Evening star., 1950-05-14
Senate Civic Probe Stresses
Plans for Silent SIeuthing'
Kefuuver and Wiley
Indicate Procedure;
Haley to Be Counsel
By Miriom Gutenberg

Senate crime investigators made
several moves yesterday to under
line the idea that they plan to
shun sensational public hearings
until they "get the goods" on
some OF the Nations top rack
eteers.
Chairman Kefauver of the Spe-
cial Senate Crime Investigating
Committee announced the ap-
pointment of Rudolph HALEY as
chief counsel. Mr.. HALEY was
assistant chief counsel Of the
Senate War Investigating Com
mittee when the then Senator
Truman headed it. Mr.. HALEY
later became chief counsel.
The Truman committee was fa-
nous for operating behind closed
doors until it cinched its cases.
Indirectly referring to that, Sen
ator Kefauver said Senators ia
miliar with Mr.. Halley's work
with the Truman committee "ex-
pressed confidence that he would
act in the crime investigation in
the same thorough nonsensational
manner that characterized his
previous Investigations"
Stresses "Silent Sleuthing."
Another member of the crime
investigating committee. Senator
Wiley, Republican of Wisconsin.
also stressed the idea of silent
sleuthing rather than spectacu-
lar cops and robbers circuses" in
the forthcoming probe of inter-
state gambling, racketeering and
crime.
Senator Wiley issued a lengthy
statement in which he declared
that Crime, Inc. does not fear
sensational newspaper stories
about the Senate's investigation
of it one-tenth as much as it
fears an ominous silence indicat-
ing that an expert investigative
staff is digging into its interlock-
ing activities before any key facts
are publicly made known"
And Senator Tobey emphasized
such nd-the-scenes paper
work as checking Federal income
tax returns against private book
keeping files of underworld op-
orators.
On the same score, Senator
Wiley commented:
I'VE need skilled accountants
as much or more than we need
the proverbial private eye"
j Don't Fear Bad Names.
THE likes. of Frank Costello,
Joe Adonis, Frank Erickson and
similar shadowy characters" said
Senator Wiley, "have no fear of
being called bad names in a
committee hearing. They have
no concern about any rash Con-
gressional committee which tries
to investigate them cold without
adequate staff preparation, with
out a complete understanding of
. their income tax background,
without thorough look-see into
} their complex bookkeeping rec
ords." ...u., -. zuu..a
Senator Wiley said there were
six big mistakes the crime COM
mittee could make but which he
believes his colleagues are de-
termined not to make. These are
the mistakes as he listed them
l. ITO oyer-simplify the. situa-
ton and assume that by putting
one big bookmaker or two or three
behind bars or by breaking ONT
particular racket, we would COM
pletely break the back of inter-
state crime.
2. ITO release facts prematurely
about certain key individuals and
bring them up for criminal prose-
cution, before first acquaintine
ourselves with all of their links
and affiliation with other under
world individuals.
3. "To de-emphasiZe the work
of State and city law enforcement
officials and to encourage the mis-
taken notion that Uncle Sans
criminal investigators can. by
themselves. wipe out interstate
laWlessness.
/ Closed Sessions Preferred.
4. "To have open hearings at
which prominent racketeers, we'll
prepared by experienced lawyers
make a mockery of cross-examin-
, alton. Thus, these hoodlums would
gain prestige and esteem in the