The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1946-01-14
Fair Enough
Copyright, 1916, BY King Features Syndicate.
BY wEsTBRooK PEGLER


NEW YORK, Jan. 13.-When Henry Nor
genthau said he acted perfectly openly" in
using Coast Guard plane for trips between
/ Washington and his home in Duchess county,
near the Roosevelt estate, during the war, he
told the truth, technically. But the public was
not told about this until the other day and
Henry certainly would not contend that this
news was ever announced to the press at any
time Moreover, during the shooting war we
were forbidden to reveal movements OF service
planes and so, although Henry did nothing to
conceal information which he surely knows
would have been angrily received by the
people, the censorship did it for him.
Nor do believe that Mr.. Morgenthau was
straightforward in his version of the rest OF
the story. He says he really doesn't know
how many such trips he made in his two
planes and when asked him whether so would
be good estimate or 20 he couldn't say. I
don't believe Henrys examiners and reviewers
in the income tax department would have
given a man credit for sincerity if he had
similarly answered a comparable question
The way heard it is that Henry first had
a Lockheed twelve and, whereas he says they
got him another, which was a Lockheed lode
star and a much faster and better ship in all
respects, my informant says Henry went to
his friend, chief and patron, President Roose-
welt. and asked him for the lodestar.
AS to dates I have to let you down for the
time being except to say that he got the new
ship in 1889, but can tell you that the lode
star burns between 70 and 80 gallons Of gaso-
line an hour while cruising at go per cent of
ner engine power. How fast Henry flew I
don't know but to be quite fair I will recall
my previous estimate that he used 300 gallons
on each OF these little hops home and ignor-
ing the amount that might have been used
to warm up the engines, estimate that he
burned rs gallons each way and $50 gallons
uThn 81,
drawing two and one-s1af gallons of low-grade
motor fuel a week. The lodestar was an
'executive'' ship with two seats facing work
table, and couch, and carried a pilot and
co-pilot, mechanic and radio man. It could
carry eight passengers and took about an
hour each way.
| I do not single out Henry Morgenthau as
prince of privilege in an administration
which patronized the free American citizen
taxpayer and called him 1.-The common man,
term which always has suggested to me
that those who use it regard him as an incom-
petent and themselves as very uncommon and
superior men. He was just one Of many and, as
a clique, they made it very hard or impossi-
BILE for reporters to learn the truth about their
privileges.
For example, the wife Of a naval officer
at Key West once wrote me that Harold Ickes
and Harry Hopkins had shown up there as
passengers on one OF our Coast Guard cutters
which are not sub-chasers or picket-boats but
big ships with luxurious quarters for some
She said the skipper had related that Henry
Morgenthau, who commanded the Coast Guard
in peace times had told him to take them on
vacation cruise and let them fish every
hole from Jacksonville to Key West asked
Henry about that at the time and asked per-
mission to examine the log but he put me off,
although he didn't deny what had heard.
Another rulnor was that big yacht which
had been Communicated for the Navy was
turned over to Harry Hopkins for his honey
moon. This one came from several directions
and the story ran that the owner Of the ship
was dumped ashore with the explanation that
his boat was urgently need for the war. When
he heard what she was being used for he was
going to be very angry but subsidized when it
was pointed out that he was receiving a lot
OF war business. Now, as say, that couldn't
be verified or printed if it had been verified
because this would have been ''restricted'
information under the censorship but I can
say that the F. B. I. thought the rumor so
important that it sent man all the way from
Washington to Connecticut by automobile to
ask me if I had heard it. He said they were
checking "subversive' rumors. I told him
had but that another reporter who had made
an investigation had satisfied himself that it
wasn't so. 1 am not satisfied at all. just
don't know but I wouldn't put it past such
people and couldn't understand why the .B..I
should be so excited about the report. It didn't
seem 'subversive'' to me.
| Morgenthau used a government alrfleld OF
| the Civil Aeronautics Board manned by the
Army, at a place called New Hackensack
which is not in New Jersey, as the name might
suggest, but on the east side of the Hudson
near his home and the Roosevelt barony. After
the shooting stopped it was abandoned and
only small detail was left to serve as watch
men and private planes were forbidden to
land, thus it was that Mrs. Wendell Willkie,
Sam Pryor, former treasurer of the Republican
National Committee, and John Hanes,
formed SIS st tam seer ct airy of the
Treasury, under Morgenthau, all were ar
rested a few months ago when Pryor put
down his ship in which they had flown to
Massachusetts for a funeral. Hanes parked
his car at the field when Pryor dropped down
to lift him and when they came back the car
had been towed away and impounded.
i Someone telephoned Governor Dewey,s office
and Paul Lockwood, his secretary, got nold OF
a New York state trooper assigned to the
field and the trooper brought about the release
of Mrs. Willkie, Pryor and Hanes
I don't see how Henry can possibly inquire
that he doesn't owe us for that gasoline be-
cause there is absolutely no legal excuse TOR
a Secretary of the Treasury to fly on private
business at public expense. Ana II Henry
deserved this free transportation so GOES
every member of Congress and you could say
the same as to every clerk ana elevator BOY
in the government service IN washington.
E1sLe~1 Cononon ont