Evening star., 1946-07-10

has ever said or given a thought
to the idea that your Investigation
had anything to do with religion
Or creed. Nor have either of US any
feeling at any time that our treat
ment by your committee has any
religious basis. Please feel free to
make any use of this telegram
you wish"
FavOrs to Firm Denied.
Secretary of War Patterson in his
testimony late yesterday, denied
with fiery emphasis that he ever
showed any of the Carson COM
panies any favors or that their first
war contract, as asserted in one War
Department memorandum, came
through pressure" brought on him
by Mr.. May.
Mr.. Patterson said the Kentucky
Representative never sought war
| contract for the Garssons.
And I don't award contracts to
! anybody the Secretary added sue
cinctly
But he told the committee he first
heard OF Batavia Metal Products
Inc, largest of the Carson corpora
ton, through telephone call from
Mr.. May, and that the veteran Ken
tucky House member appeared later
in Mr. Patterson's records when he
was Undersecretary in charge OF war
production,, once to relay a COM
plant from DR.. Carson about a
plant shutdown ordered by the War
Production Board. again to ask an
e award for Batavia and another
time to protest an order freezing
funds during contract renegotiations
Says May Made Complaint.
Secretary Patterson said the first
time he heard of Batavia was
around March /. .l943, when Repre-
sentative May reported complaint
that the plant had been shut down
by the War Production Board.
Mr.. Patterson said he would not
have remembered this converse ton
except for a memorandum which he
wrote at the time. This paper, ad
dressed to an officer in the Ordnance
Department, stated:
Congressman May has reported
the case of the Batavia Metal
Products Co. concern in Illinois
He says that the Army has sent $50
trucks TO this concern for additional
work in the way OF bracing with
steel, etc. His complaint is that
although the pieces have all been
cut and are lying around. WPB has
stopped the work I understand
from him that the trucks are there
and the pieces are there, but that
no work can be done and the project
is shut down"
Gen. Clay Quoted.
Mr.. Patterson said he was in
formed by 1t. Gen. Lucius Clay that
the work had been stopped because
Of sharp cutback in production OF
the truck bodies.
Mr.. May. the interoffice CORE
spondence showed. also had gone to
Gen. Brehon Somervell, chief of the
matter. Gen. Sopervell had written
Mr., May explaining why the work
was stopped.
Mr.. Patterson said his next In
terest in Batavia. which did not
concern Mr.. May at all, came when
he learned. in October. 1914, it was
making 8-inch shells. Artillery
ammunition was critically short al
the time, the Secretary explained
citing cables from Gen. Dwight D
Eisenhower to Secretary Stimson
urging that their production be
speeded. Mr.. Patterson said he
visited all the plants engaged ir
making these shells, including
Batavia, where he met DR.. Carson
the manager.
Incentive Methods Suggested.
Mr.. Patterson said he had prom
ised to do everything possible to
speed up output of ammunition and
rush it to the European theater He
suggested two means of incentive
he pointed out-having artillery
combat teams return from the front
10 address workers in the factories
and giving e" awards as further
incentive to production.
1t was in connection with the
latter plan, he pointed out. that
Batavia came into his Office records
again. He mentioned it. along with
other companies which had not re-
ceived the "E," in a memo asking
ordnance whether it felt they should
be so honored
1t also developed that Mr.. Nav
was interested in an e" award for
Batavia. Mr. Patterson said his
recollection was that Mr.. May
phoned about the e" award
We had many calls from manu-
facturers and from congressman
about E awards" the Secretary
explained
Were not the calls from congress
men usually about manufacturers
in their own districts?" asked Sen
ator Knowland, Republican, OF
California.
Usually" Mr.. Patterson conceded
Memo Recommended Award.
! The Secretary said his only con-
nection with the award of an e
to Batavia was to transmit a memo
randum which came from Brig. Gen
r.. E. Hardy, assistant chief OF
ordnance, recommending the honor