Evening star., 1947-08-06

expense accounts should not have
been made public before he had had
an opportunity to explain and an
Swer each item.
Mr.. Roosevelt indicated that the
only item on the long list of more
than $4,000 worth of entertainment
expenses MIR. Meyer listed as having
BEEN for Col. Roosevelt or his
friends for which he might be
criticized was for a California hotel
bill in 1914, which he understood
was paid by Mr.. Hughes as a we'd
ding present.
He said also that Jack Frye, for
mer president of Trans World Air
lines, which Mr.. Hughes controls,
paid some of the expenses for the
trip to Grand Canyon where he was
married on December 8, 1914, to
Faye Emerson, motion picture &C
treSs. The bill totaled $3.50 for hotel,
meals and other expenses for the
entire wedding party, but Mr.. Roose-
welt said he paid many of the ex-
penSes himself.
Gave Bride in Marriage.
Asked If Mr.. Meyer was there, Mr..
Roosevelt said he was.
He turned up at the wedding and
gave the bride in marriage" Mr..
Roosevelt said.
Other high lights of the after
noon session yesterday were:
l. Mr.. Roosevelt expressed his be-
lief that the reason President Tru-
man or Gen. Eisenhower or former
Secretary Of War Patterson did not
recommend that he be given a
brigadier general commission in the
AAF Reserve in 1916 was that they
did not want to provoke another
smear" campaign against his
father, as had occurred when he
was promoted to that rank during
the war.
2. The late Presidents son en-
phasized that, after recommending
Mr.. Hughes new reconnaissance
plane, he went back to the war
zones and had nothing to do with
the wording of the contract. He
said the contract terms drawn up
by officers in this country did not
remotely resemble" recommenda-
tions he had made for safeguarding
the Government if the Huohe- co.
was unable to live up to the pros
poets indicated when he app. oled
the project.
3. He insisted the recommends
ton for the development of the
Hughes plane was not the only step
taken by the AAF mission he headed
in 1943. He told the committee he
and his associates recommended
cancellation of contracts of more
than 100000, 900 because they were
not helping the war effort. He told
! Chairman Ferguson many were can
celed.
4. AS an illustration, he said. he
found that film had been ordered in
such large quantities for reconnais-
sance that carloads had to be
shipped back because it had been
stored so long 1t was useless.
Pepper, Ferguson Clash Again.
Yesterdays session came to an
end with another clash between
Senator Pepper, Democrat, of Flor
IDA and Senator Ferguson over
whether politics was involved in the
inquiry.
Senator Pepper said it would be
hard to eradicate from the public
mind a suspicion that the first case
taken up under Republican control
of the War Investigating Commit
tee involved the name of President
Roosevelt and one of his sons.
The Florida Senator said the
late Presidents name had been
brought in as having favored COM
pletion of the big Kaiser Hughes
cargo plane and the name of his
son, Elliott. in connection with the
Hughes reconnaissance plane.
Senator Ferguson contended
the committee always has investi-
gated any charges brought to it by
members Of either party. He re-
called he had served on the COM
mittee when it was controlled by
Democrats!
Admits Right to Reprimand.
Throughout his two days on the
witness stand, Mr.. Roosevelt in
sisted Mr.. Meyer had dealt freely
with his name in reporting funds
spent for entertainment, even at
times when the Presidents son was
overseas.
Mr.. Roosevelt told the subcom-
mittee that, ION a strict interpreta-
tion of the law, I might be repri-
manded for accepting a wedding
present from Howard Hughes"
I He was explaining an item on the