Salt Lake Telegram | 1921-02-13 | Page 2 | War Conduct Probe Takes New Turn

11 COIIDOCT PROBE TAKES iiEinuiii Resolution Calls for Facts Pertaining to Record Inspection WASHINGTON. Feb. 12. A resolu- !tlon which Is expected to shift the congressional con-gressional Investigation of the conduct cf the war Into a new field waa lntro- ! riueed today by Representative Flood. iL-emocrkt, Virginia, member DfThe general Investigating body. ! The resolution called on Secretary Baker for all facts connected with the application of J. M, 11111 and C. . Ltindaey "for permission to Inspect the secret archives of the war department and the refusal of the department to grant such permission. . VOUCHER UNPAID. The two were employed by an in-vestlgstor in-vestlgstor who wss employed by the Johnson subcommittee, and not directly direct-ly .by the committe, the chairman explained. ex-plained. A vouoher of $24uO for their work, or part of it. made out in the name mi tseie emplayp, is fa aid l.y Chairman Ireland of the house commit tee on accounts and has not been paid. Their names were brought before the general InvestlKating committee last June. Mr. Flood, In denying chargei then, by Republican membera that the ' war department s attitude was unra-' unra-' vorabla to th. Investigation, declared ' the only refusal was In th. caae of ' Hill and Llndsey. who were seeking certain records containing the settle-1 settle-1 ment of contracts. This action, he charged, was taken 1 after the department authorities had found that th.ir real purpose was to otttain money from a newspaper for Information supposed to be on file among government records "In the .vent they were unabl. to obtain a large sum through blackmail." Chairman Ireland In th. house this week criticised th. expenditure of luree sum. by Investigating committees, declaring de-claring h had seen "no real applies-tlon applies-tlon of concrete result.." from the war investigations and that his committee undoubtedly would have disapproved many of the contracts had It known about it. It was indicated tonight that another resolution bearing on th. cas. would Be introHiirM Mommy. LETTER FROM ANSEL! In his statement to the committee, which he made-public, Mr. flood siii.l Illll and Llndsey went to the war department de-partment with a letter from Samuel T. Ansel!, former acting Judge advocate general of th. army, counsel for the J.hnson subcommittee. Mr. Hood's statement to th. Graham committee last Jun. said: , "Th. subcommittee, has assumed to Investigate the conduct of the war, and such 'testimony as it has taken with respect to expenditure is only incidental inciden-tal to this main purpose. Th. gentlemen gentle-men who constitute th. majority of this subcommittee charge that the war department'a attitude was unfavorable to th. investigation and that certain fiscal records wer. not available. There is nothing In th. conduct of th. war department to justify this charge and the alatement that th. records are not available without foundation and fact PURPOSE QUESTIONED. "Th. only Instance In which the war department declined to honor Investigations Investi-gations waa that of a Mr. iiill and a Mr. Llndsey. who went to the war department de-partment with a letter from General M. T. Ansel), the 120.000 attorney.' requesting re-questing that these gentlemen be given access to certain secret records containing con-taining th. settlement of certain contract con-tract a. "I'pon Investigation the war department depart-ment authorities found that the real purpos. of Mr. Hill and Mr. Llndsey waa to obtain money from a newspaper for thia information. In the event they wer. unabl. to obtain a larg. sum through blackmail. Th. proper author-Ittea author-Ittea In the war department very properly prop-erly refused to honor General Ansell's request, and th. secretary of war wrote a letter to the chairman of the select committee. In which he set forth reasons rea-sons for such refusal. Mr. Graham, the chairman, naturally agreed with th. secretary of war's presentation of th. matter and his refusal."