The people's voice., 1945-04-27
False Testimony

An Associated Press release datelined Washington April
20 tells of the testimony of the chief of army engineers Maj
Gen. Eugene Reybod before the subcommittee of the
committee which has been holding hearings the
Murray Bill for the establishment Missouri Valley Author
ity. We quote the story his testimony
washington April 2O-(AP).A major flood ca
tastrophe in the lower Mississippi river might result
valley authority established Maj Gen Eugene
Reybold, chief of army engineers, said today.
"Reybold told senate commerce subcommittee he
believed bill by Senator Murray Cd, Mont)
for MVA would be "a step backward in flood control
"The army engineers in charge of flood
navigation The Murray bill would permit by
passing of this agency in the Missouri river valley.
IF the army engineers to be able to meet their
responsibility for flood protection in the lower Mississippi
valley they must have full and complete control of all
flood control dams in the Missouri valley Reybod stated
"Reybold said passage of the bill would
81. Eliminate the present effective coordination of
navigation improvements and flood control works in the
Missouri valley region with similar improvements and
work throughout the nation
so. Eliminate that complete control which
gress exercises under existing law
"3. Remove from the supervision of the corps of
gineers large amount of the type of work it has been
carrying direction of the secretary
for 120 years. >"
is of special interest that he that "enact-
ment of bill by Senator Murray for an MVA would be
step backward in flood CONTROL 1t also interesting that he
holds out as calamous possibility removal from the
vision of the of engineers large amount of the type of
work it has been carrying under the direction of the
retary of War for 120 years..
1t peculiar incident that the date, the
Associated Press sent story with ST. Louis datene
the property through tornadoes
We quote the following from the story which losses
"Floods covered 1858, ITO and 9O2 homes were
destroyed and 4,100 damaged Disaster Relief Di
rector Robert E. Edison said.
"The report showed 279,17O acres including 9799
in crop land inundated in the Oklahoma Kansas
food-tornado The death toll Ill. Over 600
homes listed destroyed
eleven persons were killed and 81 injured in
the ArkansasTexas where 1043000 in
undated.
Fifteen killed in 10 Missouri counties The
report said $4,000 acres were flooded in the area.
property in the Missouri valley region has
been annual the this
quoted dispatch being comparatively small but of course
the for floods over would seem that in
the flood control work which the engineers
charge of for 2O years thew should have been able to
the nadequaces of their system long before this
rate they have nothing at which point with pride" in their
Valleys far flood conrolwork claims
about proposed coordnaed control being step back
ward falls into the category of false testimony witness
results in the Tennessee valley
The argument numbered the story also
be cassed as false testimony If there is effective oordna
ton of navigation improvements and flood
the Missouri valley then the engineers definition of
effective" must be their
The argument numbered in the story is simply
piece of the false propaganda voiced by all private power
sooges Under existing law the army engineers
operate the other government They
port to their chief the head of their particular branch
government service They request certain money
for flood control work
has nothing to about the
The chief of the bureau fixes that Any complaints the
people locality have make be transmitted
the chief engineer in the field and will then be passed
to his chief in Washington and often than will then
line of action outlined And by the time that red
has been unwound to the point where action might
be TAKEN probably the maximum of damage
has been suffered by the people who originally made the
complaint. c
occur The authority in charge in the field will
rectons if need be made The decision the
each definite detailed report of accomplishments must
be made Congress really over
control agencies like the Bureau Reclamation the
Army Engineers.