Evening star., 1947-07-31
Hughes
Continued From First Page.)


Corp. to put another $4,000, 900 intt
the project?"
Mr.. Lovett responded that a Sc
of circumstances as described b!
Senator Pepper would require tn
exercise of judgment after careful
deliberation.
Senator Ferguson pointed out tina
at this period even Mr.. Nelson o.
the WPB had recommended tn
project be abandoned.
WPB Contracting Agent.
Senator O'Conor, Democrat, O.
Maryland, asked the witness If ther'
was anything unusual about tn
award of the Kaiser Hughes con-
tract.
Mr.. Lovett answered that "the diff
ference was the WPB instead of th'
Army or Navy became the contract.
ing agent"
He said this action caused grav'
concern at the Joint Chiefs of Staf
level and was discussed by the mill
tary leaders.
They feared, Mr.. Lovett continued
that if the precedent was followed i
might dislocate an integrated pro-
gram of supply at a time OF acute
shortages in materials and man
power.
Answering a question, Mr.. Lovett
said he could not recall that the
unusual procedure was ever ex'
planned. Navy experts agreed with
him, he said, that the departure
from the procurement program al
ready set up was hazardous"
Mr.. Lovett explained that the
flying boat project caused much
speculation among air transport ex'
perts in the War Department who
were curious but not especially
hopeful" about the outcome of the
experiment.
Worried by Policy.
Senator Ferguson asked Mr.. Low.
EFT if it upset the aircraft procure
ment program already under way
in 1912 to have new agency, WPB
come into the picture by ordering
new plane project started.
Mr.. Lovett replied that, speaking
for himself, 1t worried him to con
slider what the effect of continuing
such a policy would be.
isn't it characteristic for an!
Government agency 20 get worried
whenever some other department
gets interested in q subject thu
first agency has had control over?'
asked Senator Pepper.
Mr.. Lovett replied that 1t GER
tainly wasn't the only time he wor'
ried.
Part Of the morning session wa!
taken up with testimony Of tws
Defense Plants Corp. engineers
J. H. Roper and H. R. Edwards-a!
| to how the Kaiser Hughes flying
boat project at Culver City, Calf.
! was supervised.
! Jurisdiction for Hughes.
! They told the committee DPC hac
the responsibility Of supervising onl!
the establishment of the facilities
and the procurement of materials
and to see that the limit of cost wal
not exceeded. They said the Civi
Aeronautics Authority and the Ma
tional Advisory Committee for Aero
nautics had engineers at the project
but MIR. Edwards testified that th'
contract provided that Mr.. Hughe'
WAS to have sole Jurisdiction owe
the design and construction OF th'
big cargo plane itself.
Mr.. Edwards said when he wen
to Culver City as the DPC enginee
In 1943, I'VE knew they could no
build three Of the big planes TO
the original authorization of $l8,
900, ,000." At that time, he said, So,
O0O, 900 had been spent-$2 ,000, 900 OF
the first plane and the rest on IA
cilities.
Hishlights of the afternoon ses
sion yesterday were:
Mr.. Jones, former RFC head
identified a memorandum he wrot'
on February IS, 1914. quoting th'
late President Roosevelt as having
opposed cancellation of the contrac
for the big Kaiser Hughes carg'
plane at that time.
The testimony disclosed that
while the contract was renewed, MI
Jones required Mr.. Hughes to agre'
TO stand any cost above tn
$4,000, 900 originally estimated a
the probable cost of the venture.
Admiral John H. Towers, forme
chief of the Navy's Bureau Of Aero
nautics, testified the Navy saw moth
inr worthwhile toward winning th'
war in the Kaiser super-cargo PLAN
project.
Expenditure Debated.
Chairman Ferguson produced cor
resnondence showing that in August
1a45. Government officials were de
hating whether an additional ex
nenditure of 81 800, 900 was justif1et
to complete the first OF the big carg'
planes and get 1t to Long Beach
Calf, for tests.
A letter was placed In the recor'
IN WnlC0 JdlLlCS " VA SSN~~>s ~-~-
Secretary of the Navy, worte Oh
August a., 1sx5, to John w. Snyder
then reconversion director, that tn
Nayv did not consider the additiona
authorization warranted, explaining
that the Navy had no use for sucf
"a plane.
Mr.. Jones, who was a prominea
figure in the Government durin
most of the Roosevelt era, told tn
committee he financed the $4,000,
600 contract for the Kaiser Hughe
cargo-plane venture through tn
Defense Plants Corp. IN 1912.
Had No Choice, Jones Says.
He said he had no choice In tn
matter because the President ma
"given nine or ten different asencie
authority to direct the RFc to d
things-to spend money-and Tn
WPB was the top one. -