Evening star., 1952-01-18
|ReportCnarges
Efforts 10 Hide
Grain Scandal
Minor Agriculture
Officials Accused by
Controller General
By james {. Roper

Controller General Lindsay C.
Warren testified today that some
low-level Agriculture Department
officials have tried to cover up
shortages in grain stocks. And
he blasted Democrats for con-
tending that the charge was po-
Ilitically inspired.
Mr.. Warren appeared before the
Senate Agriculture Committee as
ut opened an inquiry into his
charges that about 81 million in
Government controlled grain is
missing from storage warehouses.
Secretary of Agriculture Bran
nan sat 20 feet from Mr.. Warren.
f1dgeting impatiently for a chance
to defend his department from
the charges.
Officials in Dallas Accused.
The Senators made public and
read Mr.. Warren's interim re-
port on the charges and read part
OF 1t into the record to show that
ne accused Agriculture DEPART
ment officials in Dallas, Tex, of
deliberately concealing irregulari-
ties they had discovered.
Mr.. Warren and his aides said
the two officials who tried to con-
ceal the irregularities were La
than White. director of the Dallas
Commodity Office, and Harry
Soloman. Mr.. Whites assistant
Both men have been suspended.
MIR. Warren. during oral testi-
mony, complained about a state
Iment by Secretary Brannan on the
situation.
While I would find It difficult
to believe that the Secretary could
possibly have intended to convex
the impression that the General
Accounting Office had any part ia
the political and prejudiced mo-
|tlves which he attributes to some
In connection with our report yet
It mas been pointed out to me that
the Secretary's statement is sus-
ceptible Of that construction" Mr.
Warren testified.
The General Accounting Office
VIII always report significant in
formation to the Congress, with.
out reference to where it is found
and without any regard to any
considerations, political or other
wise, except a full sense of re-
Isponsibllity to perform its duty
ana to serve constructively.
Committee Overrides Chairman
While we naturally do not ex-
pect those concerning whom re-
ports are made to be happy il
those reports in any way reflect
on activities under their SUPER
vision and direction, our useful
ness would be destroyed if we
permitted our decisions to be gov
erned by a desire to be popular ~
The committee met behind
closed doors and then oyerrode
Chairman Ellender, and decided
TO make the testimony public.
Before the inquiry was 10 min
utes old, Democratic Senator's
were asking questions to find evil
dence the General Accounting Of
nee itself was lax in investigating
and reporting the shortages. SEN
ator Anderson. Democrat, of New
Mexico, a former Secretary of Ag-
riculture. commented that the
trouble in the Dallas office result
ed from lack of manpower to
investigate the condition of grain
stored under the Governments
crop support program.
Mr.. Warren said he had already
ordered the GAO to make "a full
and complete investigation" of
conditions in other Offices outside
Dallas.
Variety Of Charges.
Mr.. Warren's preliminary re-
port said the Agriculture De-
partment's Dallas Office failed rc
check UP on stored grain, failed
to look into the competence of q
warehouse operator (and as a re-
suit suffered a loss), failed tc
(See AGR1rTuTTp paoe Ala ,