Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1952-02-01

connected with a huge black mar
ket liquor racket in World War II.
Leading diStillers have been ap-
pealed to both by a conference of
Southern state revenue and alco-
hol commissioners and by our SEN
ate Committee to take steps to
remedy this situation.
We also saw in Washington a new
type of gambling witness-42-year-
old Sydney Brodson of Milwaukee,
who told us he is licensed to prac-
tice law in two states. Brodson,
polite and soft spoken though al
most unbearably cocky at times,
is a graduate of two colleges. Some
years ago he found he had tai
ent for picking winners. Letting his
law practice slide, he set up small
office, describing himself fictitious
ly as food broker" and went into
the full-time business of scientif-
ically wagering on football and
basketball games across the nation.
He estimated that he placed bets
with bookies and other gamblers in
about 20 states, waged about 81 ,000,-
600 per year and netted approx
mately $4,000 a year. In seven
uninterrupted years of this, he said
he has amassed net worth of APP
proximately S250.000.
The smart young man, however,
wasn't smart enough. On the heels
of his testimony, the state income
assessor in Milwaukee announced
that the income Brodson had re-
ported over recent years simply did
not add up to what he told the Com
mittee he was worth, and that
thorough investigation would be I'M
dertaken.
Certain of the bookmakers who
handled Brodson's bets also must
have wished he had talked less
Law enforcement officers in va
rious cities jotted down names and
addresses of the individuals with
who he said he placed bets. Be-
fore Brodson left the stand, they
had located and arrested his betting
associates in cities separated by
thousands of miles.
opposed continuance of the
Crime Committee. l realized, of
course, there were facets of inter-
state crime which could have been
explored further. felt, however.
that we had done the basic job of
exposing the framework of the ma
tion-wide criminal operations.
The job, felt, should be con-
tinued, but through establishment
of a permanent federal crime COM
mission, rather than by a commit
tee of the Senate.
But the pressure for continuance
was overwhelming-letters were
pouring in by the thousands-an and
! was over-ruled. l was prevailed
upon to stay with the committee
for a limited time, but insisted
that it should have a new chair
man. Sen. Herbert O'Conor of
Maryland was chosen to succeed
me.
The Committee, under my chair
manship, made some specific rec
concentrations to the senate. aimed
luSll liz SlHlIG ollSS
and for all. One proposed that an in
dependent Federal Crime Commits
sion be set up
A Federal Crime Commission,
the Committee majority thought.
should be composed of three men,
bers, all of whom are prominent
citizens and not otherwise men,
bers or employees of the federal
government 1t would be empow-
cred to hear witnesses and conduct
hearings, keeping alive a continu-
ing study of the activities of the
national crime syndicate. The COM
mission would maintain proper liai-
son between federal, state and To-
cal law enforcement agencies and
crime commissions, recommended
legislation and other corrective pol
icies and act las a national clear.
ing house of information respect
ing criminal activities in interstate
commerce
Among other things, the Commit
tee favored the organization of a
racket squad in the Justice De-
partment to go after racketeers and
setting up of special internal rev.
enue fraud squads. This later step
was taken by the Treasury Depart
ment after the Committee had
noted that organized crimesters
were defrauding the government on