Evening star., 1949-08-28

Partial tert of of the affidavit
released yesterday BY James v.
Hunt, Washington management
counselor tDhose name has fig
ured In q current Senate in
Destigation dealing tDith meth
ods of getting Government con-
tracts:
/. My name is James v. Hunt.
I reside at 3116 Fessenden street
NV, Washington, D. c.
2. I enlisted in the National
Quart in 1915 at the age of II
and served until 1919 when I was
honorably discharged as a serg-
cant. Thereafter. I went into the
textile business and remained in
that business until 1942 by which
time was the president and prin-
cipal executive officer Of j. v.
Hunt g. Co., Inc, an Illinois corp
Grafton formed in 1884. which be-
longs entirely to myself, my wife
and my son. I had also been in
terested previously in two other
textile companies.
8. Immediately after Pearl Har-
Dor, applied for commission
in the Army. I experienced con-
siderable difficulty passing phys
ical examination because of my
heart condition and eventually
had to sign a waiver.
At the same time, I proceeded
to liquidate the assets OF j. V.
Hunt 81 Co., Inc. I was eventually
commissioned a captain and as
signed to duty in the Quarter
master Corps. Washington. D. c.
At the time I entered the Army,
I had a net worth of approx
mately 100000.
4. During the war I served un-
der 1t. Gen. Edmund B. Gregory
then the quartermaster general,
and remained in the service until
the end of 1945. From about De-
cember 1943 on, acted as quar-
termaster corps liaison officer with
the members of Congress, With
the executive agencies of the Gov
ernment, and with the White
House. had just been promoted
to maor and then to lieutenant
colonel and was awarded the Le-
gion of Merit for my work in that
liaison job.
Asked to Come to WAA.
5. In December 1945, Gen. Gre
CORY was appointed Administrator
of War Assets and asked me to
come over to that agency to assist
him by handling the same type
in the quartermaster corps. I
of work which I had done for him
agreed to do this provided that
it would be possible for me to open
my own Office in Washington and
handle business for private clients
at the same time. was told that
i'll came in as a special consultant,
this would be permissible under
section q of the Surplus Property
Act of 1914. When I resigned from
the War Assets Administration on
June 80, 1946, this was confirmed
to me by letters from Gen. Gre
cory, the administrator, and from
the acting general counsel for war
assets.
6. BY this time I had already
been asked by several firms to as
sist them in handling their prob
lens, including their relationships
with Government agencies. Be-
cause of my experience, first Of Is
years in private business, and Sec
ond of four years with Govern
ment. agencies, I believed. I could
perform a useful function. Ac-
cordingly, on July 20, 1916 we
opened the Office of j. v. Hunt 81
Co., Inc. -.
Service "of Real Value"
7. Because of my thorough
knowledge of the workings of
many Government agencies and
departments and because Of my
wide circle of friends and ac-
quaintances in those departments,
was able to perform a service
which I know was of real value to
my clients and I believe OF real
value to the Government. When
q small businessman who does not
know his way around Washington
seeks to do business with Gov
ernment department or agency, he
almost invariably, in the first inr
stance arrives at the desk of
someone who has no connection
with the particular type of busi-
ness he wants to do. The resulting
discussion wastes the time of both
the businessman and the Govern
ment employe. The enormity of
the Government itself makes this
inevitable. To the businessman,
time is money. Big businesses
spend enormous sums OF money to
maintain Washington Offices with
full-time stats who are closely
acquainted with the intricacieS OF
the Government departments with
which they deal. The small busi-
nessman can neither afford full
time Washington representative
nor can he afford to spend his own
time away from his main business
for extended and frequently fruit
less visits to Washington. His only
solution is a part-time Washing
ton representative employed on
either a retainer or commission
basis, or a combination of the two.
8. The Government for a long
time has recognized the propriety
of commissions or contingent fees
earned by bona f1de established,
commercial or selling agencies
maintained for the purpose OF
securing business
9. The plight of small busi-
nessman trying to do business
with the Government has been
recognized for a long time. The
small business division of the De-
partment of Commerce spent
months in a study of the problem
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