Evening star., 1936-08-09
By Lucy Salamanca.

IL AUt y OUtUEUuUCUs
TN THE weeks to come the United
States of America and other
countries within that miraculous
Il circle of telephone and telegraph
wires that disseminate news, almost
with the speed of light, are destined
to hear much of young Washing
tonian who. at the age of 33, is max
ing history under a millionand-a-
half-dollar fund, appropriated by the
Congress of the United States for the
purpose of conducting a Federal in
vestigation of the American Tele-
phone & Telegraph Co, "as an aid in
providing more effective rate regula-
ton and for other purposes in the
public interest"
That young man is Samuel Becker,
former utilities counsel and now spe-
cial counsel to the Federal Communi-
cations Commission, appointed upon
the recommendation of the brilliant
and fiery Ferdinand Pecora to con-
duct the hearings. These hearings
will be resumed late in the Fall, when
investigation will be continued into
the operation and ramificationS of
the enterprise known as the worlds
largest private enterprise"
Aside from the interest that natur-
ally attaches to the investigation
itself. the personality of the man be-
hind the questions has proved fasci-
mating in the public eye. The vigor
and surety of his questioning of Wal
ter S. Clifford, who serves as presi-
dent of the A. T. G T. at a yearly
salary of S206,000; the precision of
the proceedings, the manner in which
facts and figures have been collected,
co-ordinated and considered, have
aroused admiration in all quarters
for the young attorney, who came out
of Wisconsin to attract national at
tention in Washington for his legal
work with the P. w. A. and remained
to take over what is perhaps one of
the most "tickEsh" and eXacting jobs
Of the century.
CAUSTIC Samuel Becker can be,
but unfailingiy he is polite, at
tentive and dispass;0nately calm.
Straight as an arrow, his questions
are shot, to confuse or Confound.
Direct, unrelenting. patient, per-
sistent, he takes charge of the most
delicate matters in hand with con-
fidence and sWiftnes5 OF action that
belle his 33 years and remind on
lockers Of those picturesque sessions
in the Senate anteroomS when Pecora
was touching off fireworks under Sc
date banking chairs. In fact, the
general counsel for this most ambi-
tious of all congressional investiga-
tions has been likened to Pecora by
more than one keen observer.
In The Washington Star Frederic
William Vile, under his Washington
Observations said of him: In
method and manner, Samuel Becker,
the stocky, two-fsted Special counsel
for the Federal Communications
Commission, who is conducting the
A T. & T. investigation, resembles
Ferdinand Pccora, matador of the
Senate banking investigation. Al
though punctiliously respectful Of all
the amenities, Becker is quick as a
trigger to discern an opening and
pursue it vigorously. Apparently he
has at his tongues tip every meaty
fact dug up by the army of lis F..
C. C. accountants, engineers and in
vestigators who have been in the field
during recent months"
Becker himself is the first to give
credit to these associates who labor
with him over files and records and
countless papers and books to uncover
information of value in the investi-
cation.
An attorney may be a genius" he
effirmS, but unless his associates
have collected, co-ordinated and pre-
sented the material he needs in the
manner most helpful to his purpose.
that attorney is helpless. He may
be the greatest orator of all time,
but unless he can back up his ora
tory with the facts and figures that
have been painstakingly dug up for
him by skilled and responsible aSSo-
ciates, his cause is lost from the
start"
He insists that he depends upon
these associates for the ammunition
that he is himself but the instrument
of presentation. Particularly he men,
tions here John H. Buckley, special
chief accountant for the F. c. c.,
whose ability and thoroughness he
had appreciated and admired in the
days when Buckley, La Toilette and
himself discussed problems with re-
gard to public utilities and thrashed
out knotty situations verbally across
friendly and informal Wisconsin
tables.
Not unmindful, either, is Becker
Of the loyalty of his immediate asso-
ciates-Earl MorSe, young attorney
who labored at his side in newly-set-
up law offices in Milwaukee, and who
was brought on to Washington to
continue as assistant on this Federal
job, and Miss Frederick Ballard, the
private secretary who also served in
the Wisconsin law offices.
REYOND his own private Office, the
organization built up by the
necessities of the present investigation
occupies two floors of the A. T. g. T.
Building in New York City. Its
more convenient for all of us this
way" Mr.. Morse explained to me
when commented upon this unusual
fact that an investigating committee
should take headquarters under the
roof of the enterprise being investi-
gated. LAS it was, so many papers
and records had to be made available |
to us that confusion ensued in transit. |
This is more convenient for the A. T. |
&. T., as we'll as for u.s."
He took me through the offces-an
earnest, busy personnel was bending
over ledgers, turning the pages of
books, typing long sheets of paper,
running here and there with mes
sageS. There was general air of
intense concentration. Later we made
l.