Description given with photo: "Howard Hughes Carries His Lunch Tray Cafeteria Style - Washington, D.C. Howard Hughes is shown selecting his luncheon cafeteria style during a short recess of the Senate investigation of his wartime plane contracts. Along with Thomas A. Slack, his counsel, the millionaire plane builder had his luncheon in the cafeteria of the Senate office building, while Senator Homer Ferguson, (R) Michigan the Sub-Committee Chairman, called the recess due to the absence of the witnesses summoned to the inquiry at Hughes' request. 11/8/47." Hand-written description also written on back of photo: "Howard Hughes & Atty. Thomas Slack."
Howard Hughes sits at the controls of his 400,000 pound Flying Boat just a day prior to its first tests in the Los Angeles Harbor in California. The aircraft was 219 feet long with a wing span of 320 feet.