THE CONGRESS: Boomerang & Blackjack

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Shameful Shreds. Then Tom Corcoran opened his small pink mouth, told his story of the "threat." With cold, lucid, driving fury, he tore Ralph Brewster's tale to shameful shreds.

He had met Mr. Brewster, he said, some two years ago at the Manhattan apartment of Dr. Ernest Gruening (pronounced greening), Director of the Interior Department's Division of Territories & Island Possessions. As editor-publisher of the Portland, Me. Evening News from 1927 to 1932, Dr. Gruening had been a warm friend & ally of Ralph Brewster in his fight on the Insulls. Mr. Corcoran was roundly assured that Mr. Brewster was one man above all others who could be relied upon to fight the power interests. On the President's orders, went on Witness Corcoran, he helped draft the Wheeler-Rayburn Utility Bill, did his bit to help it along through Senate and House. In this task he had the enthusiastic, voluntary support of Representative Brewster.

Meantime Messrs. Corcoran and Brewster were working hand in glove for Passamaquoddy. Two fears beset legal Agent Corcoran, he explained. One was that the Power interests, through their Republican allies, might bring nuisance suits to check construction after the dam was started. The other was that, once completed, the dam would become another Muscle Shoals which the Federal Government would lack power to operate. Therefore he felt obliged to postpone construction until Maine's Legislature should create a State Power Authority to build and operate the dam in the Federal Government's behalf. Only on Representative Brewster's assurance that he could & would prevent Republican suits and force necessary legislation through Maine's Legislature did Agent Corcoran approve PWA's decision to start work on the dam at once. Dr. Gruening assured him that Mr. Brewster's promises were ''one hundred percent" trustworthy.

Week before the House vote Representative Brewster went up to Maine promising to return in time to speak for the "death sentence." When he did return on the morning of the vote, it was to inform Mr. Corcoran that he had discovered himself in a "peculiar political position" in Maine and could not make the speech. Dismayed, Mr. Corcoran arranged to meet him and Dr. Gruening in Statuary Hall just before the vote. There Maine's No. 1 Power foe made the astounding revelation that he was not only not going to speak for the "death sentence'' but was not even going to vote for it.

"Liar!" "I said to Mr. Brewster then, in front of Dr. Gruening," snapped Witness Corcoran, " 'If, as you say, your political situation is such that you are not a free man and have to take the power companies into account . . . you know perfectly well that I can no longer trust your assurance that you will protect the Quoddy relation.' "

That was the "threat." Representative Brewster, nervously drumming his fingers on the committee table, was growing livid. Witness Corcoran continued:

"He turned to Dr. Gruening and said: 'Would it be all right if I go back to the hotel and not vote at all?' "

An anguished snarl pierced the caucus room. It was the voice of Ralph Brewster crying: "You're a liar!"