Evening star., 1944-11-30

election of Sewell Avery by soldiers
at the time of the Government
seizure of the Montgomery Ward
plant in Chicago.
Mrs. LittelPs View.
Mrs. Littell, who attended the con-
ference, volunteered the opinion:
Its been a grand fight"
Mr.. Littell said Mr. Biddle had
appointed j. E. Williams, Mr.. Littell's
general assistant, as acting head of
the Lands Division. Mr.. Littell de-
scribed Mr.. Williams as lone of the
finest and ablest public servants
have ever known"
Mr.. Roosevelt intervened after
the committee headed by Senator
Mead, Democrat, of New York had
sidestepped an immediate decision
on whether to investigate "irrecon-
ciliable" differences between the
two Justice officials.
Senator Hatch, Democrat, of New
Mexico, committee member, had as
serted that one or the other of the
two men would have to go. and
added succinctly:
80 far as directing what the
executive branch of the Government
should do, the legislative branch
has no jurisdiction"
Senator Ferguson, Republican. of
Michigan had said earlier he thought
the White House should inquire
into this matter"
Interference Charged.
The Littell memorandum stated:
IT might well consider it my public
duty to remain.
Attached to the Littell document
was a report to Solicitor General
Charles Fahy in which Mr. Littell
asserted the solicitor had given him
severe reprimand" for testifying
before the War Investigating Com
mittee regarding surplus property
disposal and for previous appearances
before congressional committees.
The committee also read letter
Mr.. Biddle wrote Chairman Mead
this week in which he fatty denied
he had asked Mr.. Littelrs resigna-
ton because Of his testimony.
Biddle Explains.
Actually, Mr.. Biddle said, he told
Mr.. Littell at an Office conference
November 18 that for some time
our relationship had been such that
I no longer repesed in him the kind
Of confidence that was essential for
the best interests of the department,
and I thought, under the circum-
stances, he would prefer to resign.
IT have never objected to Mr.. Lit
tells testifying before your COM
mittee or before any other COM
mittee of Congress, and the action
I took in asking for his resignation
was in no way connected with any
testimony he had given"
The case in which Mr. Corcoran fig
ured was a condemnation suit which
Mr.. Littell said his Office filed at
the request of the Maritime Com
mission to acquire the properties Of
the Savannah Shipyards Co. Mr..
Littell said the suit was filed "be-
cause of the failures and notorious
incompetence of the defendant COM
pany in establishing a going con-
Germ"
S1,2S5,000 Judgment.
The case eventually was brought
to trial and jury granted the COM
pany $1,285, 900.
Mr.. Littell's memorandum related
incidents which he said reflected
cooperation Of the Attorney Cen
eral and his former assistant, James
Rowe, with Mr.. Corcoran and the
Washington law firm of William j
Dempsey and William C. Koplovitz
to prevent the Savannah Shipyards
Co. case from being brought to trial
Tommy Corcoran represented the
Empire Ordnance Co. and its SUBJ
sidiary, the Savannah Shipyards
Co." the memo stated. LAS the
Empire Ordnance Co. of Frank
Cohen was then under investigation
for fraud in the manufacture of mu-
nitions after skyrocketing from a
shoestring investment of Mr.. Frank
VI 3C,UUU w q doU 1lCtW VA n
of subsidiaries including the Savan-
nah Shipyards Co., every effort was
being made by Tommy Corcoran on
behalf of his client to keep this par
ticular case from being exposed al
trial.
"On May 13, 1912, Jim Rowe tele-
phoned to me at the Attorney Gen.
erals instructions, because Demp-
,ey and Koplovitz composing Tommy
Corcoran's front law firm, had taken
up with the Attorney General the
matter of effecting a settlement.
When I said that as a matter of
principle we should not settle the
lease unless the defendants were viii
ling to accept the Governments esti-
mate Of the value of the property
(about $685., ,0o0) when appraisals
were completed, because of the
grossly defective construction work,
he asked If I would please tell the
Attorney General that personally p
Calls Procedure Unusual.