Evening star., 1947-01-12
Senate Facing
Fight Tomorrow
On War Probe
Republicans Seeking
To Keep Committee
Alive, Dig Deeper
By J. A. O'Leary

fight in the Senate tomorrow
over a Republican move to keep
the Senate War Investigating
Committee alive to dig deeper
into war contracts.
Calling it a first step toward un-
dermining the Congressional Reor-
ganization Act, Democrats will con-
tend the new Armed Services
Committee should make any fur
ther Investigations that may be
necessary into the conduct of the
war, or the expenditure of defense
funds.
Republicans on the Armed Serv-
ices and War Investigating Com
nlittees conferred yesterday and are
understood to have reached an in
formal agreement on division of
Jurisdiction, should the special in
vestigating group be continued.
Reservations Reported.
Neither Senator Brewster of
Maine, chairman of the War In
vestigating group, nor Senator Cur
ney of South Dakota, head of the
Armed Services Committee, made
any announcement.
There were reliable reports, how
ever, that the War Investigating
members agreed not to touch any
questions of future national de-
Tense policy, or to go any further
into the administration of military
government in the American occu-
patton zones abroad This would
still enable the special committee
to complete Investigations into past
expeditures in connection with
World War II.
There were reports also last
night that a move may be made on
the Senate floor tomorrow to limit
extension of the War Investigating
Committees life to six months or a
year. The original resolution re-
ported from the Rules Committee
Friday would have continued the
special group for two years.
The floor battle tomorrow also
will involve resolution to create
new Small Business Special Com
mittee, to replace one from the old
Congress, which would expire.
While Democrats will make their
stand against keeping any special
committees alive, the main con-
test will center around who should
investigate war contracts.
Leaders to Confer.
Both the Republican and Demo-
cratic members of the Armed Serv-
ices Committee will meet in execu-
tive session tomorrow morning to
discuss the issue before the floor
debate starts.
One argument being advanced in
support of keeping the War Inves-
tigating Committee is that this Is
the only committee that has been
given authority by the President to
examine income tax returns in con-
nection with its inquiries.
Several Democrats predicted yes
terday that if these first two reso-
lutions pass, the door will be opened
to the revival of other special COM
mittees. This, they say, would
nullify one of the main goals OF
the congressional streamlining law
to reduce the number of COM
mittees.
Senators Tydings of Maryland and
Russell of Georgia, high-rankine
Democrats on the Armed Services
Committee, are expected to take a
leading part in the debate.
Tydings Defends Act.
"I shall do everything in my
power to see that the Reorganiza-
ton Act is not impaired and weak
ened in the first formal action the
Senate will take" Senator Tydings
said last night.
IT am not opposing investiga-
tons. Investigations are proper
when the need is presented, but
they should be made by the stand
ing committees which have already
been set up and have jurisdiction of
the subject. If this Reorganization
Act, which every one acclaimed, can
be weakened by the first official act
of this Congress, then the act has
gone out the window.
"The committees whose duty it is
to examine into various phases OF
government soon will find that
they are committees in name only
and that the work has been taken
over by newly created committees.
This will lead to confusion, expense,
overlapping and ineff1ciency. 1t will
1See INVESTIGATIONS, p. A-7)