Evening star., 1949-05-31
Writer Sees Scandal
On Plane Contracts
Forced Info Open
II Involves AIIocotion
Of Millions to Firms
Aiding Trumon Election

Of Millions to Firms
Aiding Trumon Election
By David Laurence
A scandal that In some respects
appears to be worse than Teapot
Dome ts being surely forced into
the open.
It involves the department Of
defense and the ALLEGATION of
hundreds OF millions of dollars of
contracts to companies some of
whose officers and directors played
q part in raising money for Presi-
dent Truman's campaign fund.
1t involves decisions to cancel
aircraft contracts held by certain
companies in favor Of companies
some of whose directors or officers
put up campaign money and also
funds to pay after-election deficits
of the Democratic National Com
mittee.
The personnel in the armed serv-
ices are aghast at the rumors and
reports. Members Of Congress
have been hearing the talk for
several weeks. For some unac-
countable reason the Senate
Armed Services Committee side
stepped the inquiry. 1t remained
for the House Armed Services
Committee under the able chair
manship of Representative Carl
vinson Of Georgia. Democrat, to
order q complete investigation at
the request Of Representative
James Van Zandt, Republican, Of
Pennsylvania, formerly head OF
the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
Naval Officers Quizzed.
This Is the kind of thing that
ought not to be "whitewashed" or
thrust aside. Nor should any in
timidation Of witnesses be per-
mitted.
Recently detectives from the
investigation unit of the Air
Forces have been interrogating
couple Of naval officers on the
theory that they supplied Con-
gressional committees with infor-
nation about contracts. The FB1
was enormously reported to have
done the questioning. But 1t Is
believed that the only part the
FBT may have had was in veri-
flying fingerprints Of the two
naval officers who are said to have
written memoranda to members
Of Congress and didn't sign their
names for fear of reprisals.
The spectacle of one armed serv-
ice. investigating the other Is In It
self shocking and will In turn be
investigated by a Congressional
committee. For 1t is obvious that
II officers cannot communicate
freely with members Of Congress,
discussing unclassified and non
secret information without fear
Of "gestapo" tactics. it means to-
talitarianism and an era OF re-
preston Of thought that can never
be expected to aid the cause OF
unification.
The whole. controversy, 1t now
appears, is related not merely to
the rivalries between the armed
services It goes to the question
of what political influences is used
to affect the decisions Of the mill
tary people. There are some
strange Inconsistencies involved:
Thus the B-36 which only a'few
months ago was regarded by the
Air Force as something nono Which
it was not deemed wise to con
centrate too many orders sud-
denly became the favored weapon.
This happens at a time when the
Russians are specializing on Jet
fighter planes and experts in
American aircraft companies have
begun to claim that jets can easily
intercept the B-36.
Why Change Decisions?
Why did the Air Force change
its decisions and concentrate on
the B-36? What political infiu-
ences, If any, operated to cause
such changes? How much money
was lost to the taxpayers by the
reversal of the late Secretary For
restal's policy Of holding to a di-
versified list Of types and the sud-.
den turn by Secretary johnson
toward q concentration on the
B-36 which some Of the experts
claim will be obsolete In q few
years. It is said that nearly $780,
000,0 900 has been wasted In recent
months by the decision to cancel
aircraft contracts already In pro-
cess.
Perhaps some of the incidental
motivation for the controversy
over types Of planes did come
from Navy circles when an arbi-
trary cancellation Of the big air.
craft carrier by Secretary johnson
without consultation with the Sec
retary of the Navy caused a deep
resentment. Primarily, however.
aircraft manufacturers who re-
sented the loss of their contracts
have been telling Congressman the
inside story of what they know
about the cancellations and the
relationship Of campaign funds to
it. Also, Wall Street, where stories
have been current about some Of
the efforts to force aircraft COM
panies that lose their contracts
to consolidate with the bigger COM |
panies, has been very much in
terested. Talk of a big merger and
ALLEGATION Of big contracts have led
to rumors that have helped send
the stock Of one company up by
so per cent in recent weeks.
It's all very interesting and may
be it's Just a set Of odd coinci-
dences and can be fully explained.
But 1t is the duty of Congress to