Evening star., 1946-07-24

S T A r, Washington, D. c.
~, JULY ~, 1s@6.
to appear before the committee.
The subpoena served on him last
Friday called for his appearance
Yesterday. Mr.. Meader explained
that possibly that subpoena would
hold good for some future time, but
that the most likely course of the
committee would be to issue an
other one if satisfactory arrange
ments cannot be made for volun-
tary appearance by Mr.. May.
Committee aides planned to con-
fer during the day with Warren E.
Magee. counsel for Mr.. May. to find
out when Mr. May will not be too
busy to appear. Senator Mead has
offered to meet around the clock"
to suit Mr., Mays convenience.
The name of the Military Affairs
Committee chairman cropped up
again late yesterday, when Gen.
Watt told the committee Mr.. Nav
called him while the general was
IN the Illinois Office of the Carson
combine last March. Mr.. May, he
said. wanted assurances the Cars
sons were not being prosecuted.
Defective Shells Reported.
The question of the defective
shells was brought into the hearing
when Senator Mead read into the
record letters from two overseas
veterans, now Reserve officers, re-
porting that the shells were so de-
fective that orders were finally is
sued that they should be fired by
lanyard, a much slower method Of
firing.
Both ofhcers wrote the committee
that the orders were issued after a
number of American soldiers were
blown up by their own ammunition.
One of the officers wrote that dur
ing the Battle of the Bulge good
many" 4.2-inch shells exploded in
the barrels, resulting in injury and
death to those firing them.
The letters explained that since
the effectiveness of the weapons de-
pended on the volume of fire. the
usefulness of the shells was virtually
destroyed by using lanyards.-
Thought Shells "An Right"
Senator Mead introduced the let
tiers Immediately after Gen Waltz
identified as one of the guests at the
Carson wedding party in New York
said 1t was his understanding that
during the war the Garssons were
doing about the best job in getting
out shells" and that as far as he
knew, the quality and quantity of
the shells they produced were per
fectly all right"
After the letters were read, Gen,
Watt admitted that the two reserve
officers who wrote them were alb
Solutely right" about the defective
ness of the shells but ne added that
he didn't know which company had
produced defective shells.
Would the public ever nave known
about those shells If those two
officers hadn't written?" asked Sem
ator Ferguson, Republican of Mich
lgan. Would it ever have been
disclosed here?"
The witness said he didn't know.
The committee then questioned
Gen. Watt about a report which he
but which was never put
into the record, in which Gen. Watt !
denied the Chemical Warfare Serv-
ice in Washington interfered with !
the efforts of its Chicago procure
ment service to get prompt refund /
Of 100000 overpayment to
Batavia Metal Products, Co.-one of |
the major Carson affiliates.
Before the committe was a report I
from the Inspector Generals Office |
concluding that the records indi-
cate the Chicago termination per-
scnnel were diligent' but were re-
strained by the industrial division
of the Chemical Warfare Service
here from pressing the contractor
for settlement.
Did you read the records from
which the Inspector Generals Of
fice drew its conclusions?" asked
Senator Ferguson.
Says Offices Questioned.
The witness said he had not read
the records.
Then you said the inspector gen.
erals report was not supported by
the evidence when you didn't read
the evidence" commented Senator
Ferguson.
When Gen. Watt said he had in
tervieWed several officers before he
made the report, committee men,
bers drew from him the admission
that three Of those he questioned
Col. Patrick Powers, Col. Lowell A.
Elliott and Albert Jacobson-had
all been fellow guests with him at
the Carson wedding party.
After that. at the committees
suggestion, Gen. Watt took back
his report and agreed to find more
facts before it went in the record. +
Concerning the trip by Gen. Watt
and other officers attending the
wedding party who made the trip
on Government travel orders, the
War Department said today:
Until it is definitely established