Evening star., 1949-08-15
Five-Percenters
Continued From First Page.)

the Verley company and went to
Europe for the firm that year.
According to reports in recent
weeks, he claimed that the bottle
he brought in 1946 contained
champagne for Mrs. Truman.
Customs agents, the news story
said, found the bottle contained
perfume essence and Mr.. Maragon
had to pay $1,000 in customs
duties.
No Implication on Others.
When Senator Mccarthy finished
his remarks in defense of Mrs.
Truman, Senator Hoey said:
IT think that statement is very
proper
Senator O'Conor, Democrat, of
Maryland said he has every con-
fidence" that Senator Mccarthy,
! in defending Mrs. Truman, did
not mean to imply that there was
anything improper in the actions
of the others" who were presented
freezers by Gen. Vaughan.
Senator O'Conor said it should
be emphasized that the committee
investigation still is underway,
that the group has reached no
conclusions, and that lit is nee
essary to keep an open mind"
Senator Mccarthy said he was
not attempting to imply that the
other recipients had done any
thing wrong. With respect to
Gen. Vaughan he said:
Il wasn't attempting to in
dicate that the Presidents aide
was acting either properly or i'm
properly"
Senator Hoey told reporters the
committee had not developed any,
thing on the smuggling matter to
the point where the committee was
ready to make a statement about
it.
Gen. Watt on Hand.
Gen. Watt, who was suspended
on July 16 along with Maj. Gen.
Herman Feldman, the Army's
Quartermaster Generais appeared
in the hearing room for the first
time today, but the committee did
not call him to testify before the
recess. He was in uniform and
wore four rows of decorations. To
reporters he said only that it was
not appropriate for him to say
anything.
Before Maj. Gray reported his
conversation with Gen. Watt, an
cartier witness, Col. John Andrews
Mclaughlin, testified that Maj.
Gay. did deliver "a message from
Gen. Watt.
Col. Mclaughlin, however, told
I the story this way:
Maj. Gay asked how we were
getting along with evaluating
Deering Milliken. I told him we
were getting along pretty well and
asked him what was the hurry.
He replied the Chief was interested
becaue pressure was being applied
to him by the White House to de-
termine what the satus Of negoti-
ations we're"
Contract Pressure Denied.
Under repeated questioning, Col.
| Mclaughlin, who is the COM
manding officer of the Chemical
Corps technical command at the
Army Chemical Center, insisted
there was no pressure put on him
to award the contract to Deering
Milliken. but only to find out the
status of the negotiations.
"You would not call it pressure
that Gen. Watt and the White
House were interested?" the wit
| ness was asked.
mo, sir" was the reply. IF the
Chief was interested in getting a
report, I don't see anything un-
usual about his desire for a re-
port
The witness added that he
didn't see what difference Gen.
Waits interest made, since the
research and engineering division
asked the American Society OF
Heating and Ventillating Engi-
neers to take the contract. He
had testified earlier that such
request was made and the society
turned it down.
No Firm Offer" Made.
To clarity that point. Col. Will
liam M. Greasy, chief of the re-
search and engineering division
of the Chemical Corps. was called
to the stand, and asked specific
ally whether the engineering So
ciety had been offered the con-
tract. Col. Greasy said Col. Mac
Laughlin must have been refer
ring to the normal correspondence
carried on with all prospective
contractors to see if they were
interested. He said the society
never was made a firm offer" to
take the contract.
The question of awarding a con-
tract to the Deering Milliken firm
represented by Mr.. Hunt has
shared the spotlight with the
other principal questions the com.
!; mittee wants answered by Gen
Watt. That question is why Gen
| Watt went to Mr.. Hunts Office
and there dictated highly critica.
comments on eight fellow officers
eligible to succeed him as Chem.
ical Corps chief. According tt
committee testimony. these com.
, ment were later delivered to Gen
!, Vaughan's Office at the White
House.
The committee has previously
heard excerpts from Mr.. Hunt.
private notes to the effect that he
, had been assured by Gen. Waitl
} that Deering Milliken would gel
| the contract on which the com
: mittee centered its attention this
: morning.