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(The above-referred-to document was marked "Dargans' Exhibit No. 8" and received in evidence.)

By Mr. TAYLER:

Q. Do you know whether or not Miss Flores has performed any services of this nature whatsoever for Congressman Powell during the 89th Congress?

A. No, sir.

Q. Have you seen any evidence of any work performed by Miss Flores, such as memorandums or anything like that?

A. No, sir. She is on the congressional staff and I do not see what goes on in his congressional office.

Mr. HAYS. Mrs. Dargans, let the record show that I consider you to have been a cooperative witness and it appears to me that you answered the questions to the best of your ability. Is there anything further that you would like to say to the committee on your own, without being asked any questions, any clarification or any further statement? The WITNESS. No, sir.

Mr. HAYS. This is a courtesy to you, if you care to.

The WITNESS. No, sir.

Mr. HAYS. Thank you very much.

Mr. O'CONNOR. You are leaving town, I understand, and she has asked to be excused from the hearing further.

Mr. DICKINSON. I have no objection.

Mr. DEVINE. No objection.

Mr. HAYS. No objection.

Mr. DEVINE. Have a nice time.

The WITNESS. Thank you.

Mr. HAYS. If you will be in your office, I will see that these are photostated and returned to you personally.

The WITNESS. I will be in the subcommittee meeting room, next door. (Witness excused.)

Mr. TAYLER. Mr. Chairman, I offer for the record at the appropriate place Dargans' exhibit No. 5 being the House Administration Committee copy of the voucher for Mrs. Dargans' trip to Miami in April 1965, together with the credit card transportation receipt from the railroad and a bill from the railroad.

Mr. HAYS. Without objection, it is so ordered.

(The above-referred-to document was marked "Dargans Exhibit 5" and received in evidence.)

Mr. HAYS. We will take a 5-minute recess.

(Short recess taken.)

Mr. HAYS. The committee will be in order.

Mr. Stone, will you stand and raise your right hand?

Mr. STONE. Yes, sir.

Whereupon,

C. SUMNER STONE, JR., having been duly sworn, was examined and testified as follows:

By Mr. O'CONNOR:

Q. Please state your name and address.

A. C. Sumner Stone, Jr., 7605 Morningside Drive NW., Washington, D.C.

Mr. HAYS. Mr. Stone, your appearance before this committee will be in executive session unless you request it be in public session. If your appearance is in executive session, the public and press will not be admitted to the hearing room and pursuant to paragraph 26, rule 11, your testimony may not be released or used in a public session without the consent of the committee, nor will you be permitted to purchase a copy of the transcript of your testimony unless authorized by the committee. If your appearance is in public session, the public and news reporters will be admitted but television and news photographers will be excluded.

I now ask you whether you choose to appear before the committee in executive or public session.

The WITNESS. I prefer an executive session.

Mr. HAYS. You received a copy of paragraph 26, rule XI, rules of the House?

The WITNESS. Yes, sir.

Mr. HAYS. You did understand that under that rule you were entitled to have counsel if you so desired?

The WITNESS. Yes, sir.

Mr. HAYS. You apparently do not have counsel.

The WITNESS. No, sir.

Mr. HAYS. Did you receive a copy of my opening statement?
The WITNESS. No, sir.

Mr. HAYS. Did you receive a copy of my opening statement?
The WITNESS. No, I did not, sir.

Mr. HAYS. Were you in the room when I read it this morning?
The WITNESS. I came in just when you finished reading it.
Mr. HAYS. Will you take a brief break and read it?

The WITNESS. No

Mr. O'CONNOR. We insist that you do.

The WITNESS. I see now.

(Witness reading statement.)

The WITNESS. OK.

Mr. HAYS. Mr. Stone, you understand your constitutional rights are recognized by this committee and a properly made claim of privilege against self-incrimination under the fifth amendment will be recog

nized.

If you feel an answer may tend to incriminate you, you may so claim and the committee will consider the claim and pass on its validity.

The WITNESS. Thank you, sir.

By Mr. O'CONNOR:

Q. Are you employed by the Committee on Education and Labor? A. Yes, sir; I am.

Q. What is your position with the committee?

A. My position is special assistant to the chairman of the Education and Labor Committee.

Q. Who is the chairman of that committee?

A. The chairman of the committee is Congressman Adam Clayton Powell.

Q. Could you give us a résumé of your business and professional experience during the past 5 or 6 years?

A. Yes, sir. Beginning in 1959 I was editor of the New York Age.

Following that for 22 years I was editor of the Washington AfroAmerican. Then I was editor in chief of the Chicago Daily Defender. Following that I was a television commentator for channel 26, UHF station, Chicago, Ill. Then I joined the chairman's staff, Mr. Powell's staff.

Q. What is your educational background?

A. I have a bachelor's degree from Wesleyan University in Connecticut and a master's degree in sociology from the University of Chicago.

Q. When did you first join the chairman and join his staff?

A. I first joined him actually in November 1964, for a 2-month period following my severance from the Chicago Daily Defender. It was my understanding at the time it was just to do some research for him on the war on poverty. I left in December to become a television commentator.

Q. What position did you hold with him in November of 1964? A. It was kind of vague. He said, "I will make you a special assistant." It was not really a formal confirmment of title. He did not make any kind of press announcement or anything. If I go back, I might have written letters in which I signed them as special assistant, but I do not definitely recall.

