Evening star., 1949-08-19
Groups Seen Working
To Bury House Probe
OF Plane Contracts
Symineton Not the Issue
But Whot Lobbying Was
Done to Gain Influence
By David Laurence

cent right in his request that
final judgment be withheld until
all the facts are in with reference
to the inquiry in which Gen.
Vaughan has figured.
That ought to be the rule in
every congressional inquiry. But
Just now there are apparently
certain influences working day
and night to smothsr an investi-
cation begun by the House Armed
Services Committee. on the
ground that nothing has been
proved and that certain charges
concerning Secretary of Air Sym
ington have evaporated.
Nobody who has followed from
it's beginnings the inquiry begun
by the House Armed Services
Committee ever thought that the
accusations concerning Mr.. Sym
ington were the main reason for
the inquiry. AS matter of fact,
even if somebody had talked
about naming Mr.. Symington as
head of a merger of aircraft COM
panies-and possibly this was dis
cussed without the matter ever
having been broached to the Sec
retary of Air-there would not
have been the slightest impro-
priety in such plan.
Mr.. Symington is an able Off
cial and excellent businessman.
If. unfortunately, he ever decided
to leave the public service. he
would be just the man to head
up any big merger of aircraft
companies. He is much too up
right an individual to allow such
a suggestion. If indeed he ever
heard of it, to influence anything
he did for the Government.
Real Issues Unrelated.
The real issues, however. are
wholly unrelated to the flimsy
references about possible execu-
tive position in a possible merger, ,
The real issues revolve around
the influence that a desire for
Government contracts can have
on national defense policies-on
how much lobbying was done to
get the contracts and how much
money was used in improper ways
in an attempt to win govern
mental influence.
This is proper subject for in
quiry. 1t goes beyond any par
ticular armed service. The Nation
was astounded back in the eos
when 1t was discovered that lob
byist in Geneva attempted to
wreck the disarmament confer
ence there because it might injure
steel companies interested in
making armor plate for the Navy.
II there are today any armor-
plate companies interested in
propaganda or political activity
in connection with contracts for
the building of ships for any of
the armed services-steel parts
are used in airplanes, too-this
is something to be investigated.
Private companies have every
right to present their claims for
contracts and to speak out pub
licly. for example, in behalf of
air power on land or sea, If they
like. 1t is not what they do/pub-
licly that offends. 1t is the money
they may have spent clandestinely
in propaganda for separate Air
Force and finally for the concen-
tration of funds in strategic
bombing or for an enlarged Navy
which occasions concern.
a. There are two major bodies
which have been carrying on
campaigns to influence policy in
the field of national defense apart
from veterans organizations. One
of these is the Navy League and
the other is the Air Force AS
sociation. To the extent that these
organizations are financed by
small contributions, they are
within their rights. But If either
of these two bodies accepts large
sums from shipbuilding or air.
craft-building interests, then it is
a proper subject for inquiry.
Merger Often Urged.
1t was matter of general COM
ment in defense circles in Wash
ington after the war that there
are too many aircraft COM
panies." 1t was often said that the
best interests Of national defense
would be served by selecting a
few companies and causing them
to merge. 1t was even reported
that the Air Force was being i'm
portuned to get back of the
merger.
1t is too much to expect that
officers of any armed service or
any officials of the aircraft COM
panies will march into the House
Armed Services Committee and
testify that political influence
was exerted or that they bowed
to it. An investigation has to go
deeper than that kind of naivete.
Furthermore. it is a fact Of rec
ord in the House of Representa-
tives that persons interested in
the aircraft industry contributed
heavily to the Truman campaign
fund last year and that large
sums were raised from among
their number. The interest of
the country is in learning whether,
with billions of dollars worth of
contracts at stake, the B-36 was
given the right of way properly
and if it was a mere coincidence
that a company in financial diff
f1culties was saved with B-36 Or
ders, and whether all this was
just an innocent set of circum-
stances.
Such an investigation cannot
be a "whitewash" nor can it be
terminated by hearing only part
ofethe testimony. AS Mr.. Truman
says. Judgment as to whether any