Evening star., 1943-04-25

| 1t was also confidential letter which
tipped off" the committees scoop on
fake tests. at Carnegie Illinois. Action
was hastened because Kaiser oil tanker,
the Schenectady, broke in two shortly
afterward during trial run off the West
Coast. The accident was attributed to
defective steel plates.
Upward of 300 such communications
pour in daily at the committees Office
In addition, non-member Senators have
come to use it as a clearing house for
charges relating to war production which
are submitted by their constituents.
! Finally, employees and inspectors at mu-
nitions plants sometimes travel to WASH
ington at their own expense and call in
person upon Senator Truman.
Mank Crank Letters.
Most of the letters are from cranks,
disgruntled workers or inventors with
contrivances guaranteed to win the war
overnight. Those in the third class are
referred to the National Inventors Coun-
Gil, which deals amiably with crackpots.
The others are sorted out by the process
of writing answers to all correspondents.
They are asked to state specific charges
and list concrete items for which investi-
gators should look. Usually there is no
reply, or at most cloud of vague gen.
eralities. But on occasion the response
IS lucid and circumstantial Then the
committee swings into motion
The Winfield Park and Carnegie
Illinois cases illustrate two characteristics
Of its operation. In the first place, many
important leads come from inside in
formants. In theory, the committee cam
not promise them protection. Actually,
it takes the utmost pains to keep their
identity secret. In Truman's opinion,
these volunteers are patriots who un-
dertake public service at the risk of
their own economic life and that of their
| families
| Secondly, the committees technique is
that of the rifle rather than the shotgun.
In up-to-date military parlance, it uses
precision instead of saturation bombing.
At Winfield Park no overall investiga-
ton was attempted. The inquiry concen-
trated Itself on single point, namely,
whether forged claims had been made as
to the rental of machinery. There was
no blanket research into Carnegie
Illinois to say nothing of United States
Steel. Attention was limited to one sole
particular-the Justification of tensile
records in an individual plant.
I'VE can only stick in a pin here and
there" Senator Truman remarks. But
nobody knows where the pin is going to
| strike, and that keeps every one on the
alert.
1 The committee streamlined efficiency
is due to compulsion as we'll as choice
1t has staff of only 80, of whom is are
stenographers. To examine a program
rising toward 300 billions it has received
aggregate appropriations of 5000 900, as
against $4,000 lavished on the Dies
| Committee
| Earns Own Way.
The Truman group has been compelled
literally to earn its way. When it was
created in March, 1941, the chairman's
moderate request for S25,OOO was cut to
$4,000. Its report on camp construction
was rewarded with vote of $4,000. The
aluminium investigation brought 100000
more. Then 100000 was added on the
general record. To date the committee
has spent $15O,O00 1t is reckoned to have
been prominent factor in saving billions
of dollars to the war program. It's pub
lEhed reports run to 100000 words,
while recorded testimony approaches
10OO0O,0O0.
The committee was Truman's own
idea and at the beginning no one took it
| IN, L,,f l.; rT-l.-
be thought that bit of humoring was
owed to faithful New Dealer. Accord
Ing to custom, Truman, who proposed
the resolution, was made chairman. He
had little or nothing to do with the
choice of members, which was handled
by Vice President Wallace. Majority
Leader Barkley and Minority Leader
McNary.
AS originally framed, the COMMITTEES
consisted of seven Democrats and three
Republicans The former were Senators
Truman Tom Connally of Texas, Carl
Hayden of Arizona, James M Mead of
New York, Clyde l.. Herring of Iowa,
Mon. G.. Walgren of Washington and
Harley M. Kilgore of West Virginia. The
Republicans were Senators Ralph o.
Brewster of Maine, Joseph H. Ball Of
Minnesota and Styles Bridges of New
Hampshire. Hayden refused to serve,
and was succeeded by Senator Carl A.
Hatch, Democrat, New Mexico Bridges
soon resigned on the ground of i'll
health. His place was given to Senator
Harold H. Burton Republican, Ohio
Contest for Places
1t is generally thought that the ap-
pointment of freshmen Senators of small
influence reflected the slight esteem in
which the committee at first was held.
According to one account, Wallace was
chiefly interested in naming Connally
and Herring, who we're expected to act
as watchdogs for the administration
The committees rapid growth In re-
pute was illustrated last January, after
Herring had been defeated for re-elec-
ton in November. On the basis of the
national returns, it was decided to trans
fer his seat to Republican. The va
cancy aroused such competition that
Barkley and McNary threw up their
hands and appointed Senator Homer
Ferguson of Michigan, the nearest thing
to an unknown quantity, in the WASH
ington sense, that they could find A
circuit judge, he had been elected to the
Senate in November, 1912
incidentally, Connally and Herring
| were reSpOnSible for the onlv serious die