Q. Did you receive reimbursement for services performed?
A. Yes, sir; I was on the payroll for those 2 months.

Q. November and December, 1964?

A. Yes, sir.

Q. When did you rejoin Congressman Powell's staff?

A. I rejoined March 20-I actually arrived on the 24th or 25th of March-no, wait a minute, it was about the 21st of March 1965. Q. This is 1965 you are referring to?

A. Yes, sir.

Q. Can you tell us the circumstances under which you were employed at this time?

A. That is when I joined him, when I came and was appointed as special assistant to the chairman. He had called me beginning in February that he wanted me to come back to join the staff, but I had a 13-week television contract that I had to honor. He became pretty persistent about my coming back so on the part of mutual agreement, I terminated the contract and arrived here about the 21st. Actually, I thought I was going on the payroll on March 15 and he said "I will put you on the payroll," since we were doing an investigation on the Building Services Employees Union in Chicago.

I did some work and interviewed people. I have some memos that I was doing actual actual interviews. But I was not put on the payroll until April 1st. Apparently there was some discussion about my not having been here physically in Washington, D.C., and I could not go on the payroll. I never got paid from March 15th to the 31st. Q. We have an expense voucher which you submitted to the commhittee showing travel from March 24th to March 25, 1965, in the amount of $85.44, which was before the time that you actually went on the committee payroll?

A. Yes, sir. I thought I was on the payroll at the time.

Q. Could you explain the circumstances under which this voucher was submitted?

A. Yes, sir. That is the one of my coming from Chicago.
Mr. O'CONNOR. Mark that "Stone Exhibit 1," please.

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(Authorized by House Resolution 139, approved 2/24/65, 89th Congress)

TOTAL

7686

AMOUNT

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I CERTIFY that the above bill is correct and just, and that payment there has not been received. *SIGN ORIGINAL ONLY

(Bill must be completely filled in before certification by payee, and there must not be any erasure or alteration whatever.)

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Payee

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I CERTIFY that the above articles have been received in good condition and in the quality and quantity above specified, or the services performed as stated, and that they are in accordance with the orders therefor; that the prices charged are just, reasonable, and in accordance with agreement.

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Chairman, Committee on Education and Labor

(Title)

ALLOWED

APR 15 1965

(Date)

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United States at Washington, D. C., in favor of payee named above.

• Where a voucher is certified by a corporation or company, the name of the person writing the corporate or company name, as well as the capacity in which he signs, must appear. Example: "Chicago Edison Company, por John Smith," Becretary or Treasurer, or member of firm, as the case may be. 10-50743-8 GPQ

(The above-referred to document was marked "Stone Exhibit 1" and received in evidence.)

The WITNESS. It was my understanding from the chairman that I was on the payroll as of March 15 and when I arrived here by car, I drove my car, that I would be reimbursed for that travel since it was in an official capacity. But then I subsequently was-I submitted that immediately, I did not know I was not going to be on the payroll until just before the 1st of April.

By Mr. O'CONNOR:

Q. Was that voucher that you submitted approved by Congressman Powell?

A. Yes, sir.

Q. Is it his personal approval that is on that voucher?
A. Yes, sir.

Q. Which payroll of the Congressman are you on?

A. I actually am on the standing committee payroll.

Q. Your title there is special assistant to the chairman, is that correct?

A. Yes, sir.

Q. You have been on that payroll since April 1, 1965 ?

A. Yes, sir.

Q. What are your duties in connection with the committee or as a special assistant to the chairman?

A. I do most of the research on legislation for the chairman. I act as sort of an intermediary between him and other people, other Congressmen; sometimes when he is inaccessible. I handle his press relations. Í assist him in drafting statements. I coordinate all of the work that he has before him when he has committee meetings. I am on the House floor when he has a bill on the House floor. I all of his statements that go into the record concerning_legislation. In general, I act as a sort of right arm, you might say. I just don't know how to phrase it. I just do everything that he asks me to do. Mr. HAYS. Mr. Stone, I would like to show you a letter which I received this morning.

The WITNESS. Yes, sir.

Mr. HAYS. I ask you if you know anything about it.

prepare

The WITNESS. Yes, sir. The chairman sent us a rough draft of his letter. We got it Saturday. He called Saturday and asked if we got it. I said, "Yes." He said to type it and send it to you.

Mr. HAYS. Who signed it?

The WITNESS. He did it. He sent us a blank sheet with the letter he sent us and said, "See if you can type this so that it will come out this way." He sent us the letter which was drafted.

Mr. HAYS. It really does not matter. I might tell you Mrs. Dargans says that is not the chairman's signature. You say it is. The WITNESS. Yes, he sent it to us.

Mr. HAYS. But the letter was typed up here?

The WITNESS. We typed it here.

Mr. HAYS. In other words, what I am getting at is he is not physically here in Washington?

The WITNESS. No, sir. He called Saturday and said that had we gotten the letter. I said, "Yes." He said, "Do you think you can type it over my signature?" I said, "I guess we can, we will do our best. We will attach that piece of paper to the end of the letter." I asked him had he gotten your letter and he said he had not.

Mr. HAYS. How was this letter delivered to my office, do you know? The WITNESS. My secretary put it in a slot. I came here Sunday night. She typed the letter. I had her take it upstairs and put it in your slot.

Mr. HAYS. It was put in the slot last night?

The WITNESS. Yes, sir.

Mr. HAYS. My office gathered it up with the morning's mail and I got it at the noon recess. I was just curious because I have the envelope somewhere and there was no postmark.

The WITNESS. No, sir; it was hand delivered, sir.

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