Evening star., 1947-12-23
Stassen AssaiIs
Anderson S LIST;
Demands Facts
Asks if White House
Aides Bought Grain
Before U. S. Purchases
BY the Assoeioted Press

adiolu T.. SCdSSe1l IOQdy Cndl-
lenged the administration to say
whether any present and former
officials in the executive depart
ment of the White House"
traded in commodities prior to
big Government purchases in
early 1947.
Mr.. Stassen also asked in a state
ment whether White House and
other past and present Government
officials made a huge profit at the
steep climb of prices which followed
the governmental buying"
Reporters who asked Presidential
Secretary Charles G. Ross about Mr..
Stassen's statement got the reply,
mo comment
Mr.. StaSsen. former Minnesota
Governor and candidate for the Re-
publican presidential nomination,
first charged two weeks ago that in
siders' in the Government had
profited from commodity trading.
His assertions then led to disclosure
that Edwin w. Pauley. special as
sistant to Secretary of the Army
Royal, had been big market spec
ulator
Two Groups Investigating.
Mr., Pauley told a Senate commit
tee he went into the market before
taking the Government post. He
said he began getting rid of his
market holdings after taking the job
and has never had inside informa-
ton on Government commodity pur-
chasing plans.
Since then, Congress has voted
for publication of names of all big
traders In commodities and two
committees are investigating specu-
lation
Mr.. Stassen attacked the issuance
yesterday by Secretary of Agricul-
ture Anderson of the first list of
Commodity traders asked by Con-
gress
1t contained I'll names. Mr..
Stassen said it was for the purpose
OF confusion and distraction"
Stassen Demands Answers.
Mr.. Stassen said he did not believe
the people will be fooled by a
shower of irrelevant statistics but
will want answers to the question
he has asked.
The big question that the con-
gressional committee say they will
look into is whether there have
been leaks" of inside information
to people who could profit from it.
The chairman of a House COM
mittee investigating commodity trad
ing, Representative Andersen, Re-
publican. of Minnesota. said he will
call certain traders" before his
special committee ito explain how
their purchases happened to occur
just before the Government would
enter the market"
I Senators Study List.
At the other end of the Capt.
tol, Senator Knowland, Republican.
of California said Appropriation
Committee staff members already
are at work studying the list Mr..
Anderson made public yesterday.
Those names are the first of some
$4,000 which Mr.. Anderson has said
he will make public as rapidly as
the lists can be prepared.
Senator Knowland said it may be
hard to track down any cases of pos
sible information leaks But he
added Il think it is one of the
most imprtant things" involved In
the investigation.
The California Senator is a mem
ber of the f1ve-man appropriation
subcommittee named to inquire into
commodity trading after Congress
enacted legislation last week releas-
ing Secretary Anderson of the legal
restrictions he said prevented him
from publishing the list of COM
modify traders.
Mr.. Anderson declared today the
first list must have been "disap-
pointing" to public which he said
had been led to believe that Gov
eminent insiders" figured proni-
nently in speculative operations.
Has Stassen Charges in Mind.
The Secretary told a news con-
ference he had in mind Mr.. Stassen's
charges that Government insiders
had been engaged in prof1teering in
food"
Mr.. Anderson asserted that II
there were any Government officials
trading in big enough volume to
influence prices, their names could
have been expected to be on the list
he made public yesterday.
/ He added that the only publ.
Official on the list was Mr.. Pauley.
Mr.. Pauley already had to'd the
Senate Appropriations Committee Of
his speculative activity. asserting
that he has been liouidating his
holdings as rapidly as practicable.
Secretary Anderson agreed with
/