Evening star., 1955-10-26
CEILING Zero

case Of the travelling Senator'S versus the
Pentagon to ground all planes special,
scheduled, Air Force or what have you.
The frst official word on this matter
came last Thursday from Robert T. Ross,
Assistant Defense Secretary for Legisla-
tive and Public Affairs. Mr.. Ross said two
special planes were being sent to Europe
to pick up Senators Mcclellan, Stennis
and Chavez because the Senators had
declined to wait few days for later
scheduled flights. This was going to cost
the taxpayers $4,000, but Mr.. Ross said
the law leaves the Defense Department
with "no alternative" when such requests
are made.
Air Force Secretary Quarles added his
bit to the enveloping fog at social event
that evening. Talking to The Stars Betty
Beale, Mr.. Quarles said eve do this all
the time" Asked why, in that event,
there was such to-do about 1t, Mr..
Quarles answered: Because reporter
over there printed the story and 1t was
picked up here"
But this did not help much. BY Fri
day the blood pressure Of the travelling
Senators had climbed to stratospheric
levels. Senator Mcclellan, speaking from
Naples in tone that could be heard in
the Pentagon, If not around the world,
declared: There's not q word of truth
in it. made arrangements to 60 back on
scheduled aircraft and that is what is
going to happen"
Saturday was quiet, though still
foggy. On Sunday. however, the Penta-
gon put out a clarifying" statement that
didn't clarity much OF anything. The
statement began with this notable under
statement: There has been some mis-
understanding IN regard to the trip
abroad by certain members of the Senate
Committee on Appropriations for Military
Affairs
This misunderstanding, In its precise
specifications, Is still obscure. It appears,
however, that the Air Force had agreed
In advance to get the Senator'S back to
this country on specified dates. But some
body discovered, or thought he discovered,
that there were no scheduled flights on
those dates. So a message was sent from
the Pentagon to the escort ofIicer, Col.
Ralph j. Watson, who must feel by this
time that the policeman's unhappy lot is
fully shared by escort officers assigned to
travelling Senators. Boiled down, the
message read: VIM it be o. K. to fly the
Senator's back a few days after the speci-.
ned date2 The answer, also boiled down,
was this: No! SO away went the first
Of the special planes, not to mention
$4,000 Of the taxpayers money.
On Monday grim -visaged Senator
Mcclellan, followed by an equally GRIM
visaged Senator Stennis, stalked down the
Washington gangpiank Of regularly
scheduled MATS plane which somehow
or other managed to leave Paris on the
day the Senator'S had planned to leave.
(The special brought back some military
personnel) A few hours later an apology
emerged from the Defense Department.
The Senators, it said, were Sin no way
responsible" for the dispatch Of the
special plane.
This seems to leave two things stiil
up in the air. One is the question Of who
was responsible for dispatching the
special plane. The other concerns the
problem of getting Senator Chavez home.
He Is still in Europe And II he is waiting
for this particular fog to lift, he isn't
going to get back any time soon.