"Any time $1,000 people prefer any indi-
vidual to Eddie Rickenbacker, that man must
have something Mr.. Hebert sa:d. and asked
him to tell the committee the story of his life
At this Posner. apparently uneasy replied
that his story would, indeed, be very inter-
esting but that he thought it would not have
anything to do with the investigation.
Don't be modest Mr.. Hebert said 1--WE
know you are modest about it,
Warily, then, the unioneer sketched his be-
ginnings, revealed that he had joined both the
CLIO and ALL unions. playing safe to keep his
Job no matter which one won the election and
said with preening mock-modeSty: Il believe
that what you call my remarkable rise to the
adulatIon of $1,000 men is not entirely justi-
fed After much more of this and some
further parley by Mr.. Hebert, the congress
man suddenly moved in and in manner of
speaking, knocked him for a loop.
What is your real name. Mr. de Lorenzo?"
he asked when the witness admitted that he
had used' de Lorenzo, Posner Harris, land
half dozen others as they came in handy, ;"
MIR. Hebert tore him apart and fed him his
own CORY chunks. After that the subcommittee
of the House Naval Affairs Committee got one
OF the most despicable stories in the entire
Sordid record of vicious unioneeIing in this
war. The man admitted that he was liar by
choice and built up for himself character
which precluded any criticism Of the Brewster
management for failure to produce N a y
planes, even though the management does
seem to have been awful at times because his
unions contract with the firm left the man.
agement no authority over it's own work and
placed the final authority in the hands of a
man whose record was 10 good even under
OATH meaning himself.
Mr.. Hebert made him admit that workers
who refused to strike were tried on charges
by his union, that some of then: were fined
$50 for this, and one $100 and that a flight
inspector was suspended for month for the
same offense. Mrs. Agnes Meye. OF the Wash
ngton Post the reporter who broke the story,
wrote that the flight inspector had a plane
in the air. at the time and refused to desert
his responsibilities until the plane returned"
Called before the board Mrs. M eye r
wrote, 'he said in strong language that he
couldn't leave his pilot in the air. was charged
with using 'unbecoming language" and for
that was suspended for 30 days although he
was classified as irrepaceable
Unless the Department of Juice proceeds
against Posner for some such Incidental error
as uttering falsehoods under oath, nothing can
be done to him, and he cannot be removed.
His actions all come under the head of '1egti-
mate union activity and the labor laws have
been carefully designed so that his character
cannot be held against him or even ques-
toned. And, although he is only IS years old,
he still rates occupational deferment in the
draft as indispensable man.