Evening star., 1949-10-09
Rodford Proudest of Old OrderIy|s Telegram:
I Can Suy Well Done on B-36 Testimony
Admiral Reveals
Part in Preparing
Dotu for Hearing
By Miriom Gutenberg

hOII1ll al AL UlluI w. IedO1O1o az
tackled the B-36 bomber program
on Capitol Hill Friday, the Navy
No. l airman was carrying onl!
one around in his pocket yester
day.
This time I can say well done.
said the telegram.
It was signed, "An old orderly,
Marine Pfc. A. L. Robbins, jr.
That's the one I'm proudes
o." explained the admiral with {
grin. Guess I must have sal,
we'll done to him some time"
The admiral was feeling good
He had heard his words repeated!
quoted by House Armed Services
Committee members and para
phrased by the first of the wit
nesses he had suggested should b.
called.
Now he was on his way to tn
Navy-Duke football game. Sure
he'd answer a reporters questions
but en- route from the House Oft1c'
Building to the Potomac Annex.
There was the business Of find
ing out if he could retrieve th'
ticket given away when he though
the hearing would run all day
And getting out Of the hearing
room meant running an obstacle
course between the woman whit
wanted to tell him she had reae
the whole text of his speech before
8 am. and the admirals wht
wanted to shake his hand.
Tells of Part in Plans.
In the car the Navy provided
for its Pacific Fleet commander
the admiral lit a cigaret. He wal
ready to answer questions.
"Out in Pearl Harbor," he be-
gan, II had only a sketchy idea
about this whole thing. I wa!
very busy. Then I was told Vinsor
Chairman Vinson of the HOUSE
Armed Services Committee) re-
quested the Navy to order me
back.
When I came back in July
he asked me If I thought I coulc
contribute information on the
matters on their agenda. I sale
I would be glad to help If I could
"Vinson asked me if I knew oi
any others who could help.
gave him some names. All the
officers I asked, unless they wert
sick or felt they were too out
of touch with things, said they
would like to do it,
Everybody Had Assignment.
Everybody was given an as
signment. Ninety-nine per cen'
of the material they were to pre-
sent was not new. It's just thai
1t had never before been pre-
sented all at once in the same
place.
THE committee asked us to tall
about the B-36. We didn't pull
It out of thin air. It was or
the asenda after the first two
points about skullduggery anc
whodunit."
This last was apparently a ref.
erence to the committees inves-
tigation Of the authorship of ar
Anonymous memorandum" dis
erediting the B-36.
Did Admiral Radford have to
clear his sensational statement
with top Navy brass?
1T was my understanding that
was to give my personal views
that I wasn't required to clear
IT with anybody" he replied
eoolly.
Had he cleared the statement?
mo"
Wants to Improve Security.
What does he hope to gain from
the hearings?
I'VE want to improve the secur.
ity of the United States. It's no1
. question of the Navy as such
or the Air Force as such. I thinl
the situation has reached the poin1
where a bad decision may be made
I feel as though I'm here to do tht
best job can for the country.
eve have in the Navy extremel.
talented pilots, the equal of an!
in the world. In this instance, tn.
Air Force saw fit to disregard an!
contribution that could be mad'
by the Navy and I think that''
where they made their mistake.
He recalled testimony given thu
committee by Gen. George P. Ken
ney, commander Of the Air Uni
versity, and Gen. Curtis lie May
chief Of the Strategic Air Com
mand.
With . distinct bite in his voice
he said: why Gen. Kenney didn'
know the Navy had a night fighter
I don't know. And Gen. LIE Ma,
said his air intelligence gave hin
information on every plane in tn
world. They must keep him in
formed on every plane in tn
world but the Navy's."
Saw B-36 at Distance.
Recalling that Secretary of tn
Navy Matthews was not one o
those who rushed to shake hi
hand at the hearings end, the re
porter asked how the Secretar.
feels about, Admiral Radford'
Congressional strategy.
II feel Secretary Matthews ap
preciates my efforts to find tn
correct answers" he said with
touch of stiffness. although h
may not agree with everything"
He mentioned that Secretar
Matthews had raised the point Q
security in Admiral Radford
statement. y
But the security aspect ha
been most carefully considered.
he added. Were not putting ou
any information that's not avail
able all over the world"
The car had rolled up in fron
Of one OF the yellow stucco house
of the Potomac annex. The ad
miral was out of the car and hall
way up the steps before the re
porter could get out the next ques