Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1953-04-12
Hendrickson Asks
II She'll Lack Forced
Firing on Own Men
By John A. Giles

BY John A. Giles
Senator Hendrickson, Repub-
lican, of New Jersey demanded
last night that a Senate in
veStigating subcommittee de-
termine whether ammunition
shortages in Korea forced Ameri-
can troops to fire on one another.
The Seantor, a subcommittee
member, said in a statement he
had been told lack of mortar
shells did not allow platoons to
sufficiently Zero in" Communist
forces. This is known as pre-
fire." the nGrmal operation in
measuring range for barrages.
SalvOs Are Haphazard.
when mortar shells were fired
in close support of American
infantrymen, the salvos were at
times necessarily haphazard and
landed among our own men," he
asserted.
The Senator said Sergt. 1/c
Keith E. Kentopp of East
Orange, N. j., told him he knew
of at least one instance where
IA American soldiers were hit
by our own mortar fire and that
the possibility of such occur
rences was always greater be-
cause Of shell shortages.
However, the sergeant told the
Senator, there always were
enough shells in the back areas
to stage shows for visiting brass.
Three Other Developments.
There were three other de-
velopments as the Senate Armed
Services subcommittee prepared
to resume its hearings at 10 am.
tomorrow:
/. It was learned Secretary of
Defense Wilson is considering
appointment of two new assist
ant secretaries of defense to pre-
vent supply and production
snafus such as those brought to
light by the inquiry. 1t was with
this in mind that the Secretary
approached Senators on the
Armed Services Committee with
the proposal that they waive
their stock disposal rule so he
could hire two more big business
men to fill the jobs. A fiat re-
fusal was indicated.
The supply assistant would
handle armed forces storage
facilities, distribution, etc. Some
Senate testimony has indicated
ammunition distribution was not
what it might have been.
The production assistant would
have increased powers to step
into that field to break bottle
necks by granting materials
priorities, recommending transfer
of funds, etc. An expediter, Hugh
Dean, former president of Chew
rolet, already is working in this
field but he works almost alone
through service channels.
Munitions Board Plans.
Tied in closely with these Will
son plans is a complete reorgan-
ization of the Munitions Board,
which the Secretary has called a
fifth wheel" However, no final
decision has been made on what
to do with the board pending
receipt of recommendations from
the Rockefeller reorganization
committee. A report is due this
week.
2. Defense Department officials
showed reporters statistics
which fatty contradicted testi-
mony by former Army Secretary
Frank Pace that the Office of
the Defense Secretary cut Army
ammunition appropriations re-
quests from 50 billion to 81 bill
lion in the fall of 1850. The
figure also served to contradict
similar statements made by
Senator Symington, Democrat,
of Missouri, former Air Force
Secretary.
They showed that from July
Is, 1850, shortly after start of
the Korean War, until February
3, 1851, Army Ordinance re-
quested a total of $3.1 billion.
The general staff recommended
So billion, the Army Secretary
$1.9 billion and the Defense Sec
rotary (then Robert A. Lovett)
increased it to $2.1 billion.
Congress completed appropria-
tions totaling that amount on
May 81, 1851.
3. Three top Army generals,
graduates of the departments
School for ammunition wit
nesses, made preparations to lay
down a barrage before the Sen
ators. They are 1t. Gen. Will
liam B. Palmer, Assistant Chief
of Staff for Logistics; 1t. Gen.
G. H. Decker, Controller; and
Maj. Gen. E. L. Ford, Chief of
Ordnance.
Army Witnesses Coached.
They have been coached at
length in an effort to eliminate
long-winded explanations and
were said to be prepared to pro-
duce documents to show that red
tape in letting contracts was noe
exclusively of the Army's max
ing. Directives of the defense
Office, Munitions Board and
Budget Bureau may be offered.
Senator Hendrickson said
Sergt. KentOpp. a. mortarman