These elevators are small having capacity of about 20,000 bushels each. There is a flat storage building we built at Walford, also on leased land, and in 1956 we bought and rebuilt a building at Norway to make it suitable for grain storage also. The combined capacity of the elevators and buildings is about 130,000 bushels. At the time of my appointment, 100,000 bushels of this capacity was utilized for storage of CCC grain and it is my understanding that about the same situation exists today. To the best of my knowledge this is about the same situation as prevails in other elevators in this area. Most of them are filled or nearly so. I have refrained from even talking to Mr. Joseph Nasprey, Director of the Commodity Office at Evanston, Ill., who has jurisdiction over the area in which these elevators are located. Mr. Nasprey is not responsible to me but reports to Mr. Andrew J. Mair, Deputy Administrator, CSS. I have never made the slightest effort to influence the award of CCC storage business nor would I ever do so. I have no agreement with my son as to repurchase of a share of the above business, should I leave the Government service, and at the present time have no intention of so doing. Copies of the notes referred to above are attached hereto. RAYMOND J. POLLOCK. Subscribed and sworn to before us this 21st day of January 1960, at Washington, D.C. EDWARD M. LOWEREE. Senator SYMINGTON. All of us express our deep appreciation to the Comptroller General, the Honorable Joseph Campbell, for the fine cooperation he has given us in getting these matters on the table. Our staff is very limited, as it properly should be. We would not have been able to do this work without Mr. Campbell's support and practical assistance. We specifically express also our appreciation to Mr. Philip Charam, Mr. G. J. Wilker, Mr. John Martiny, and Mr. Meir Gabbay, who work for the Comptroller General. The committee is recessed, subject to the call of the Chair. (Thereupon, at 11:38 a.m., the subcommittee was recessed to the call of the Chair.) INVESTIGATION OF GRAIN STORAGE OPERATIONS OF THE COMMODITY CREDIT CORPORATION FRIDAY, MARCH 11, 1960 U.S. SENATE, SPECIAL INVESTIGATING SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY, Washington, D.C. The special subcommittee met, pursuant to recess and subsequent postponement, at 9:05 a.m., in room 457, Old Senate Office Building, Senator Stuart Symington (chairman of the subcommittee) presiding. Present: Senators Ellender, Symington, Proxmire, Young of North Dakota, and Cooper. Richard M. Schmidt, Jr., special counsel, and George M. Kopecky, professional staff member. Senator SYMINGTON. The committee will come to order. This is an open hearing of the Senate subcommittee of the Senate Agriculture Committee investigating the functioning of the Commodity Credit Corporation and other matters within its jurisdiction. I have just been given a statement from a wire, in particular stating: Agriculture Secretary Benson today attacked plans by Senate investigators to publicize the case of a former Agriculture Department official currently under investigation by the Justice Department. Benson identified the official as Earl C. Corey, former director of the Portland, Oreg, regional office of his Department's Commodity Stabilization Service. The Agriculture Secretary said his Department learned today from Richard Schmidt, counsel for the special Senate investigating subcommittee headed by Senator Symington (Democrat, of Missouri), that Corey would be called to testify before a public subcommittee hearing at 9 a.m. tomorrow. Benson's statement, telephoned to newsmen by his aides this evening, said the Justice Department had already told Symington that "it had the matter under investigation for possible criminal action and that the matter would be submitted to the next regular session of the grand jury in Portland." A spokesman for the Agriculture Secretary said in response to questions that he understood the grand jury was scheduled to meet in Portland tomorrow. "I wish to express my sincere regret that Senator Symington's subcommittee sees fit to make this matter public at a time when it could very well impede the orderly administration of justice," Benson's statement added. Benson said Corey was regional director of the Portland regional CSS office from January 31, 1955, through January 22, 1960. He had served in the same post earlier from March 2, 1941, to September 10, 1946. Mr. Counsel, have you a copy of this statement of Mr. Benson from the Department of Agriculture? Mr. SCHMIDT. We have not received it. Senator SYMINGTON. Is there anybody here representing the Department of Agriculture? 95 |