Howard Hughes Hearings, 1947

Howard Hughes was summoned to Washington D.C. in 1947

to be raked over the coals but turned the tables on the committee,

giving better than he got!

In 1947, Howard Hughes was summoned before the senate to testify about the government contracts Hughes Aircraft and Electronics won during World War II. ABC recorded the hearings and provided a 25 minute synopsis with commentary and descriptions when required. The hearings were often contentious between Hughes and the committee especially between Hughes and Senator Ralph Brewster.

Before the hearings started, Hughes mounted a giant publicity campaign lambasting the hearings and, specifically, Brewster. He charged that the senate was protecting Pan American World Airways (Pan Am) against Hughes' Trans World Airlines (TWA). Hughes said that Brewster even suggested merging TWA and Pan Am.

The Hughes Hearings were an exercise in how to take on a bunch of senators and win. Hughes believed that the hearings were intended to damage his reputation and he did not take it lying down. Indeed, there may have been reason for an investigation because Hughes' company performed poorly during the war and the way Hughes got the contracts may have been shady. But the senate committee was so bumbling and the protection of Pan Am was so obvious, Hughes came out as a hero with his reputation intact.

LISTEN TO A SAMPLE RECORDING
"Howard Hughes Hearing Aug 7 1947"

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