Evening star., 1947-07-15
A-Bomb Expenditure,
And Security Leaks
Face Senate Inquiry

race Sendfe inquiry
An investigation of the $4,000, ,O00,-
900 expenditure for development of
atomic bombs, and the possibility of
security leaks" will be opened by
the Senate's War Investigating Com
mittee soon after adjournment of
Congress.
Chairman Brewster said today the
committee will go over the vast out
lay of Federal funds for the Man
haitian engineering district project
as a matter of routine, In view of
the fact that an earlier inquiry was
postponed at request of President
Roosevelt for security reasons while
the war was in progress.
Should evidence develop that Rus
sia or other foreign powers had a
pipeline" to secret bomb data, Sen
ator Brewster said, it will be the
duty of the committee to learn why
the expenditures were not protected
in the public interest.
nearing 1UUdy Il Ut OIl.
Meanwhile, a mixup in the Joint
Congressional Atomic Energy Com
mittee ended with cancellation of a
scheduled public hearing today on
assertions that secrets have been
leaking out of the Oak Ridge (Tenn)
A-bomb plant.
The hearing was called off after
the Senate press gallery had been
furnished with a witness list which
included Maj. Gen. Leslie r. Groves,
wartime commander of the Man
haitian Project; Chairman Thomas
of the House Committee on Un-
American Activities and three news
papermen.
THE question was whether hear
ing was timely" said Chairman
Hickenlooper of the Atomic Com
mittee after a closed session Led to
the decision last night.
II expect that eventually lots OF
people, including Gen. Groves, win
be before the committee"
Anxious to Find Sources.
Senator Hickenlooper disclaimed
any knowledge of the witness list
sent out by the committee staff, but
conceded hearing had been con-
templated, explaining:
We've been interested in some
newspaper stories that in spite of
information we have about Oak
Ridge, there were some bad things
there. We want to know what those
sources are"
The New York Sun reported last
week that unknown agents had re-
moved secret material from the Oak
Ridge plant.
Later Senator Hickenlooper said
he had no information of any such
theft at Oak Ridge, but that some
material had been removed from
files at the Los Alamos IN. Mex
plant. Two former Army sergeants
have been arrested in connection
with that case.
Hughes Order Faces Inquiry.
Senator Brewster also said the
atomic investigation by the War In
vestigating Committee will come
after the committees scheduled in
quiry into the 100000 0allowed
Hughes Aircraft for development of
photo-reconnaissance planes and
a huge, eight-engined plywood fly
ing boat. The Government has re-
ceived no deliveries on these orders,
it was pointed out.
The plywood boat recently was
moved in sections to San Pedro, Los
Angeles Harbor, and there is being
assembled under a large tent, pre-
sumably to protect the plywood from
the heat of the SUM- for preliminary
tests. The fact that the flying boat
was not built near the water cost
an extra million rso," Senators
said.
Capitol Hill Investigators said
Howard Hughes appeared dubious
when asked if he would be willing
personally to test fly the eight
engined aircraft when 1t is finally
made ready.
Mr.. Hughes was critically injured
last summer in the crash of one OF
two photo-reconnaissance planes his
company had completed for the Air
Forces Several months ago he sue
cessfully flew the second model.