Evening star., 1946-02-16
Bitter Senate
Fight Forecast
In Pau|ey Case
Roosevelt Suggested
Oil Mon for Post,
ForrestoI Says
BY Joseph A. Fox

President Truman's contro-
versial nomination of Edwin w.
Pauley to be UnderSecretary of
the Navy shaped up today as a
heritage of the Roosevelt ad-
ministration.
In news conference late yester-
day in which he reaffirmed his in
tention to see the .pauley case
through-a course which Capitol Hill
predicts will stir the bitterest SEN
ate fight since the late President
Roosevelt sought in 1887 to pack"
the Supreme Court-Mr. Truman
asserted that he named the Cali
fornia oil man for the Navy post at
the suggestion of Secretary of the
Navy Forrestal, who told him that
Mr. Roosevelt had intended to make
the appointment.
A short while later, the Navy Sec
retary issued a statement saying he
had told Mr.. Truman that he would
be agreeable to Mr. Pauley's coming
to the Navy Department.
AV tllC odIllC GlkllCt MI. lIuIlldI1
told reporters he would not be in a
hurry to name a successor to Sec
retary of the Interior Ickes, a Pauley
foe, who quit the cabinet in a split
over the issue with the President.
No Geographical Influence.
The President also threw cold
water on the representations of his
former colleagues at the Capitol
who have been urging Westerner
for the Interior billet by explaining
that he would not be swayed by
geography, but would seek the man
he thought best fitted for the place
in appointing new cabinet aide.
Despite the heat generated by the
"Pauley incident" which was cli-
NAKED by Mr.. Ickes' exit from Of
flcial life because he considered his
veracity had been impugned by the
| President, in connection with his
Senate testimony against the nom
ination, Mr.. Truman discussed the
matter ood-humoredly and said he
considered Mr.. Ickes had been a
good public servant.
! He joined in the laugh that fol-
lowed reporters question about
the possibility of the former Interior
chief getting another administration
post and asked-what do you think?
/ The President held his news con-
ference at about the time Mr.. Ickes
was closing his desk and leaving the
department over which he had pre-
| sided for Ia trxyn-lau
tice from the President The Secre-
tary had proposed the resignation
not be effective until March 81 when
he rendered it Tuesday. The Presi-
dent made it February Is.
Expects Confirmation.
II In answer to successive questions
Mr.. Truman said he did not intend
to withdraw the Pauley nomination
from the Senate Naval Affairs Com
mittee; that he did not expect Mr..
Pauley would ask that his name be
withdrawn, and that he thought Mr..
Pauley would be confirmed.
Mr.. Pauley is a good man, the
President said earnestly, and he
; added that he thought the former
Democratic national treasurer had
made the best deal ever made on
reparations as the American mem
ber of commission sitting on both
German and Japanese reparations.
Parenthetically, ponding to
another inquiry, he said the nature
!; of the Japanese reparations plan
could not yet be given out.
Asked who recommended Mr..
Pauley, the President said Secre-
tary Forrestal, and he amplified
that the Navy Chief told him Presi-
| dent Roosevelt had intended to
make the appointment. AS he re-
; called it, Secretary Forrestal pro-
posed Mr.. Pauley's name last Oc-
tober or November, before the
5 resignation of Undersecretary Ralph
/ Bard.
ForrestaPs Statement.
Later, Mr.. Forrestal issued this
statement:
President Roosevelt on January
81, 1945, asked me to consider the
name of Mr.. Edwin w. Pauley for
appointment as Assistant Secretary
of the Navy. I said I would prefer
, to have Mr.. H. Struve Hensel fill
, that vacancy because of his long ex-
perience in the Navy and the de-
STABILITY of recognizing efficient
and devoted service.
It observed. however, that when
the designations of Mr.. Ralph Bard
! |. and Mr. Artemus Gates occurred,
both having advised me of their
intention of resigning, Mr.. Pauley
would be acceptable. Following Mr..
Roosevelt's death Mr.. Pauley under
. took other duties as ambassador for
, Preparations and he stated that this
!. assignment would necessarily defer
action with respect to the Navy. I
, told Mr.. Truman at Potsdam in
= August, 1945, of these conversations
and said that I would be agreeable
to Mr.. Pauley's coming to the Navy
: (See PAULEY. Page A-3.)