Evening star., 1962-08-17
STOCKPILE
Probers Beer Down
In Humphrey Quiz

I'VE intend to find out once
and for ALL" Senator Syming-
ton stated, whether Mr..
Humphrey, literally q few hours
before he took office, gave final
approval to a deal which re-
turned him-according to Gov
ernment auditors-over 300 per
cent profit and windfalls as
against cost with no risk on his
part whatsoever"
Senator Symington said the
subcommittee wants to clear up
apparent discrepancies in Mr..
Humphreys testimony yester-
day as to his connection with
the nickel contracts. The chair
man noted that at one point
Mr.. Humphrey said. II have no
connection with it whatever. I"
Yet, according to Senator Sym
ington. Mr.. Humphrey also
testified yesterday that he made
the final decision on details of
the contracts.
Disputes Figures
AT another point" Senator
Symington continued, Mr..
Humphrey disputed the profit
figures presented. InaSmuch as
they were taken from the in
come tax files of the Hanna
Co.. am requesting subcom-
mittee counsel to pursue this
matter. Either the Hanna in
come tax returns are wrong or
Mr.. Humphrey is wrong"
Senator Symington also made
clear that the abrupt close of
today's hearing did not put an
end to later questioning of
Hanna company officials con-
cerning testimony by a Govern
ment witness that certain rec
ords Of the company were de-
liberately destroyed.
"At some time between when
it was announced that Mr..
Humphrey would be the next
Secretary Of the Treasury, p"
Senator Symington stated,
that is. sometime between the
middle of November, 1852, and
the middle of January, 1858.
the word went out from some
where above the working-level
people dn the office of De-
fense Mobilization and the
General Services Administra-
ton: Make this deal as the
Hanna people want it.
And this subcommittee in
tends to find out where that
word came from"
Almost Stole Show
Mr.. Humphrey almost stole
the show yesterday in his
rugged and often colorful de-
fense Of the company he headed
before serving in the Eisen-
hover Cabinet.
But as the day wore on and
tempers wore thin, Senator
Symington and several of his
colleagues, as we'll as Subcom-
mittee Counsel Richmond Co
burn, bore down harder.
Senator Symington made
clear today he did not relish
Mr.. Humphreys description Of
Itestim ony by Government
agency witnesses as "baloney"
and bunk"
Centering on statements ear
lier this week by Walter H.
Henson, GAO supervisor whose
accountant team spent five
months checking into Hanna
company records, the Missouri
Senator had planned to ask
Mr.. Humphrey and w. A. Mar
ting, president Of the Hanna
Mining Co., to explain today
whether any checks and in
voices were burned or otherwise
destroyed.
Mr.. Humphrey told the sub
committee he personally had
nothing to do with company
records now and had little to
do with the nickel stockpile
contract negotiations 10 years
ago.
Denies Destruction
Mr.. Marting denied to the
subcommittee late yesterday
that any records were de-
stroyed or that Government
auditors were in any way mis-
led or put off by the company.
Mr.. Humphrey insisted that
the company's profits after
taxes amounted to SIS million,
or an average of about 81 mil
lion a year. He defended this
return of about Is per cent as
a reasonable profit.
He contended that the COM
pany could have made twice
as much money and had a
much better business today" If
it had not sold nickel to the
Government.
He maintained that the Gov
ernment lost nothing, even
though the contract negotiated
Il in a nickel stockpile speed-up
program during the Korean
war contained more risks for
the Government than for the
company.
He emphasized that he per-
sonally did not favor the con-
tract, but II didn't want to i'm
pose my will" on Hanna as
Sociates who wanted it. He
added that once the decision
was made to enter into the
contract he urged that it be
done before he entered the
Eisenhower cabinet so that lit
wouldn't be hanging over"
Several subcommittee men,
bers and Mr.. Coburn seemed
to take a sharply different
view of the size of the profits
and the company's interest ir
the contract.
Rare Procedure