Evening star., 1952-10-31
State Department. S Facilities
|Onered in Westbrook k Inquiry

Syndicate. known as Companhia
Atlantica.
Everybody concerned denied any
wrongdoing. But GSA's chief
compliance officer. Baron Shacke-
Ilette, flew into Paris today to
question an attorney whom Mr..
IWestbrook accused along with
Gen. Wilson.
Political Repercussions.
Political repercussions came fast.
Gen. Eisenhower said the whole
deal shows the "sort of crooked
ness (that) goes on and on in
Washington" He said the Dem
,ocratic National Committee had
to fire Mr.. Westbrook because
some one caught up with him"
The incident had more impact
i'm Texas than elsewhere. Gov.
Shivers, who has been campaign
ing for Gen. Eisenhower. promptly
ANNOUNCED for the first time that
he thought Texas would go Repub-
llican.
House Speaker Rayburn, chair
man Of the Stevenson forces,
quickly disassociated the cam
lpaign from Mr.. Westbrook.
THE campaign has been and is
"a strictly Texas operation" Speak
Ter Rayburn declared. Whatever
Westbrook's other activities may
be. they have no bearing on the
campaign in Texas"
Wilson Plans Law Suit.
In London, Gen. Wilson, Euro
|pean director of United States de-
tense materials procurement, said
in a statement that Mr.. West
brooks complaint against him was
"a vicious and unmitigated lie."
He said Mr.. Westbrook "has talked
himself into a law suit"
A congressional inquiry may
come. MIR. Westbrook has prom
Used to place his charges before
the Senate Preparedness Subcom-
mittee headed by Senator johnson
of Texas. A committee spokesman
here said the group will investi-
gate if asked.
Mr.. Larson in any case will re-
port the results of his investiga-
ton to the subcommittee as a
matter of information and pos
sibly action.
Mr.. Larson explained to a news
conference late yesterday that on
Monday he Cancelled the Govern
ment's contract with Companhia
Atlantica on grounds the firm had
gone into the open market to buy
tungsten ore instead of producing
it from its own mines as provided
in the contract.
Even without this alleged viola
ton, MIR. Larson said he would
have Cancelled the contract had he
known about the commissions that
We're to go to Mr.. Westbrook and
Mr.. Pulvermann.
Was Clearing ''Road Block" 1
Mr.. Pulvermann was in Lisbon,
when the case broke. Mr.. Hill
said Mr.. Pulvermann was clearing
up the latest 'road-block" which
had come through Gen. Wilson.
Mr.. Pulvermann denied the firm
sought to buy tungsten ore in
Portugal to sell to the American
Government at a higher price.
"Companhia Atlantica has not
bought tungsten on the open mar
ket," he said, land the commits
sions envisaged and due in due
course to the agents are abso-
lutely legal"
Mr.. Larson told his news con-
ference that he did not object
to all commission deals. but he
thought 5 per cent was too high
on a tungsten purchase.
He conceded that Companhia
Atlantica informed the Emer-
gency Procurement Service, part
Of GSA, Of the proposed COM
mission payments in October,
1851, during preliminary contract
negotiations.
Somehow, Mr.. Larson said, the
Companhia Atlantica's notice
about the commission deal was
not sent along to him with the
file on the case. He promised to
fire any one in his organization
found responsible. And he also
promised an investigation into the
motive behind any deliberate at
tempt to conceal the 5 per cent