(3 of 3)
As the investigation proceeded, Howard Hughes in California exchanged long-range insults with Maine's Senator Owen Brewster, chairman of the full senatorial committee. Speaking as chief stockholder of T.W.A., Hughes proclaimed (in a series of signed articles in the Hearst papers) that the real reason behind the investigation was Hughes's refusal to accept an offer of merger with Brewster's good friend Juan Trippe of Pan-American. In Washington, Brewster promptly offered to waive congressional immunity and take the stand. He piously referred newsmen to Nehemiah 6* for his answer to Hughes.
There was still a little difficulty about getting Hughes himself to testify. While a deputy U.S. marshal prowled Los Angeles with a committee subpoena, Hughes announced defiantly from his weekend hideaway he would not appear until midweek.
But the committee hardly missed him. It had Elliott Roosevelt.† Seated before a standing-room-only crowd this week, he announced that he had fought against the orders which brought him back to the U.S., that he had never even heard of the XF-II until "Hap" Arnold put him on to it. As for Johnny Meyer's expense accounts, they were "very largely inaccurate"; he had not even been in the U.S. for several of the shindigs Meyer said he had attended. Said Roosevelt: "If it is true that for the price of entertainment I made recommendations which would have in any way endangered the lives of the men under me . . . that fact should be made known to the public."
No one had suggested that. But it was hard to remove the gamy odor of Johnny Meyer's lavish attentiveness, which Elliott had still not completely explained. This week the committee had a lot more to ask Elliott before it was ready for Hughes.
* As summarized by the American Bible Society: "Sanballat practiseth by craft, by rumors, by hired prophecies, to terrify Nehemiah. The work is finished to the terror of the enemies."
† At LaGuardia Field, another Roosevelt was asked by newsmen if he was going to Washington. His reply: "I'm Franklin."