Evening star., 1952-05-11

turns to washington this week.
he will go before the Senate Ag-
riculture Committee, which is in
vestigating the farm program.
Facing "LOts of Questions"
Senator Aiken said he will ask
Mr.. Kruse some questions-a lot
of questions" about:
/. Evidence which Senator
Aiken felt showed that Mr.. Kruse
. tried to suppress a Subordinate'S S
attempt to expose and halt the
theft of grain from Government
stockpiles.
2. Mr.. Kruse's apparent inter-
est in the Baton Rouge Ga.)
Warehouse Co., which allegedly
gave kick-backs to Mr.. Kruse's
one-time assistant, Jack Cowart.
Cowart helped the warehouse
company get storage contracts
with the Agriculture Department.
A committee investigator has teS-
titled that the company later gave
Cowart a $4,000 kick-back, part
of it relayed through Alexander
Campbell, former Assistant Attor-
ney General in charge of the JUS
tice Departments Criminal Divi-
sion.
Fired and Convicted.
Cowart has been fired from the
Agriculture Department and con-
victed on a criminal charge in an
other case. He was Mr.. Kruse's
assistant at the time some of the
irregularities we're going on.
Senator Aikens curiosity about
Mr.. Kruse's role was aroused by
Martin j. Hudtloff, director OF the
Transportation and Warehousing
Branch under Mr.. Kruse.
Mr.. Hudtloff testified Mr.. Kruse
personally ordered him to attend
q New Orleans meeting to dis
cuss possible business with the
Baton Rouge warehouse in 1949.
Mr.. Hudtloff said this was the
only time he ever was ordered
into the field to do such a chore.
He said he returned to Wash
ington with the report that a
proposed deal for storing cotton
did not look promising. He said
that Mr.. Kruse, however, ordered
him to have the warehouse in
spected for possible use. Other
empty warehouses already were
available in the area, Mr.. Hudt-
loft testified.
Rates Advantageous to U. S.
The Agriculture Department,
eventually stored cotton linters
and Mexican meat in the ware
house at rates unusually advan.
tageous to the Government. ThS
company stored the goods sat
isfactorily.
Mr.. Hudtloff testified that a
the time he told subordinate
that the Baton Rouge case Il!
hot politically-we must bend tt
meet the situation" The politi'
cal pressure, he said, was stirred
up mostly by Cowart.
How were you able to live will
this?" asked Committee Counse
Paul j. Cotter.
II reported fully" said MI
Hudtloff, ito Mr.. Kruse and MI
Trigg (Ralph S. Trigg, then MI
Kruse's boss)."
Mr.. Hudtloff testified that h
also reported to Mr.. Kruse on tn
growing shortages in grain tina
the Agriculture Department ha
put in storage to help keep price
up.
Checked ON Shortages.
"In May, 1884," Mr.. Hudtlot
testified, I'VE asked all (regional
commodity offices for list {
shortages developed in the prevl
Gus two years. I gave it to M
Kruse, who suggested I write
report to accompany it.
''I prepared a letter to all com
modify Offices and all PIMA Stat
committeeman, pointing out tn
growing shortages and listing ]
or 13 ways of avoiding shortages
Mr.. Hudtloff said he gave. tt
letter to Mr.. KruSe but it new
was sent out. He said he nevt
learned why. Five weeks aftel
wards, however, some of M
Hudtloff's duties were transferre
out of his Office, he said.
Senator Aiken said this ind
Gated Mr.. Kruse wanted to SUI
press evidence of the storages.
Uta tiff retaoin shrdlu shrdlu