Evening star., 1951-12-21
GrunewaId Refuses
To Answer Questions
OF House Probers
(continued Prom First Page )

VI bhV0SV hV1Vt
Continued From First Page.)
sion this morning, and before an,
after a closed meeting with tn,
committee yesterday afternoon
Mr.. Maloney told reporters h,
would insist on a public hearin,
and that all the statements re-
garding Mr.. Grunewald would b,
answered at that time.
Mr.. Maloney refused to let Mr.
Grunewald answer when Mr.. DE-
Wind asked whether he had beer
advised to refuse to answer queS.
tions unless an open hearing were
held.
Mr.. Maloney interposed to deny
that he had said in either the
closed meeting yesterday or the
one this morning that MIR. Grune-
valid would respond to questions
In public hearing. He acknowl-
edged that he had said this when
some of the subcommittee men,
berss visited Mr.. Grunewald in
Georgetown Hospital earlier this
month, and added:
something has happened which
has made me change my mind"
Maloney Subsidies Briefly.
After being threatened with
election, Mr.. Maloney subsided
briefly and Mr.. De Wind fired the
first question at Mr.. Grunewald
by asking:
What is your business ad-
dress?"
Mr.. Grunewald replied that he
was following the advice of his
counsel for reasons given by him
and said:
Il most respectfully decline to
answer any questions at this
time"
At that point. Mr.. Maloney
showed a nine-page statement in
front Of Mr.. Grunewald - the
statement that Mr.. Maloney him.
self had proposed to make-and
directed his client to read it.
The subcommittee offered no
objections as Mr.. Grunewald
laboriously and haltingly read his
attorneys statement. He fol-
lowed it literally even to the ex-
tent Of referring to himself in
the third person as he cited argu-
ments why he would not answer
questions.
Close Attention to Accent.
His statement was followed with
close attention by reporters and
others4to see if he spoke in "a deep
gutteral German accent" During
the earlier testimony on the Teitel-
baum shakedown story, it was
brought out that Mr.. Teitelbaum
had received a warning by tele-
phone to go along with those de-
manding $500,000 to settle his tax
troubles. and 1t was said that the
anonymous caller spoke in gut
teral German accent.
This part Of the testimony was
touched on at another point when
1t was brought out that Teron
Lamar Caudle. ousted Assistant
Attorney General, had "surmised"
when the anonymous telephone
call was brought to his attention
that "it may have been Grune-
wald."
HearSay" Testimony Hit.
Listeners failed TO detect any
cultural German accent in Mr..
Grunewald's deep and halting
voice as he read his attorneys
statement. 4
The statement attacked the tes-
timony in the shakedown story
as hearsay and charged that the
subcommittee hearings have been.
IN fact, "a public trial of persons
whose names have been banded
about with wanton disregard of
fundamental rights guaranteed to
all citizens by the Constitution"
The statement also charged that
Mr.. Grunewald has been depicted
IN the public press and over the
radio as an influence peddler", a
generally unsavory character,
as "fixer", and as criminal at
tempt to extort money"
1t set forth various legal grounds
and basis advanced by Mr.. Ma
loney as reasons for advising his
client not to answer questions.
Again Refuses to Answer.
After he had finished the long
statement and again had refused
to give his place of business, Mr..
Keogh directed him to answer.
The witness again refused.
Mr.. De Wind asked Mr.. Grune-
wald If he had requested Charles
Oliphant, former general counsel
Of the Revenue Bureau, not to dis
close to the subcommittee that he,
Grunewald, had made some in
Quiries at one time about the
status Of the Teitelbaum tax case.
He refused to answer and again
was directed to.
After several other questions
had drawn the same refusal, Mr..
Keogh told Mr.. Grunewald that
one Of the subcommittee pur-
poses in looking into the admin
istration of the revenue laws was
to determine whether persons
with no official position have been
able to affect" administration of
the laws.
Not Grand Jury Proceedings.
The acting chairman said there
is no doubt that the subcommittee
had full authority to call wit
nesses, including Mr.. Grunewald:.'
Then he added that the Hearings
are not-aS Mr.. Grunewald and
his counsel seem to assume-grand
jury proceedings or trials, either
civil or criminal"
Mr.. Maloney broke In to say:
Il know they are not-but it
seems like they are"
= Mr.. Keogh then instructed Mr..
Grunewald to stand aside from the
witness table while the subcom-
Ynittae went into ayon,,fiya eosr;o..