Evening star., 1946-09-28
State Department Aide
Insists Latin Highway
Was Military Need
By Robert K. WoIsh

A State Department spokesman to-
day repudiated testimony of former
War Department officer before the
Senate War Investigating Committee
that Army construction of the Inter-
American Highway in 1942-43 was
deemed a political rather than mil
itary necessity.
John Cabot, former chief Of the
Caribbean and Central American
Affairs Division, told the committee
that former Secretary of War Slim
son wrote the then Secretary Of
State Cordell Hull in 1912 that the
War Department regarded the high
way as IAN urgent military necessity"
Senator Ferguson, Republican, Of
Michigan, however, read a 1912 letter
of Gen. Eisenhower stating that the
War Department approved construc-
ton for Continental solidarity" and
not as present military necessity"
General, Questioners Clash.
The Senator, declared this seemed
to uphold yesterdays testimony of
Maj. Gen. C. P. Gross. retired, for
mer chief of the Army Transporta-
tion Corps.
Todays hearing opened with a
clash between committee questioners
and Brig. Gen. Ruben E. Jenkins of
the Plans ad Operations Division of
the War Department.
Gen. Jenkins declared the War
Department today regarded the
1nter-American Highway as mill
tary asset, but not essential to ade-
quate national defense"
Committee Counsel George Meader
described this as trying to carry
water on both shoulders.
Canal Inquiry Put OFF.
Gen. jenkins said that because of
its vulnerability, the road cannot be
considered adequate for primary
logistic support, but would increase
"fexibility'' of the national defense
supply system and would be mill
tary asset also by promoting inter-
ests of hemisphere solidarity"
Because of the absence OF Acting
Chairman Kilgore, the committee
postponed until Monday its further
inquiry into the wartime Canol oil
project in Canada and the question:
ing of Admiral Ernest j. King. It
expects at that time to have a reply
from the Joint Chiefs of Staff to
its request that all Canol files be
made available without a label Of
military secrecy.
II Million Spent on Road.
The committee went ahead with
examination of State and War De-
partment representatives to learn
what rights, if any, the United
States has obtained in the Inter-
American Highway through Central
America in return for its outlay of
SIT 100000.
E. w. James of the Public Roads
Administration told the committee
yesterday the PRA already has spent
S33 100000 on the road through Gen.
tral America and the Army $44,-
000, 900.
Mr.. James, chief of PRA's inter.
, American regional Office, estimated
it would take 65,0O000O more te
!. complete the strip from the south.
,, ern border of Mexico to Panams
/ City.
y Gentleman's Agreement.
Reports of 'gentlemen's agree.
ment" for construction of a loot
road near the farm of the President
OF Nicaragua, and stories of pigs
shod with leather because of rough
spots In the Army built highway in
Guatemala enlivened the four hour
hearing yesterday afternoon.
Mr.. James reported his Office /:
going ahead now with a somewhat
changed route as part of a much
larger Pan-American Highway
started in 1929. He estimated that
a through road from the Mexican
border to the Panama Canal will
be open for traffic in three years
and completed with pavement in
five years.
Not Military Necessity"
Senator Ferguson drew from Gen
Gross statement that a main pur-
pose for wartime construction OF
the Inter American Highway be-
, tween Mexico and Panama was to
, assure solidarity" and cooperation
from Central American govern
mentS, especially in getting airfield
sites.
Gen. Gross added that, although
he did not consider the project G
military necessity, there had beer
"a possibility of a real need develop.
ing in the dark days of 1912"
Credits Examined.
/. The committee went over in de.
tail with Hawthorne Arey, genera
counsel of the Export Import Bank
the credits which that agency gave
Mexico and other Central American
republics to assist them in paying
their one-third shares of the costs
of construction in their country.
Some of the testimony indicated
the roads agency and the Army En-
gineers worked occasionally at cross
purposes if not in direct conflict on
parts of the highway in 1923
Maj. Gen. Eugene Reybold, retired,
former Chief of Engineers, and Col.
Edwin Kelton, retired, former pam
American highway director, blamed
adverse weather and equipment
transportation difficulties for fall
ure to complete the project and for
the great increase over original cost
estimates.