Evening star., 1946-09-09

IctTdCtiDg lLS cT1tlClSm, expressed IN
the fifth annual report last week
OF Fleet Admiral Ernest l.. King
wartime Chief of Naval Operations
/. and Gen. Brehon Somervell, retired
head of the Army Service Forces.
Admiral King replied to the com
mittee's criticism several days age
by declaring he had acted as al
agent for the Joint Chiefs of staff
III recommending that the Canol
project be completed during the
war, despite recommendation by
a group OF Government officials and
the Senate committee itself that il
should be abandoned because of ex-
, cessive cost and comparatively little
production of oil.
. Senator Mead said he will not
insist" on Admiral Kings testify
Ing again. but that he will in
sist on getting the facts" Senator
Mead declared that whatever need
Tor military secrecy prevailed dur
ing the war, no such excuse could
be given now for refusing to give
the information to the committee.
He said that Admiral King and
Gen. Somervell, as officers of the
Navy and Army" owed it to the
committee to give us the facts" and
that information concerning other
military secrets during the war was
often provided the committee by
various other agencies in executive
| session.
AZ Mortar Blame Sought.
Chairman Mead said the commit
tee as a whole and he personally
are deeply interested in fixing re-
sponsibility for the manufacture of
4.2-lnch mortar shells which in
some instances proved defective and
killed or wounded American soldiers.
He explained that the hearings
which the committee plans to hold.
perhaps within another 10 days, on
this subject will not deal specifically
with the Carson munitions COM
pine. The committee wants to con-
Slder all available information and
testimony, including not only the
report 1t received from the Chemical
Service, but also data it has OBJ
tanned from former servicemen and
from other sources.
The Chemical Warfare Service re-
port, as disclosed last week bv the
War Department, said the prema-
ture explosions resulted from de-
fective fuzes, and that the Erie
Basin Metal Products Co., and other
Carson affiliates, made shell bodies
instead.
Declaring that the committee
never has mentioned any specific
contractor as being responsible for
manufacture of defective shells,
Senator Mead said:
| Amy misunderstanding that has
arisen about these AZ shells is at
trlbutable to conflicting statements
| by the Chemical Warfare Service. I
doubt very much if the air can be
cleared without public hearing"
Senator Mead explained he was
referring In part to testimony which
Maj. Gen. Alden H. Watt gave at
hearings last month and to state
ments contained in the chemical
service report.
To Suggest Future Work.
Senator Mead explained that
technically he is giving up the chair
manShlp at once and will turn over
the functions to his successor as
soon as the committee selects one
Meanwhile. however, he will be un-
usually active here in preparing his
report Of current investigations and
in advising the committee of plans
L nave IN mind concerning the fu-
ture work of the committee"
He said ne would not. have re-
| signed as chairman if he Simply
were seeking reelection to the SEN
ate. He noted, however, that the New
York gubernatorial campaign usu-
ally begins about October l, and
that it would be inappropriate for
him to continue as the directing
mead OF such a Senate committee
while he was engaged in personal
political campaigning for a State
office.
The things that Senator Mead
has in mind for future work of the
committee. he explained, include a
rounding out of the war profits in
Vestlgation, study of procedures,
financial and administrative meth
DDS. and Investigations OF major in
dustrieS such as shipbuilding, steel
and aluminium.
He said these Investigations would
not necessarily deal with criminal
activities but would be directed
toward recommending improve
ments in production and war profits
regulations.
Wyman Scouting Planned.
Another investigation, on which a
subcommittee headed by Senate
! Rllgore IS now working, concerns
the pre-Pearl Harbor activities of
Col. Theodore Wyman and Hans
Wilhelm Rom. Col. Wyman was
the Army engineer in charge of
construction at Pearl Harbor at the
time OF the japanese attack. Sena-
tor Mead declared that as soon as
the Kilgore subcommittee completes
49, - StoNyJ ~
teld lnVestiga tionS and possible
later hearings here.
Mr.. May, in a letter to Senator
Mead last week, reviewed his work as
Kentucky agent for the Cumberland
company, headed by the Garssons.
It contended that he personally was
out OF pocket s6593l for funds he
advanced the lumber concern to
meet various obligations.
! Carson testified under oath to
negotiations between Joseph F..
Freeman. Washington agent for the
munitions makers, and Mr.. May,
chairman of the House Military Al
fairs Committee, concerning pur-
chase of some timberland in Ken
lucky by the Cumberland company.
| May served as fiscal agent for the
lumber firm, but denied he was an
officer or profited by its operations
although the committee received
in evidence letter he wrote saying
he stood TO lose $4,000 if the ven-