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24. Fences (type, condition, acreage under, etc.)...... NON

Total livestock capacity.
Irrigated pasture........

25. Acreage woodland 5 Estimate amount timber, value and kind. Leve, kingon & torders

26. Fruit and nut trees (kind & no.).

27. Gov't. crop allotments.. NONE

NOME

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48.

Irrigation water cost last y INSURANCE on buildings 3. hi ha ri

Interest...

49. Owner's REASON FOR SELLING NEED FOR FUNDS

..All mineral, oil, gas rights incl.?..UNG
Can it remain ?.

3 Years to run..........

POSSESSION dateT EXECUTION OF CONTR. 50. Any personal property included? N.Q, Itemized on? () Page 2 or () Attached Personal Property Form PF-1 51. PRICE, including commission, but WITHOUT personal property. 6, Quo 52. Terms on balance....alance ma 5 on a "pare 53. PRICE, including commission and any personal property listed $.

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Seller will provide: Abstract of title; Title insurance

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that this is an unusual situation. Although it is obviously unpleasant to go into this matter in detail in the long term, I believe it will be to Mr. Houser's benefit, as well as to that of his sponsors, and the efficiency of the OTP. I have listened carefully to the presentation today and have read the relevant material, including Miss Skelton's letter. As far as I am concerned, we have heard enough on this subject and I am ready to proceed to other matters.

Mr. Chairman, I understand that a list of questions, prepared by the staff was submitted to Mr. Houser, and that he has supplied his answers for the record.

Senator PASTORE. They are in the record.

Is that all?

Senator BAKER. One last question, if I may, on that general subject. Mr. Houser, I have long felt that the OTP had a significant role to play in the formulation of national telecommunications policy and in spectrum management. The President's unique responsibility for bringing coherence to this field requires something similar to OTP. For that reason, I have stoutly resisted any effort to submerge OTP in other agencies or departments, and have sought to keep it as an arm of Presidential activity in the White House.

As a nominee for the position of Director of this Office do you have any doubt in your mind that OTP does serve a useful function and that it should remain as an independent office available to advise the President on communications?

Mr. HOUSER. None, whatsoever, sir. The last time I looked, the telecommunications industry was responsible for 40 percent of our gross national product.

Senator BAKER. You will find, Mr. Houser, in your files, if and when you assume this job, considerable correspondence from me on this subject both with the President and your predecessor. I commend those letters to you. In closing, I want to say that OTP has been fortunate to have John Eger as Acting Director during a difficult period but I am confident you will perform your duties with distinction. Mr. HOUSER. Thank you, sir.

Senator PASTORE. Is there anyone in this room who wants to testify for this nomination?

[No response.]

Senator PASTORE. Is there anybody in this room who wants to testify against this nomnation?

[No response.]

Senator PASTORE. The Chair hears none. We therefore will recess and take this under advisement.

Senator PERCY. Mr. Chairman, I am sure Mr. Houser would not say this on his own behalf, but this nomination came to him-I wasn't involved in it at all. I was rather surprised that he accepted.

Senator PASTORE. I still can't figure that out.

Senator PERCY. He just finished a house, he has a fine law practice, he is resigning from his law firm, he has to leave his home, he is down here, his income is stopped.

I would simply hope that we could move forward on this with dispatch.

Senator PASTORE. Thank you, we will adjourn.

[Whereupon, at 10:20 a.m., the hearing in the above-entitled matter was adjourned.]

Her objective analysis of it was that there had been none. She understood real estate and she has dealt with real estate matters. The record was perfectly clear that this was a question of a contract sale, the decision was made. Miss Skelton later didn't want the property and the money was given back.

I then called Howard Trienens, chairman of the executive committee of Sidley & Austin. I have known Mr. Trienens for a number of years, because I have unsuccessfully tried to get him to put his name forward as a Federal judge, and he simply has not been able to. His responsibilities to his law firm have been too great.

He said this matter came to his attention at a time when Mr. Houser was in Europe. He had looked into the matter and that when Tom Houser came back, they talked it over and simply decided that the best way to settle it would be to accede to her request and give her her money back plus interest.

It is an unusual thing to provide the money plus interest, but I think they wanted to go the final mile in it, and they would have no chance that she would have any further concern over the matter.

But, Mr. Trienens said, in his judgment, there was absolutely nothing wrong with it. As he looked into it, the matter stood right on the record as it was, and as Mr. Houser has described it.

I can only report one other thing, and I would really have to turn to Hannah Sistare as my counsel in this matter. A letter did come in from Miss Skelton of complaint about her present Government position. Allegations were made there and she asked my office to do something on it, even though she is no longer a constituent in Illinois, but as a long-time friend going back to my original campaign.

I am not really familiar with the details of the case. Miss Sistare looked into it carefully at that time, she is in the room, if the committee would feel that this is a matter that would be germane to it, I am certain that she would be happy to come testify.

But it did involve a situation where she felt she was somehow being persecuted. And it possibly does reveal an emotional concern on Rita Skelton's part, who is a fine person, a valued friend of both of us. And this matter is a matter of deep regret. But I can assure the committee, if there had been any impropriety, if there had been any misrepresentation. I would have been the first one to ask the White House to withdraw his name.

