Evening star., 1947-08-07

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an hour to an hour and half. Mr..
Hughes, however, had Immediately
flown back to Washington and had
asked that Mr.. Frye's plane should
fly up to Columbus to pick me up;
so that when I got back to the air
port Mr.. Frye's plane was there and
few me back to Washington. That
involved two trips by two planes that
night to Columbus.
1t is not for me to suggest the
expenses which were involved, but
1t did strike me a little odd. But
that was the timing. I came back
that night again to Washington
here. And think during the flight
to Columbus, while we were dis
cussing the various matters which
were practical within the limits of
the plane. the matter of the CON-
munity company was discussed.
I will not be positive as to who
brought the matter up, although my
impression is at one Of our meet
ings, either Monday or Tuesday,
Mr.. Hughes had mentioned this
matter. Why I recall that is be-
cause the rather serious internal
controversy in TWA was in process
at that time between Mr.. Frye and
Gen. Wilson. I think Mr.. Frye
resigned at just that time. And
Mr.. Hughes asked me what the
controversy was all about, and
asked me considerable number
of questions about the community
company.
He said to me that he didn't know
too much about it, because he had
been preoccupied with other things
He knew there had been a contro-
versy, but he didn't understand too
much about the details. He had
left 1t all to Mr. Frye and Mr..
Wilson. He felt he ought to get
acquainted with 1t now, and he
would like to know what I knew
about the matter. And I was nat
urally quite willing to discuss it
with him.
Headed Aviation Subcommittee.
Senator Ferguson-were YOU con-
nected with any committee that
was considering this question in
Congress?
Senator Brewster-I was chair
man of the Subcommittee on Avia-
ton OF the Interstate and Foreign
Commerce Committee, which had
before it at that time the so-called
McCarran bill. Senator McCarran
of Nevada was the original author
of the so-called community COM
pany. He introduced it in the Sen
ate three or four years ago.
Senator Ferguson-That Is the
same thing as the chosen instru-
ment"?
Senator Brewster-The same. I
prefer to call it community COM
pany.
And Senator McCarran had in
troduced that two or three years
before, and I had been q member
Of the Commerce Committee of the
Senate. which had heard the mat
ter, and of the subcommittee that
heard it. So we had conducted
hearings of some two years on the
matter.
I think 1t should be noted that
this was in no sense the exclusive
property of either Senator McCar-
ran or myself. Senator McCarran
was the author and the originator
OF this proposition. and it went
through several transmutations OF
form at several times. I think there
were three bills in the previous
Senate.
Committee Vote 10 to 10.
And in the final analysis, after
very extended hearings, the Com
mittee on Commerce voted 10 to
10. 1t was a divided vote. So that
there were 10 members of the Sen
ate. both Republicans and Demo-
Gratis, who were for the proposition,
and 10 who were against it. So
nothing came of the matter. 1t
stayed right there in committee.
At the opening Of this session,
Senator McCarran introduced his
bill again, and subsequently, do
not know about the date-Senator
White of Maine, who was chairman
of the Interstate and Foreign Com
merce Committee, and myself,
Joined with Senator McCarran and
Senator Mcmahon of Connecticut
in sponsoring another bill, which
was somewhat of a modification of
the latest McCarran bill. which was
introduced, and on which hearings
were subsequently held by this sub-
committee Of which I speak.
Mr.. Hughes queried me about this,
and we did discuss this two or three
times; I won't say In how much
detail at different times. I invited