Evening star., 1939-06-13
Police Deny Installing
Dictographs on Hill
|n.Milk Probe
Subcommittee Closes
Investigation After
Night Hearing

sNSuN ssS0sHuS
Reports that dictographs were
installed in the House Once Build
ing were smothered In a blanket
of denials from metropolitan police
investigators as the House District
Subcommittee probing the market
ing of milk In the Washington area
closed two months of hearings last
night.
Capt. Floyd A. Truscott, assigned
to the investigation at the request
of Subcommittee Chairman Joe B.
Bates, Democrat, Of Kentucky, testi-
fled that he supervised the placing
of dictographs in three places
downtown, but declared he never
authorized and had no knowledge
Of any such activity on Capitol Hill.
Two of his aides in the inquiry
gave similar testimony.
Capt. Truscott said the dicto-
graphs were installed In the Tower
Building, Fourteenth and K streets
NV; the Hamilton and Ambassa-
dor Hotels. Those whose converse
tions were tapped, he said, were
Whiting Falkner, postmaster at
Martinsburg. w. Va; B. B. Der
rick, secretary-treasurer of the
Maryland-Virginia Milk Producers
Association, and John s. Barbour
attorney for the association.
The much-discussed records OF
these mechanically Transcribed
chats-hotly demanded by two
members of the subcommittee-were
not produced, nor did Chairman
Bates make any promise that they
would be made available to his fel-
low committeeman. Capt. Truscott
said he gave copies to the chair
man, kept a set for himself and
turned the original wax disks over
to the district attorney.
Three Newspapermen Called.
In an effort to find out whether
there was any positive evidence that
the recording devices had been
placed In the Old House Once
Building. the subcommittee called
three newspapermen who wrote
stories asserting that this had been
done.
The eporters-James E. Chinn of
The Star. Thomas E. Stevens of the
Times-Herald and James D. Secrest
OF the Post-testified that their
stories had been based on informa-
tion they believed to be absolutely
reliable. Asked to reveal the source,
each refused, explaining that the in
formation had been received with
the understanding that its origin
would not be disclosed.
Representative Shafer Republican
OF Michigan, who interrogated the
witnesses at the night session, did
not press the newspapermen to break
the confidence, but asked them if
they still believed in dictagraphs
had been installed in the offices of
House members. They expressed
doubt, in view Of later denials from
those concerned in the investiga ton,
but said they didn't know one way or
the other. They were asked If they
had read transcripts OF such records,
but none of the three would reply
to that question.
Kenneth Romney, sergeant at arms
Of the House. who investigated the
reports at the request Of Speaker
Bankhead and submitted a report
to him yesterday suggesting further
inquiry by the subcommittee testi-
fled that he had been unable to dis
cover any evidence of such an in
stallation In the House Office
Building
Generally Accepted"
Replying to the assertion Of Mr..
Stevens and Mr.. Secrest that he had
told them he knew" conversations
had ben recorded in the building,
Mr.. Romney said he had believed
1t, but had not meant to imply that
he had any personal knowledge Of
it.
1T was sort Of generally accepted
up here to be true" Mr.. Romney
added. But you can't walk into a
room where a disc has been placed
and removed and find any evidence
that it has been there. It's a simple
matter to install and remove dicta-
graphs"
Pressed sharply by the commit
tees attorney, J. Edward Burroughs,
jr., to say why he had been so con-
vinced the report was true, Mr..
Romney retorted that members of
the subcommittee had told him they
were sure 1t had happened.
Representative Schultz, Demo-
crat. of Indiana. was quick to admit
he was one of these.
Il was amazed at some of the
leaks that were going on" Mr..
Schultz added. Things were reach
ing the newspapers before members
OF the subcommittee knew about
them"
II don't see how you could have
told Mr.. Romney you knew it when
you didn't" said Chairman Bates.
Mr.. Schultz said he meant he had
every reason to believe 1t.
Turning to the witness, the chair
man said: "You told me that q
member of this committee swore
to you under Masonic oath that
he knew 1t was true"
Il did," Mr.. Romney admitted.
who was that member?"
II refuse to reveal that" the SER
geant at arms answered.
Mr.. Romney said he had gone
with Capitol police and building
electricians to inspect rooms 537 and
538, and they had found some pro-
truding wires which were not old,
but could discover no convincing
evidence. He indicated that he was
not vet sire nv anv means thot %ha