Evening star., 1949-08-04

tContlnueo from F1rSC Page.'
Mr.. johnson since he took Office
but when Mr.. johnson was still
practicing law in 1947, he wrote
Mr.. Hunt a cordial and friendly
letter"
The questions and answers in
volved some of the charges made
in the New York Herald Tribune
by Paul Grindle, a Massachusetts,
businessman, who said he signed
Up with Mr.. Hunt as client on
1.-The strength of assurance Mr..
Hunt could get him contracts
through influence.
Asked About Vaughan.
In the interview, MIR. Hunt gen.
orally denied the boasts Mr..
Grindle reported he made and
told a different version Of some
of the transactions in which he
was involved.
He was asked first about Gen.
Vaughan.
II consider Gen. Vaughan one
of my very good friends" he said.
1--WE known him for five or six
years. We met in uniform. think
he is a very fine person"
After insisting that Gen.
Vaughan had nothing to do with
the White House redecorating con-
tract he sought, he was asked:
Did you ever get Gen. Vaughan
to intercede for any contract?"
A. To the best of my recollec-
ton, there never was a single
contract that I went to Gen.
Vaughan about.
@. Did you ask for Gen.
Vaughan's help in getting any
favors for anyone?
A. I don't remember anything
of any Importance that I asked
him to do for other people or
for me.
@. Did you ask Gen. Vaughan to
help Gen. Watt keep his job?
A. I did not.
Met johnson Few Times.
@. Are you close friend of
Secretary johnson or did yoR say
you were?
A. I met Secretary Johnson two
or three times before he became
secretary and I haven't seen him
since he became secretary. never
said was a close friend Of his.
@. Did you tell Mr.. Grindle you
were one Of four persons present
in Gen. Vaughan's Office last No.
vember when Mr.. johnson was
called in and notified he would be
appointed Secretary Of Defense?
A. The meeting never occurred
and never said it occurred.
@. Did you take some bankers
to see Secretary johnson? Or did
you tell Mr.. Grindle you had?
A. What happened was this. 4
told Mr.. Grindle that, as far as
my experience in Washington is
concerned, there is no inside track
and no inside influence in obtain
ing contracts. AS an example, I
cited to Mr.. Grindle that some
very fine bankers had talked to
me a short time previously. They
stated that some people claimed
they had an inside track, through
Secretary johnson, to a very
large motor contract which, they
claimed had been promised them
if certain financial, management
and other conditions were met.
The bankers wanted to know how
much there was to this claim.
I called Col. Louis Renfrow in
the Secretary's Office. told him
the quickest way to remove the
problem was to go over and let
them ask for themselves. which
we did.
These two senior partners Of the
banking house outlined to Col.
Renfrow the information that had
been given to them and stated
to him that Mr.. Hunt told them
in his opinion no such promise had
been made. He completely con-
firmed MIR. Hunts opinion. He
said. "You can depend on what
Col. Hunt told you." The next
day Col. Renfrow called back and
said he had been in touch with
the secretary and confirmed in
no uncertain terms that no such
promise had been made.
Mr.. Hunt said that in mid-1947,
he happened to run into Mr..
johnson at the White House. They
had friendly chat" Mr.. Hunt
said, in the course Of which Mr..
Hunt told Mr.. johnson what he
was doing to assist small business
men. Mr.. Hunt said he followed
this up with a letter to Mr.. john
son explaining his services in de-
tail.
Mr.. johnson, then a member OF
the Steptoe g. johnson law firm.
wrote thanking me for the in
formation and saying he hoped
to make use Of 1t, which I thought
was very cordial and very
friendly"
The interview then shifted to
Gen. Feldman, the suspended
quartermaster general. Mr.. Hunt
began by describing Gen. Feldman
as zone of the grandest persons
that ever lived"
No Unauthorized Information.
@. Did Gen. Feldman ever give
you any unauthorized informa-
tion?
A. To the best of my knowledge,
Gen. Feldman never directly or
indirectly ever gave me any un-
authorized information and I have
never known any one who adheres
so strictly to the rules for the
benefit of his Government.
@. What about the procurement
list he is alleged to have given
you?
A. assume you refer to a paper
d.