ROOSEVELT’S SON GIVES EVIDENCE IN INQUIRY INTO WAR CONTRACTS

Wanganui Chronicle, 6 August 1947, Page 5

ROOSEVELT’S SON GIVES EVIDENCE IN INQUIRY INTO WAR CONTRACTS

(N Z.P.A.—Reuter— Copyright.) Recd. 5.5 p.m. Washington, Aug. 4. Elliott Roosevelt, son of the late President, took the witness stand today to explain to the Senate War Investigating Cpmmittee why he recommended the Air Corps to give a wartime aircraft contract to no ward Hughes, millionaire aircraft manufacturer and film producer. Roosevelt’s appearance attracted the largest crowd of the hearings which have been proceeding lor several weeks inquiring into war contracts, but chief interest centred in the allegations against the Howard Hughes Company, that Elliott Roosevelt had been lavishly entertained with a view to incurring the favourable consideration of Hughes' tenders for aircraft construction.

Evidence was given last week that John Meyer, publicity agent lor Hugaes, spent more than 50UU dollars between 1943 and 1945 entertaining Elliott Roosevelt and his wife, Fay Emerson, at Hollywood and New York, and giving expensive presents of handbags and Nylon stockings to her.

Roosevelt said he was not big enougn, or important enough in the overall procurement procedure to be the object of investigation, but added: “It happens that I had some rather intimate relationship with the man who then was commander-in-cnief, and who was in charge of the war effort.”

In particular, the committee wants to know why a huge cargo flyingboat, which Hughes undertook to build in two years, under a wartime contract, still has not flown five years later. The Hug.ies Company allegedly received many millions of dollars, which are variously stated as 10,000,000, 20,000,000 and up to 40,000,000 dollars for aircraft not yet received. Roosevelt declared that he never discussed the Howard Hughes’ photo reconnaissance plane with his father. Roosevelt said that he had objected to an assignment’ to recommend a photo reconnaissance plane because he believed his return from the lighting front would be used by political opponents to smear his father.

Roosevelt also testified that he, and other members of the Air Corps Mission, repaid John Meyer for the hotel bills incurred in 1943 and trip to inspect the Hughes plane. The Hughes company was given a contract for 100 pnotoplanes. This was afterwards cut to two, and those were not completed in time for use in the war.

Roosevelt admitted having accepted entertainment at Meyer’s expense, but said he did not know Meyer was giving vouchers to the Hughes Aircraft Company for every cocktail and meal consumed.

“I paid my fair share of the bills.” He asserted that the committee’s investigation was part of a “smear campaign” against the late President. Senator Claude Pepper (Democrat, Florida), a member of the committee, said Elliott and his wife received only a little more than 50,000 dollars of the 164,000 dollars worth of hospitality furnished by Hughes through Meyer.