I have talked to the White House about it. I have asked them to make just as objective, independent, study as I did on their own, using all their resources they have available. We want to know what the circumstances were.

And the White House has provided to you the same form of letter that I have. We simply cannot find any basis for the allegations.

Senator PASTORE. I must say that this is an unusual situation. But, I did receive this letter, and the only way I thought was the right way to handle the matter was to air it out publicly and to afford here an opportunity to discuss it. All this will, of course, be submitted to the commitee to act on as a whole and to determine just what direction to take.

Senator BAKER. Mr. Chairman?

Senator PASTORE. Senator Baker.

Senator BAKER. Mr. Chairman, you have handled the questions raised by Miss Skelton in a highly appropriate way. I agree with you

that this is an unusual situation. Although it is obviously unpleasant to go into this matter in detail in the long term, I believe it will be to Mr. Houser's benefit, as well as to that of his sponsors, and the efficiency of the OTP. I have listened carefully to the presentation today and have read the relevant material, including Miss Skelton's letter. As far as I am concerned, we have heard enough on this subject and I am ready to proceed to other matters.

Mr. Chairman, I understand that a list of questions, prepared by the staff was submitted to Mr. Houser, and that he has supplied his answers for the record.

Senator PASTORE. They are in the record.
Is that all?

Senator BAKER. One last question, if I may, on that general subject. Mr. Houser, I have long felt that the OTP had a significant role to play in the formulation of national telecommunications policy and in spectrum management. The President's unique responsibility for bringing coherence to this field requires something similar to OTP. For that reason, I have stoutly resisted any effort to submerge OTP in other agencies or departments, and have sought to keep it as an arm of Presidential activity in the White House.

As a nominee for the position of Director of this Office do you have any doubt in your mind that OTP does serve a useful function and that it should remain as an independent office available to advise the President on communications?

Mr. HOUSER. None, whatsoever, sir. The last time I looked, the telecommunications industry was responsible for 40 percent of our gross national product.

Senator BAKER. You will find, Mr. Houser, in your files, if and when you assume this job, considerable correspondence from me on this subject both with the President and your predecessor. I commend those letters to you. In closing, I want to say that OTP has been fortunate to have John Eger as Acting Director during a difficult period but I am confident you will perform your duties with distinction. Mr. HOUSER. Thank you, sir.

Senator PASTORE. Is there anyone in this room who wants to testify for this nomination?

[No response.]

Senator PASTORE. Is there anybody in this room who wants to testify against this nomnation?

[No response.]

Senator PASTORE. The Chair hears none. We therefore will recess and take this under advisement.

Senator PERCY. Mr. Chairman, I am sure Mr. Houser would not say this on his own behalf, but this nomination came to him-I wasn't involved in it at all. I was rather surprised that he accepted.

Senator PASTORE. I still can't figure that out.

Senator PERCY. He just finished a house, he has a fine law practice, he is resigning from his law firm, he has to leave his home, he is down here, his income is stopped.

I would simply hope that we could move forward on this with dispatch.

Senator PASTORE. Thank you, we will adjourn.

[Whereupon, at 10:20 a.m., the hearing in the above-entitled matter was adjourned.]

NOMINATIONS-JUNE

TUESDAY, JUNE 29, 1976

U.S. SENATE,

COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE,

Washington, D.C.

The committee met at 11:15 a.m. in room 5110, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Hon. Vance Hartke, presiding.

OPENING STATEMENT BY SENATOR HARTKE

Senator HARTKE. May we please come to order.

This morning the committee will consider the nomination of John Snow to be Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. If confirmed, Mr. Snow would serve as Administrator at the pleasure of the Secretary of Transportation.

As is the committee's custom, Mr. Snow has completed a detailed biographical and financial questionnaire. The financial statement is available for public inspection at the committee's public information room, and the biography will be placed in the record.

Additionally, Mr. Snow was asked to respond to a series of questions designed to explore his philosophy and views with respect to regulation in general, and motor vehicle safety regulation in particular. Those responses will be printed at the conclusion of the hearing recrod1 and will form a basis for my questions today.

Our format this morning will be as follows:

First, Mr. Snow will be given an opportunity to make a statement, should he so desire, and I have a series of questions to which I will request his response.

Second, we will have two public witnesses, Mr. Nader and Mr. Ditlow, who will present their statements to the committee.

Finally, Mr. Snow will be given an opportunity to respond to issues raised in the statements of Mr. Nader and Mr. Ditlow.

A statement of Senator Randolph, chairman of the Public Works Committee, will be included as part of the record at this time. [The biographical sketch and statement follow:]

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF JOHN W. SNOW

Address: 3226 Klingle Road, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20008.
Date and place of birth: August 2, 1939; Toledo, Ohio.

Married June 11, 1964 to Frederica Wheeler-divorced July 1973; married August 30, 1973 to Carolyn Kalk.

Children: Bradley Dean Snow, born 1965 and Ian Kendall Snow, born 1969. Education: George Washington University, Sept. 1964-August 1967, J.D.; University of Virginia, Sept. 1962-Aug. 1964, Ph.D (1965); University of Toledo,

1 See p. 94.

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