THE CONGRESS: Discomfited General

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At intervals during the week, Meyers stomped to the stand and shouted denials. He reiterated that Hughes had repeatedly offered him a job, with a house thrown in, and had proffered not $200,000, but $250,000 as a loan on the bond deal. He admitted speculating in war bonds, said he once held $4 million worth on margin. Benny Meyers' cigar sagged from its cocky angle; his face was-noticeably paler. He told reporters that he had asked for a court martial "to prove my guilt or innocence," but had been refused. The matter, said the A.A.F., was now out of its hands.

This week an embarrassed young man named Bleriot H. Lamarre, president of Aviation Electric, testified that Meyers had put up all the money for the company, that he had owned all its stock, fixed its prices, and dictated minutes of directors meetings that were never held. In 1941 Aviation paid Meyers $58,000. Of his own $31,000 salary, Lamarre said, he had to kick back $28,000 to Meyers, leaving him about $50 a week.

Things looked bad for Benny Meyers.

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