COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES EIGHTY-FOURTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION ACTIVITIES OF PETER A. STROBEL, COMMISSIONER, PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION OCTOBER 26, 28, AND 31, 1955 Printed for the use of the Committee on the Judiciary Serial No. 14 UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON: 1955 Collected set KF27 Testimony of- CONTENTS Elliott, Maxwell H., General Counsel, General Services Administra- Page 137 Hill, John E., Director of Compliance Division, General Services Ad- Lawton, Edwin H., deputy regional director, region 2, Public Buildings Manley, Frank Mason, New Brunswick, N. J. Mansure, Edmund F., Administrator, General Services Administra- tion; accompanied by Maxwell H. Elliott, General Counsel, General Schwarz, Sol, business manager, Strobel & Salzman, New York, N. Y. 89, 146 Services Administration; accompanied by Roger Robb, counsel 2, 60, Williams, Howard, Chief, Specification and Estimating Branch, Engi- Zackrison, Harry B., Chief, Engineering Division, Corps of Engineers, Letters, telegrams, statements, etc.: 261 259 252 Agreement, August 10, 1955, between Commissioner of Public Build- 128 Architect's bid summary, table... 56 Celler, Hon. Emanuel, chairman, House Committee on the Judiciary: 240 Letter, November 4, 1955, to Hon. Edmund F. Mansure 269 276 Contract for professional services dated August 27, 1954- Contract for professional services dated September 29, 1955- Hicklin, R. G., vice president, Roberts & Co. Associates, letter, March Lawton, Edwin H., memorandum re contract with Mr. Petroff List of architects submitted to CIA by PBS by letter of July 20, 1955_ Mansure, Edmund F., Administrator of General Services: Letter, June 8, 1954, to W. E. Reynolds....... IV Letters, statements, etc.-Continued Moody, Joe E.: Memorandum, August 29, 1955, to Administrator_ Perry, John P. H., telegram, October 30, 1955, to Hon. Emanuel Professional record of Strobel & Salzman, consulting engineers. Letter, November 3, 1955, to Hon. Emanuel Celler, with at- Page 206 206 257 229 69 Letter, November 9, 1955, to Hon. Emanuel Celler. 62 Strobel, Peter A., Commissioner, Public Buildings Service: Memorandum, February 7, 1955, to Peter A. Strobel. Memorandum, July 2, 1954, to Peter A. Strobel___ Memorandum, June 15, 1954, to Peter A. Strobel re meeting Memorandum re contract with Corps of Engineers. Memorandum, September 13, 1954, to Peter A. Strobel with list Report, January 5, 1955, to Peter A. Strobel. Sharpe, William, engineering division, city of Dearborn, letter, Standards of conduct statement with reservations. Statement of Peter A. Strobel, Commissioner of Public Buildings Clients as of October 27, 1955. Memorandum re helicopter hangars. 60 252, 264 Tobin, Frank M., vice president and general manager, International Incinerators, Inc., letter, March 31, 1954, to Peter A. Strobel, with Letter, October 27, 1954, to William P. Hughes, Director, Office of Foreign Buildings Operations, Department of State.. Letter, November 8, 1955, to Edmund F. Mansure... - Memorandum, August 12, 1955, to Edmund F. Mansure, re Memorandum for the Administrator re conflict of interest. Notification of personnel action __ 134 276 86 73 Weitzel, Frank H., Acting Comptroller General of the United States, Transcript of telephone conversation between Edmund F. Mansure and Peter A. Strobel, August 4, 1955, re selection of architects for Zackrison, H. B., Chief, Engineering Division, Military Construc- 92, 207 CONFLICT OF INTEREST WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 1955 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, The subcommittee met, pursuant to adjournment, at 10:30 a. m., in room 346, Old House Office Building, Hon. Emanuel Celler presiding. Present: Representatives Celler (chairman), Rodino, Fine, and Keating. Also present: Herbert N. Maletz, chief counsel, and Kenneth R. Harkins, cocounsel of the subcommittee. The CHAIRMAN. The committee will come to order. The chairman wishes to read a brief statement. The subject of our hearing today is that an official whose Government responsibilities required dealings with firms which may have or may not have been clients or associates of his shortly before his entrance into Government service. This individual is the Commissioner of Public Buildings, Peter A. Strobel. Mr. Strobel, prior to his appointment, has been associated with the firm of Strobel & Salzman, consulting engineers, of New York City, and in that capacity had business relations with many leading architectural and construction firms. This committee does not wish in any manner to prejudge Mr. Strobel. The committee will be wholly objective and let the testimony speak for itself. Mr. Strobel has been cooperative with the subcommittee in the course of its investigation and has made available to it various materials that have been requested. But I do think it is important to ascertain whether there is any incompatibility between the private interests of Mr. Strobel and his Government responsibilities. In view of the importance of the office which Mr. Strobel holds, the matter is one which should be looked into immediately. The committee will seek to determine whether Mr. Strobel's activities comport with the code of ethics promulgated by the General Services Administration for all its constituent agencies, including the Public Buildings Service. This code of ethics requires that all employees of the agency so conduct themselves as to permit no possible basis for suspicion of unethical business practices. It prohibits employees from engaging in any outside business unless the approval of competent authority is first obtained. And it prohibits employees from taking any final action with respect to any matter in which the employee has any personal or financial relationships. 1 |