Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1962-03-28
FORT LEE
Continued From Page Al

I
was kept secret at Fort Lee, so
Army engineers would keep on
working on the strip.
Financial records were re-
moved from files to keep Gov
eminent Accounting Office in
vestigators from discovering ir-
Irregularities.
All this Gen. Denniston, with
80 years of Army service behind
him, admitted.
"Why I did not check in de-
tail into the basis and the eX-
penditures of this project, am
unable to explain" he told the
House committee. MY expert
ence is broad enough and deep |
enough to know more about
this sort of thing than any of
my esubordinates.
There is no question in my
mind but that the law was vio-
lated"
Vary in interpretations
Like the general, the colonies
and major readily admitted
they did what they should not
have done. They said the law
was broken. But one by one,
each officer avoided saying at
committee hearings that he had
committed a crime. Criminality
was diffused in the system"
The law was interpreted differ
emily by different officers.
II guess they all have bad
memories on those questions
that would show knowledge on
their part" Chairman Dawson
snapped at one point. 1.-THE only
time their memories get bad is
when something comes up that
would make them a party to
this seeking to avoid the $685.
000) limit of Congress.
Gen. Denniston said he
should have known. but he did
not know, of any irregularities
in the project while it was
under way.
His former deputy post COM
mander and old friend, Col.
Lewis H. Shirley, told the COM
mittee he had discussed the
financing of the airfield during
,, it's construction with the gen.
: eral, however.
, , GAS I recall, also told him
I'd signed orders for use ma
terials to go into projects diff
: ferent than designated" Col.
Shirley said. Gen. Denniston
felt this was the responsibility
of programming and there was
! no reason to take any action
on it,"
Col. Shirley, in turn, denied
D he had ordered embarrassing"
;, records removed from the file
;, to be examined by the GAO.
), 1t. Col. William H. Jarrett,
q however. said he was given the
job of Kidding the file of the
j, records in what I considered
= explicit instructions personally
to me from Col. Shirley" Col
i Jarrett passed the job on to
=, Maj. Thomas S. Swartz, who
q did the removal" Then he
said he reported "in the posi-
tive" when Col. Shirley asked
if he had carried out the in
structions.
O "Bear by the Tail'
> &c. We had a bear by the
q q tail and we could not let &c
:, of it," explained Col. Jarrett
" and on this Interpretation all
the Iofficers could agree.
Col. Walter Ridlehuber was
in direct charge of the airport
D At the hearings, he couldn't
recall that 1t. Col. Jarrett hao
:. refused to sign an airport order
= with the explanation, I'm not
;, going to the pen for this" Col
= Jarrett's sworn testimony was
= that Col. Ridlehuber had re.
:, piled, "I'll sign it,"
Chairman Dawson asked Col
= Jarrett personally to confront
y Col. Ridlehuber, and Col. Jar.
= rett said:
- 1T was as stated in testi-
h mony. The congressional limit
- had been passed and I was moi
g going to jail for it. Col. Ride.
: huber said we worried about
g that last spring. I will take 6
- polygraph on that, sir"
q Col. Ridlehuber repeated, &c!
y have no recollection Of such 6
r statement"
- Maj. Thomas S. Swartz sale
he had followed orders tt
falsify records. He knew it wa
= wrong, he said, and he pro
tested to Col. Ridlehuber, bu
he never disobeyed an order.
= Col. Ridlehuber insisted h
never had intended to flou
II the will of Congress.
Revised Listing
re He understood the $25, 00I
81 as an annual limit, he testified
u He figured the limit was OF
single projects. So, he simpl,
u listed a hangar as a maintenance
depot to clear the funding re
= quest. He said he was sur
&c &c prised to learn after he lief
!, Fort Lee that the building OF
", the air field had not been uset
~ ~ as a maintenance and suppl,
W depot.
>. Col. James w. Conner, VIII
~ y. took over from Col. Ridlehube
" in 1859, said he was told b,
- Ridlehuber, when you cal
~ find money from other pro
- jects, we apply it here 9TH
ri airport"
~ It was testimony like thi
n that led committee members t.
N expound on morality amon
F officers and gentlemen.
ct "You still won't face tn
tn truth and your fine answer
NJ are fitted to try to get you of
the spot" Chairman Dawson