Evening star., 1947-08-09
Fulton HurIs 'Fo|sehood' Chorqe
At Brewster After He Is Denied
Stand to Explain Hughes Job
Takes Witness Chair,
But Ferguson Blocks
Attempts to Speak
bulletin

day that "bad feeling" on the
part of Army officers prevented
him from getting wartime
contracts to produce pursuit
planes faster than any the
Army or Navy had. Today's
session of the Senate investi-
CATION recessed this afternoon
until Monday.
Hugh Fulton, former counsel
for the Senate War InveStigat-
ing Committee, today hurled the
charge of "falsehood" at Chair
man Brewster of the committee
after Mr.. Fulton had been de-
MED a chance to take the stand
to explain his employment as
counsel for Howard Hughes, mil
lionaire plane builder.
Mr.. Fulton's attempts to make
statement before the committee pro-
voked a heated clash with Chair
man Ferguson of the War Investi-
eating Subcommittee conducting the
hearings. The former committee
counsel finally asserted he would
reply at news conference to the
"falsehoods" he said Senator
Brewster had spoken on a radio
program last night.
Following the clash, Howard
Hughes resumed the stand in the
committees investigation of his
$40,000,000 wartime contracts to
supply airplanes to the Govern
ment.
He asserted if the 2O0-ton flying
boat he has been building for the
Government is a failure he will
probably leave this country and
never come back"
Denies ANY knowledge of Fraud.
He declared he had put "the sweat
of my life and my reputation" into
the huge plane.
He was asked by Senator Pepper,
Democrat, of Florida, committee
member, If he knew of any fraud or
corruption in connection with the
contract for the craft. He replied:
Il certainly do not know of any,"
Mr.. Fulton was in the witness
chair before the subcommittee con-
vened this morning and continued
his efforts to answer Senator Brew
ster after Senator Ferguson had
announced the subcommittee had
denied his application to appear
as q witness.
The microphone at the witness
chair was cut off, but Mr.. Fulton
made half a dozen attempts to
start talking. Each time Senator
Ferguson drowned out his voice by
insisting he could not 60 on.
Mr.. Fulton finally managed to say
he would have to take his state
ment to the press and Senator Fer
guson asked him to vacate the wit
ness chair.
In the course of his feud with Mr..
Hughes, Senator Brewster had tes-
titled earlier this week that Mr.. Full
ton, who left the committee several
years ago to practice law, had called
on him and suggested a report could
be made to the Senate on the Hughes
contracts without public hearings.
Calls Press Conference.
In the hallway outside the hear
ing room Mr.. Fulton was asked if
he was calling Senator Brewster
liar.
II say there are falsehoods and if
that constitutes lie. its lie,' Mr..
Fulyton replied.
Asked to specify the statements in
Senator Brewster,s testimony he
regarded as falsehoods, Mr.. Fulton
said he would do so in a press con-
ference in his Washington Office at
2:30 o'clock this afternoon.
Mr.. Fulton told newsmen he had
driven all night from his farm at
Frenchtown, N. j., near New York,
after hearing Senator Brewster re-
peat on radio program last night
the assertions he labelled false
hoods"
Brewster Away for Week End.
Senator Brewster was on the air
last night on the Meet the Press"
program in which several Washing
ton correspondents interview some
public figure each week on current
events. Senator Brewster was not
at the committee hearing when the
Fulton fiareup occurred, having left
for his home in Maine.
MIR. Fulton told reporters he had
been engaged as one of Mr.. Hughes
counsel for about six weeks, but is
not employed by him now.
Mr.. Hughes has testified that he
employed Mr.. Fulton to represent
him, but later ended the employ
ment in a dispute over fees. He
said a bill for $4,000 submitted by
the former committee counsel finally
was settled for $4,000.
When Senator Brewster first re-
ferred to me in the hearings" said
Mr.. Fulton, II wrote to Senator