Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-05-12
R Street Probe
Resumed With
.DoorsC|osed
Mrs. Smith Excused;
Two Army Officers
Quizzed on Contract
By JAMES F.. CHM.

scores OF men and women who
trekked to the new House Office
Building today expecting further
developments in connection with
the much publicized dinner parties
at 2l01 R street NV. were turned
away in disappointment.
There had been reports that Mrs.
Eula Smith. who pays $500 month
rent for the big red house, was to
be the star" witness. But she did
not appear.
Instead of a public hearing, the
subcommittee of the House Military
Affairs Committee investigating war
contract brokers, closed it's doors
and questioned in secret for more
than two hours two Army officers
Col. John C. Mechem, attache of
the fiscal division of the Army Serv-
Ice Headquarters in WASHINGTON,
and Maj. Frederick Ritchie, chief
of the fiscal division of the Boston
Ordnance District.
Mrs. Smith Excused.
Attaches of the subcommittee ex-
planned Mrs. Smith was not called
as previously planned, because she
had been excused to 90 to Jack
sonvllle, Fla, to visit her child who
is Ill. She is still under a subpoena,
1t was pointed out, and will be
asked to testify, perhaps early next
week.
On her first appearance before
the subcommittee nearly two weeks
ago, Mrs. Smith fatty refused to
answer questions. John P. Monroe,
host at the dinner parties at the R
street house, also declined to talk
at that time, but on his second
appearance last week he became
his loquacious self and told the
subcommittee about everything it
wanted to know except the names
of new deal officials he charged
had warned him he was to be
framed and prosecuted" AS a
result Mr.. Monroe still has hanging
over his head threat of contempt
of the House.
Chairman May of the Military
Affairs Committee said no action
had yet been taken on the proposal
for contempt citation-a proposal
that came in the form of a motion
by Representative Sheridan, Demo-
crat, of Pennsylvania.
Quizzed on Statements.
The two Army officers. it w
learned, were questioned 4
statements Mr. Monroe made L.
week with respect to the Nara.
gansett Machine Co. of PaWtucket,
r. l., and 100000 worth of con-
tracts it had with the Ford Motor
Co. to produce on a subcontract
basis, gun mounts for cannon.
Mr.. Monroe testified that finance
officer of the Boston Ordnance Dis
trict had told him he the officer
was "out on a limb" because he
had obtained funds for the Nara
gansett firm without authority"
Maj Richie. who is chief of the
ordnance office in Boston, is re-
ported to have denied he ever talked
with Mr.. Monroe.
Mr.. Monroe also had said he had
conversations with high-ranking
ordnance officers at the War De-
partment in Washington and was
told the Narragansett firm was their
biggest headache It was not
disclosed whether Col. Mechem was
asked about this statement.
Neither Col. Mechem nor Mai.
Ritchie would discuss their testi-
mony with reporters when the secret
hearing ended, I'VE are silent; we
won't talk" remarked Mai. Ritchie.
But Representative Durham. Demo-
crat, Of North Carolina, the SUBJ
committee chairman, did admit the
two Army officers had given the
subcommittee the information it
wanted. And with respect to the
Ford contracts. he said the Army
officers had cleared them up to
my satisfaction