Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1947-11-15

Cle Gay LIldG lie lcdlI Ill 1ofo CAldI
Gen. Meyers, then a major, owned
some stock in Dayton (Ohio) CON-
pany. Although that concern had
no Government contracts at the
time, Gen. Echols said he spoke to
Gen. Meyers "as a precautionary
measure" and suggested that he
"disconnect himself from the con-
Germ. So far as he knew, he said,
Gen. Meyers disposed of those hold
ings.
Gen. Echols declared, however, he
did not know until few weeks ago
that Gen. Meyers, according to sub
committee evidence, owned 2,700
shares of stock worth more than
S35 900 in seven big aircraft COM
panies as late as February, 1943, and
then transferred such stock to a
brokerage account in his wife's
name.
Another surprise developed yes
terday when Lawrence D. Bell, pres
ident of the Bell Aircraft Corp.-one
of the seven companies in which
Gen. Meyers repeatedly held stock
testified that, in 1910, Gen. Meyers
recommended that the Bell COM
pany give subcontractS to the Amer
lean Electric Corp. at Dayton.
S1,053,570 Contract Given.
The Bell company gave $1,053 $40
in war contracts to the Dayton con-
Germ during the war, Mr.. Bell said
Gen. Meyers, he said, mentioned in
1910 that the Dayton concern was
owned by friends."s Gen. Meyers
did not say whether he had any
financial interest or other connec-
ton with the company, Mr.. Bell
added.
! The aircraft manufacturer testi-
fled also that he did not know until
recently that Gen. Meyers owned
stock in Bell Aircraft.
Before Mr.. Bell and Gen. Echols
took the stand, Isaiah Matlack, head
of the War Frauds Section of the
Criminal Division of the Justice
Department, told the subcommittee
the Air Force should have investi-
gated an anonymous letter contain
ing assertions in 1945 that Gen.
Meyers made immense profits
while an Air Force procurement
official.
Mr.. Matlack explained the letter
was received from. Kansas City by
the FBI and sent to Army Intelli-
gence. Under a wartime working
arrangement between the Justice
Department and the armed services,
investigation of complaints involving
military personnel were primarily
the responsibility of the armed
services, he explained.
Letter Ordered Filed.
Mai. Gen. Junius w. Jones, Air
Force air inspector, testified the
letter, although routed" to his
office in 1945, went directly to the
Air Force front Office" and was
ordered filed. He said he never
saw it until the current inquiry
began.
Senator Ferguson asked Gen.
Jones if he had ever heard that
Gen. Meyers recently requested a
court martial. The witness said he
had not heard of such a request
and that, although chief inspector
for the Air Force, he had not been
consulted in 1945 when Gen. Meyers
applied for and received medical
discharge.
! When the subcommittee recessed,
Gen. Meyers informed newspaper
reporters he had asked Air Secretary
Symington and Gen. Carl Spaatz,
Air Force commander, to order a
court martial to determine his in
nocence or guilt of ALLEGATIONS"
made during the Senate Committee
inquiry. He asserted the subcom-
mittee was lone sided" in bringing
out testimony that reflected on him.
He emphasized that he does not
want "whitewash" in the requested
court martial.
Air Force officials explained later
the request could not be granted
because the Air Force itself would
not have jurisdiction and because
Congressional inquiry was under
way. They said Gen. Meyers, on
retirement, was retained on the
Army list and not transferred to the
Air Force when it was given indie
pendent status. Army authorities
said Gen. Meyers had not repeated