A. When you say "instances like this Q. Yes, where a Congressman asked you to obtain four tickets and send them to his office and then you put the names of staff members on those tickets, is this the only time? A. No, no. I would get a request from the chairman to "Get a ticket for John Doe to go to New York City and send it over to me.' This is what I would do. Now, many times I received a request like that. Q. Many times John Doe did not make that trip, somebody else made that trip? A. I cannot say that John Doe did or didn't make the trip. Q. Well, in each instance like that did you have John Doe come and sign that he had made the trip? A. Or that he intended to make the trip. By Mr. TAYLER. Q. Sometimes you got him to sign with receipt of the ticket on the T-4 before he made the trip? A. Yes. Q. Before the date of the travel? A. Yes. Q. Now, going back to Dargans exhibit 1, which is the Eastern Airlines transportation receipt for that shuttle trip on March 28, which bears the purported signature of Maxienne M. Dargans, now how did you handle that on the T-4 when you had to have the signature of the recipient of the ticket? Did you sign the name Maxienne M. Dargans on the T-4? A. No, I did not. Q. Who signed as recipient of that particular ticket? Q. Why didn't you maintain one? A. Because when I got the coupon from the airline, in going back through my files I find that I noted on this coupon "Purchased and used this night by Lillian Upshur" for my records, instead of a T-4. Q. Is that the same ticket that was signed for in your name on the airplane? A. Yes. Q. How do you know that? A. It appears to be it is a copy of the one that you just showed me because I ran off a copy when the Eastern Airlines statement came in for payment. By Mr. O'CONNOR: Q. What you are telling us is that you put Upshur's name on the T-4? A. I did not prepare a T-4 for this ticket. Q. That one ticket? A. That is right. Q. But you did prepare a T-4 for the Clark, Harris, and Anderson names? A. Yes, sir. Q. So there is one ticket, apparently, on the T-4, that is unaccountable for, and that would be this one where you have your personal note on it? A. There is one ticket for which there is no T-4. Q. In other words, you withdrew that? You withdrew your T-4, or you didn't make out one for it? A. I never made one out. By Mr. TAYLER: Q. When you sent the voucher through for payment-when you sent the voucher to the House Administration Committee for payment for those four tickets, how did you handle the one ticket that you had made no T-4 on? A. We don't have to send the T-4's through. Q. I know, that is an internal form, isn't it? A. Yes. Q. What do you have to send with the voucher to support the claim for air travel? A. The original from which this was made; the one that you have. Q. So the one that came through with the voucher is the one which bears the purported signature "Maxienne M. Dargans"? A. Yes. Q. As a matter of fact, you haven't been on an airplane at any time during the 89th Congress, have you? A. No, sir. Q. You don't fly any more, as I understand it, is that correct? Q. Mrs. Dargans, I am going to now direct your attention to March 26, 1965, and ask you if you took a trip by railroad to Miami from the District of Columbia at or about that time? A. Yes, sir. Q. And did you submit a voucher for the railroad ticket from the District of Columbia to Miami and return? A. Yes, sir. Q. That voucher was paid? A. Yes, sir. Q. And did you submit a voucher for the railroad ticket from the voucher with an attached transportation receipt from the Rail Travel Credit Agency and a bill from the Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac Railroad Co. showing the purchase of a ticket from the District of Columbia to Miami and return in the amount of $145.45, issued March 26, 1965. Is that a copy of the voucher that was submitted with that supporting data for your trip to Miami? A. Yes, sir; it appears to be. Q. Now, since the voucher makes no claim for per diem-it doesn't, does it? A. That is right. Q. Can you tell us the period of time covered by your trip to Miami? A. Yes, sir. In March 1965, when our committee gave consideration to reassessment of the Poverty Act, Chairman Powell assigned a special project to me and directed me to make an on-the-spot-to take an on-the-spot look into conditions in Miami, Fla., with respect to poverty among minority groups, particularly jobs, education, housing, and the like. Amount Remitted - $ 7073 Please return this stub with Remittance to - TREASURER, R. F. & P. R. R. Co., Richmond 20, Virginia In view of the mass influx of Cuban refugees, he had apparently received indications of seething unrest in certain metropolitan areas of our country which was threatening to Q. Mrs. Dargans, I think we will get along better for the record, and will make the record in a more orderly fashion if you will listen to the question and just answer the question. All I asked you was the period of time covered by your Miami trip. A. I am sorry. April 13 through April 25. Q. The ticket was purchased on March 26 but wasn't used until April 13? A. That is right. Q. Now, that ticket was purchased on your rail travel credit card; is that correct? A. Yes. Q. And now were you engaged on official committee business during the entire time you were on this travel to Miami from Washington, from April 13 to April 25, 1965? A. No, sir. Q. How much of that period of time were you engaged in committee business? A. Only about a day or so. Q. What committee business did you transact while you were in Miami? A. I spoke with certain leaders in Miami, of minority group organizations to find out-to follow up on requests that they had made to Mr. Powell of the job situation and the poverty situation there because there had been an overload of low-skilled people there, semiskilled people in Miami already and with this influx of Cuban refugees they were taking the jobs which these semiskilled people had been holding and often at less salary, which was creating a situation there which was cause for concern. Trouble was threatened. Q. Can you name some of the people you spoke to on this business that you were engaged in? A. Yes. I spoke with Mr. Whitehead, formerly executive director of the Urban League; Father Theodore Gibson, an Episcopal priest who was then president of the NAACP; Mr. Henry Arrington, a lawyer and member of the local housing authority, and Dr. Ira Davis, who was a member of the Urban League Board. Q. Did you submit any voucher for subsistence, per diem, for that trip? A. No. By Mr. O'CONNOR: Q. Were you accompanied by anybody on that trip? Q. Did you have any other expenses in connection with your travel to Miami, such as taxi fares, airport limousine fares, anything like that? A. I had them. I was traveling with my husband. It was on the bill that he picked up. My meals were taken at the hotel and others were taken with friends, so that my per diem expenses were minimum and that is why I didn't bother to claim any. Q. Was your husband traveling on Government business for General Services Administration? A. No. Q. So that all of your expenses other than the railroad ticket were paid for by you and your husband with your personal funds? A. Yes. Q. And you made no claim for per diem? A. No. Q. Why didn't you claim per diem for the 1 day that you say you were transacting committee business? A. Well, it was so little and I stayed longer than the time consumed by the committee business that I just didn't bother to claim. Q. Have you taken any other travel for the committee during the period in question here, where you didn't claim any subsistence? A. No; I don't believe so. |