The Wilmington morning star., 1947-05-10
GENERALS TELL
OF MAY REQUESTS
Two Top Ranking Wartime
Officers Testify AT War
Fraud Trial
WASHINGTON, May 9

WASHINGTON, May 9. - ZAP, -
Two top wartime generals S a i d
today that EXC 0 ngressm a n
Andrew ]. May Of Kentucky asked
them to help Carson munitions
firms which ne government con-
tends held the wartime House
Military committee chairman in
their pay.
Gems. Brehon Somervell, retired
ARMY Service forces commander,
and Eugene heyDolo, former chief
of Army engineers, testified May
irterceded with them about con-
tracts for the $78. 600, 600 Carson
arms-making empire.
After their appearance, tn
nrosecution turned to its charge
that May sent a major general by
nlane to Europe il April, 1915 to
deliver a letter to Gen. Dwight D.
Eisenhower interceding in a court
martial of the son of a munitions
maker.
At the same time, the defense
disclosed that it has issued a sub
noena for Eisenhower, now Army
Chief of staff, to be a witness for
the 72-year-o | d May. William A.
paisley, chief prosecutor, told the
rourt he also may call Eisenhower
,u4 homes to avoid it.
May is charged with taking
more than $50, 900 in alleged brides
for favors to the Garssons. On
trial with him for conspiracy to
nav the alleged brides are Henry
and Murray Carson and Joseph
2 Freeman. Washington agent for
the Carson brothers.
Body Contract
Somervell, now an executive of
te Koppers Coke company, Pitts
burgh. said May asked him in
1913 to investigate a cutback IN
n army contract eor truck bodies
for the Batavia Ill Metal Pro-
ducts company, a Carson firm.
Somervell said the former
Democratic Congressman from
Kentucky also interceded with
him. in the midst of the wartime
manpower shortage, to get addi-
.fonal workers allocated to the Ba-
tavia company.
Reybold and Fred G. Sheriff.,
retired colonel now a San Marine,
Calf. cotton broker, said May
called them separately and asked
TO arrange TO the Batavia firm to
bid on an army contract for wood
en- water storage tanks.
Reybold could not recall details
Of his conversation with May but
Sheriff. said that, in response to
NAYS request, he issued an order
permitting Batavia to enter its bid
and the firm obtained the on
tract.
Neither Somervell nor Sheriff.
could recall that May had asked
help for any other war contractors
except the Garssons. Somervell
did say, however. that he h a d
ofte, conferred with May on army
matters during the war.
The defense succeeded in olock-
ing temporarily a prosecution at
tempt to introduce into evidence
Mays letter to Eisenhower on the
court martial against Murray
Garsson's son, Capt. Joseph Cars
son
Sent Officer
Col. Herrold Brooks said he
could not identify the letter as
Mays but he knew May had writ
ten one TO Eisenhower and sent
Maj. Gen. Alden H. Watt of the
Chemical Warfare service to Eu-
rope TO deliver it.
Evidence at a Senate llvestl-
gation last summer showed that
Capt. Carson was charged in the
court martial with refusing to
obey a battle : field command.
Brooks testified today that Free
man and Murray Carson talked
to him about the court martial
proceeding and that he informed
them it involved "a i S
offense punishable by death"
The text OF the court martial
correspondence as made public by
The Senate War Investigating COM
mite last July showed that May
asked that "a proper AID fair con-
sideration" be given the youn g
officer who l understand, with
this minor exception. h a 5 an ex-
cellent record Eisenhower re
Piled that he was sending it along
Ito the proper authorities who will
make an investigation concerning
the charges"
Captain Carson was convicted
and sentenced to dismissal from
the army even before May wrote.
! However, after two strong recon-
/ nendations from judge advocates
Tor clemency, the sentence W a S
suspended and Carson subse-
ouently went on the inactive list.
Students at Union High School
IN Salinas, Calf, now have to