Evening star., 1946-07-22
Mead Unit May Probe
|Wyman S Activities
|At Pearl Harbor


The Senate War Investigating
Committee is expected to follow
up the recommendation of the
Pearl Harbor Committee thai
some other congressional grour
60 further into the activities Of
Col. Theodore Wyman, jr., who
was district engineer in Hawaii
supervising defense projects
when Pearl Harbor was attacked
The Army Pearl Harbor Board il
its report last year was critical O.
Col. Wyman's work as district engi
neer, but Secretary of War Patter.
son, after reviewing that board
findings, concluded the record die
not justify any disciplinary actor
against the engineer officer.
The Pearl Harbor Committet
looked into Col. Wyman's associa.
ton with Hans Wilhelm Rohl, 6
German who became a naturalizee
American citizen three months be.
fore the Japanese attack. Rohl wa!
part owner OF Hawaii Constructors
defense work contractors on tht
islands.
Often Visited Germans Yacht.
The House committee that inves
tigated Pearl Harbor reported tina
Col. Wyman and Rohl we're Otter
together on the Germans yacht
The committee cited testimon.
about wild drinking parties" a
which "cheap-looking types of youn!
girls paraded in and out all eve
ming"
Secretary Patterson pointed ou
that after leaving Pearl Harbor Col
Wyman was in charge of the port a
Cherbourg during the Normandy in
yasion and performed one of tn
outstanding construction tasks o
the European theater.
The Congressional Pearl Harbo
Committee majority said in thei
report Saturday that they did no
go fully into the Wyman case be
cause they did not feel it bore an
relation to the disaster. They rec
commended, however, that som
other appropriate committee inves
tigate.
Senator Brewster. Republican. o
Maine, said similar effort tw
years ago was blocked by refusa
Of the House Military Affairs Com
mittee headed by Representativ
May, Democrat, of Kentucky, to re
lease a key witness to the Senat
group.
Similar Effort Was Blocked.
! Senator Brewster is member Q
both the Senate-House committe
which delved into the blame benin
Pearl Harbor and Of the Senate
Special War Investigating Commit
tee, now engrossed in an attemp
to summon Mr.. May for testimon
concerning his relations with
midwestern munitions combine.
Senator Brewster said Chairma
Mead readily agreed to have the Wa
Investigating Committee pick up til
thread of its inquiry which tn
Maine Senator said was "stymied
before by what he termed the ''un
cooperative attitude" of the Ma
committee.
Cites Witness Disappearance.
In this connection, Senator Brew
ster told reporter he had been in
formed by Senate committee aide
that subpoena once had bee
issued for a key witness. Senate
Brewster said this sequence of event
was related to him:
When the Senate committee
process server approached the pros
pective witness the latter asked tim
to telephone. This was granted an
the witness disappeared. A sho1
time later Senate committee counse
received call from May committe
aides stating that the witness il
question was under subpoena by tn
House group and could not be re
leased to testify before the Senators
Meanwhile, opinions as to wheth
er Saturdays report will be the las
investigation Of the Japanese attac
on Hawaii.
COP May Start New Inquiry.
Senator Brewster. who once sug
gested that lit might be necessar
for Republican Congress to flnisl
the job" said that if COP member
win control of the House in thi
years election he would not be sur
prised by demands for new inquiry
However. Senator Ferguson, Re
publican, of Michigan, who joine
with Senator Brewster in minorit
report naming President Roosevelt
as among those they felt shoul
bear part of the direct blame, sal
he foresaw no try at a new hear
ing now or in the near future"
Senator Ferguson told a reporte
he hoped the State Department
would supplement the congressions
report with diplomatic facts"
Senator Brewster echoed thi!
adding:
"If there is any further investiga
ton, it ought to be on the diplo
matte aspects. I think the militar
phases of the disaster have bee,
looked into thoroughly. But tn
people ought to know, for instance
what commitments the late Presi
dent Roosevelt made in communica
tions and telephone conversation
with Winston Churchill. The Sen
ate House committee got almos
nothing on that score"