Evening star., 1947-01-18
Senate 10 Settle
War Inquiiry's
ate Next Week
Chiefs of Both Sides
Struggling to Keep
Forces in Line
By J. A. o'Leory

By J. A. oLeory
The fight over keeping Il
Senate War Investigating Com
mittee alive another year be
came today an off-the-floo
struggle by opposing leaders to
keep their forces in line until il
Is decided next week.
Expecting a close vote, both sides
agreed last night to fix 3 pm. We'd
nesday for the balloting, so that
they may arrange for a maximum
The battle has become more and
more partisan issue, which in
creases the Republican chances of
winning an extension for the special
investigating group since the COP
holds 51-to-44 majority In the
Senate.
Tydings Offers Substitute.
Senate Tydings of Maryland,
member of a newly appointed Demo-
cratic strategy group, made an adroit
move yesterday designed to drive
wedge in Republican ranks, but
there were no indications today he
had succeeded.
The Marylander offered substi-
tute motion to give the regular Sen
ate Committee on expenditures in
executive departments the powers of
the War Investigating Committee,
which would take the inquiry away
from Senator Brewster, Republican,
of Maine, and place it in the hands
of Senator Aiken, Republican, of
Vermont.
Senator Tydings then began to
paint glowing word pictures of the
ability of the Republicans on the
Aiken Committee, including newly
elected Senators Bricker of Ohio and
Thye of Minnesota.
Chairman Aiken of the Expendi-
lures Committee admitted off the
floor that the Tydings move was
somewhat embarrassing to him, but
he indicated he would not let it be
said vote against the Tydings sub
stitute was vote against the COM
petence of his committee.
Plenty to DO.
Pointing out that there was a
question of party loyalty involved,
the Vermonter said he understood
quite bit of current legislation
would be sent to his committee,
which made its reputation while
President Truman was its chairman,
contend they should be given time
to complete inquiries into wartime
spending on which preliminary work
has been done.
Among the matters Senator Brew
ster said yesterday he wanted to go
into, if the committee were con-
tinued, was an industrial mobiliza-
ton report prepared by Edward R.
Stettinius, jr., before America en-
tered the war. Senator Brewster
had complained that the commit
tee has been unable to get this re-
port while President Truman was
head of the Senate group. Senator
Brewster learned later in the day
that the Stettinius report had been
made available in recent months
and was now in the hands of the
committee staff.
1914 Selection Recalled.
Senator Tydings reminded the Re-
publicans that Senator Bricker of
Ohio was their choice for Vice Pres
ident in 1914, and asked if they
were going to spurn him now by
not letting the committee of which
he is a member make the investiga-
ton.
Turning to Senator Thye of Min
nesota, the Marylander called him
IAN ambassador without portfolio"
of former Gov. Harold E. Stassen,
an avowed candidate for the Re-
publican presidential nomination.
Would you take this work away
from men such as these and give it
to the Senator from Maine, who, we
all know, has no political ambitions
whatsoever" Senator Tydings in
quired in sarcastic vein.
Senator Pepper, Democrat, of
Florida, joined in the attack on the
War Investigating Committee. At
one point he said he had read re-
ports that Senator Ferguson, Re-
publican, of Michigan, wanted to
revive the Pearl Harbor inquiry.
Senator Ferguson, a member of
the war investigating group, as
sured Senator Pepper he had no de-
sire to reopen that inquiry at this
time because, he asserted, there is
still in effect an executive order
which would prevent him from going
into the files of the State Depart
ment and other agencies. The Mich
igan Senator suggested, however,
that time might come when an
other Pearl Harbor investigation
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