Evening star., 1944-10-16
7 Women S Affidayits
Blame Navy Officers
For StatIer Battle
Podwoy, ALL Counsel,
Holds Statements for
Senate Committee

noIoS StotementS TOR
Senote Committee
The existence of two afiidavits
repeatedly shifting the blame for
the battle of the Statler" to the
two naval officers involved was
claimed today by Joseph A. Padway,
general counsel for the American
Federation of Labor.
According to the attorney, the af-
f1davits were made voluntarily by
Mrs. Frank w. Lee, wife of trustee
of the Central Labor Union, and
Mrs. Helen Roland, a stenographer
employed by the Milk Drivers and
Dairy Employees Local No. 246, who
said they were in the Statler Hotel
the night of September %, when
President Roosevelt addressed the
Teamsters' Union.
Mr.. Padway said the afiidavits,
purporting to show that the naval
officers were the aggressors in the
much publicized fracas with union
partisans of Mr.. Roosevelt, were in
his possession; but he refused to
show them to newspapermen.
Available to Senate Group.
II must take cognizance OF the
Green committee (the Senate Com
mittee on Campaign Expenditures,
headed by Senator Green, Demo-
crat, Of Rhode Island)." he said. Il
intend to turn the affidavites over
to the committee If it wants them
They haven't asked for them yet,
but expect they will"
Senator Green, whose committee
investigators have collected a num-
Der of affidavites from eyewitnesses
to the Statler battle during the past
10 days. refused to discuss the mat
ter until after the full committee
meets Wednesday. He said he could
not say whether the committee
would ask for the affidavits made by
the two women.
Mrs. Roland refused to divulge the
contents of the affidavit she made,
but referred all inquiries to Mr.
Padway. Mrs. Lee could not be
reached for comment.
According to Mr.. Padway the
version of the fight given in the
afndavits of the two women is sub
stantially as follows:
The women were walking to a
powder room in the Statler Hotel
when Mrs Roland was accoSted by
the two officers, 1t. q. g. Randolph
Dickins, jr., and 1t. Comdr. James
H. Suddeth. One of the officers re-
portedly asked Mrs. Roland for
whom she intended to vote. She
is said to have responded, THE
President, of course"
Then the Fight Began.
"Then," Mr.. Padway recounted,
"one of the fellows said something
like to hell with the President !"
The attorney said few more words
were exchanged and then the fight
began with union members who had
come to the assistance of the
women.
According to earlier accounts of
the fight, the trouble began when
enthusiastic members of the Team
sters' Union met the officers in the
hotel lobby after the Presidents ad-
dress and demanded to know for
whom they were going to vote.
During the slugging that followed,
it was reported, one of the partic-
ipants told the officers they had
just struck "a personal friend of
the President"
Senator Green said last Saturday
that his investigators had ascer-
tanned that none of the men struck
in the fight was "a personal friend
of the President" He also said
that Daniel Tobin, president of the
union, told investigators he was not
involved in the affair and knew
nothing about it until the follow
| ing day.
! Comdr. Suddeth today denied
that any women had been mixed
up in the affair. 1t. Dickins was
reported to be out of the city.
Ball to Ask Full Report.
Thomas G. Bradley, jr., attorney
for 1t. Dickins and Comdr. Sud-
tleth, said he could not comment
on the contents of the afidavits
made by the women until he had
examined the documents. He said
he presumed the affldavits would
be in the hands of the Senate COM
mittee and that he would ask to
see them.
Meanwhile Senator Ball, Repub-
lican, of Minnesota, member of
the committee, said he would ask the
group tosmake a full report on the
results OF its investigation. He said
the report should be made "as soon
as all the facts are in"
He said he agreed, however, with
the position taken by Senator Green
in refusing to release the contents of
the material collected 50 far until
after it has been presented to the
other committee members.
My feeling is that the incident
has been blown up for political pur-
poses" he said, but nonetheless,
the facts, on both sides, should be
made public"