Involvement of Mortar Shell Contractors

Just a year before sentence was passed the affairs of Congressman May and the Garssons were publicly aired at hearings before the Special Committee of the U.S. Senate Investigating the National Defense Program. In July 1946 this committee took testimony relative to government 

Sentence was pronounced by Judge Henry A. Schweinhaut. See World Almanac and Book of Facts for 1948, p. 760. 

Five days after Gellman met Garsson and one day after Erie Basin Metal Products, Inc., was certified as a New York corporation. Colonel English, now Chief, Industrial Service, OC CWS, as CWS contracting officer, issued a letter of intent to the new company at 75 West Street, New York, N.Y. This letter was an order for 15,000 4.2-inch chemical mortar shell bodies and 15,000 chemical mortar shell fuzes, the shell bodies f.o.b. common carrier, Brooklyn, N.Y., or Elgin, 111, the fuzes, f.o.b. common carrier, point of loading and assembly. A provision to manufacture an item at either of two locations was seldom if ever included in government contracts. The provision for the manufacture of fuzes was deleted as of 27 April 1942.  

A letter of intent served as a contract until a more formal contract was written. 

He was the only person in the CWS whose motives the committee questioned. Several committee members did imply, and with seemingly 

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