Evening star., 1947-06-30
Profit, Not Patriotism,
Was Mays sMotive,
Prosecution Charges
By Robert K. Walsh


Former Representative Andrew J.
Nav was accused by Government
prosecutors in District Court today
of having substituted profits for
patriotism" In his dealings with
Munitions Makers Henry and Muir
ray Carson.
The three defendants in the war
bribe conspiracy trial, scheduled to
20 to the jury Wednesday, were de-
nounced by John T. M. Redden, spe-
cial assistant to the Attorney Gen.
eral. for having run roughshod over
ARMY officers" who questioned
operations of the $4,000, 900 Cars
son munitions combine.
Nav. wartime chairman OF the
House Military Affairs COMMITTEE
and the Carson brothers have been
on trial for 10 weeks on charges OF
conspiracy to defraud the United
States.
Mr.. Redden was the third Gov
ernment prosecutor to sum up the
nrosecltion's effort to prove that
the Garssons bribed May with more
than $4,000 in return for services
to them or to companies IN thef
munitions combine.
Sawyer A. Smith, former Un1teo
States attorney In Kentucky, pegan
the defense summation shortly be-
fore noon by declaring that May is
broke"
where is all the money the Cars
sons are supposed to have gwen
Mav?" Mr.. Smith asked. rs May a
rich man? No, he is broke
Prosecutors Called desperate"
Mr.. Smith accused the Govern
ment prosecutors of having shown
desperation" in their efforts to con-
vict May and the Garssons. He de-
clared that they as we'll as agents
for the Senate War Investigating
Committee and other Government
departments had told only part OF
the story in accusing May OF having
received payments from the Cars
sons.
He declared that the Government
pursued payments up to the point
where it said May got them but it
didn't go on to show how May ano
the Garssons had a complete truth
full explanation and accounting for
all of it.
In his attack on the defense case
Mr.. Redden told the jury that May
based his whole defense on claim
that he did not mean what he said
in letters and conversations re-
ferring to the Cumberland Lumber
Co. The lumber company, according
to the Government, was Kentucky
setup owned by May and used by
the Garssons to pay him.
Henry Carson, Mr.. Redden said,
based his defense on the claim that
his companies were great war pro-
ducers." Mr.. Redden informed the
Jury that the production record OF
the Garssons was not an issue in
this case.
Questions Carson Motive.
IF they paid May one penny, all
three are guilty as charged" Mr.
Redden continued. WAS Is patriot
ism or profits that motivated them?
1t is obvious that all the requests
made by the Garssons to May were
always aimed at getting them some
thing more
Pointing to May and referring to
the former Representative con-
nections with the lumber company
Mr.. Redden declared:
"All his letters spoke of owning
the Cumberland Lumber Co. He
never told the people down there in
Kentucky that he wanted to make
shell boxes or tent polls or other
war products. All he ever talked
about to them was to get high
priced lumber on the market. All
he ever asked for was money, money,
money.
May substituted profits for pa
triotism, ladies and gentlemen OF
the jury, but that's what happened"
Recalling testimony by numerous
Army officers concerning calls they
had received from May in behalf OF
Carson companies, Mr. Redden de-
clared that May and the Garssons
not only ran rough-shod over ord
nance and chemical warfare officers
in the Chicago area, but dealt with
the top echelons in the War Depart
ment here in Washington to ask
favors for the Garssons.
Says Favors Began in 1941.
Mr.. Redden declared that testi-
mony proved that as early as 194l
the Carson brothers began lending
money to May He recalled that
early in 1912, Murray Carson paid
off notes for $4,000 which May had
borrowed from Representative
Charles A. Buckley, Democrat, OF
New York. Mr.. Redden also recalled
that this payment by Murray Cars
son came only two days after May
at the request of the Garssons, had
called the then Undersecretary OF
War Patterson and other high War
Department officials concerning an
Army commission for a friend OF
the Garssons.
why did the Garssons pay up
Mays debts?" Mr. Redden asked
We'll, l don't know, except that he
was chairman of the House Military
Affairs Committee"
Mr.. Redden went on to say that
May and the Garssons then hit
upon a perfect idea of establishing
a lumber company at time when
Carson concerns really needed lum-
Der. But the lumber company, Mr.
Redden charged. belonged to May
from start to finish and was sold at
a considerable loss in November
l945, when May and the Garssons
knew that the heat was on and that
they were being investigated by the
Government"
, NJ 80 Ar~~~&:n~ Rf1~&