The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1952-09-08
Trying To Find
Out What Undue
Pressure Placed
On Officials
BY JERRY 7. BAuLcH


President Truman fired him last
November for Outside activities, /"
testifies today for the sixth straight
day before a special congressional
committee meeting behind closed
doors.
Rep. Chelf (D-Ky), chairman Of
q House judiciary subcommittee
which is investigating the Justice
Department, said his group is
trying to determine what undue
pressure if any is put on high Of
ficials by people both in and out
of government - including con-
gressmen.
His subcommittee, CheIf said, is
trying to fit together the jig-saw
pieces of cases handled by the
Justice Department to determine
what subjects will be aired at pub
lie sessions expected to start next
month.
The chairman said Caudle ''haS
involved others in the decisions he
made" but the group has not de-
cided whether there was an at.
tempt to influence Caudle's judg.
ment when he was assistant attor-
ney general in charge of tax fraud
prosecutions.
Chef said II cases were dis
discussed yesterday in a six-hour
Sunday session with Caudle. Com
mittee members said nine of these
cases involved tax fraud investi.
cations only three of which were
brought to public attention in the
tax scandal probes of the past
year.
The subcommittee planned 10
end its private questioning of eau
die today. but he is expected to be
asked to repeat much of his testi
mony when the public sessions
start. Chelf said other witnesses
would be called for closed-dOo
testimony but he would not name
them. One was expected to be for
mer Atty. Gen. j. Howard Nc
Grath.
Meanwhile. neither committee
members nor the White House
would comment on a letter Tru-
man wrote Caudle IS days before
he fired him.
In it Truman thanked CaudIe for
an Italian cigarette case which the
Justice Department official gave
him on returning from a European
trip.
Dated Oct. 20. 1851. the letter
said:
Thanks a lot for that beautiful
cigarette case which you and Mr..
D'AgoStino brought me from Italy.
1T is about the most beautiful
one | have ever seen and / appre.
ciate most highly your thoughtful.
ness.
sincerely yours, Marry
Truman.
The President does not smoke.
The letter was written 10 days
after Truman had written Caudle
that ''nen like you make il pos.
sible for the President 10 carry on.
caudle's dismissal was on
grounds that his outside acitivi.
ties we're incompatible with his Of.
fetal duties. Later Truman told a
news conference that CaudIe would
have been asked to resign even
without the tax scandal investiga-
tiOn then being carried on by the
House Ways and Means Commit
tee.
This committee went into q prac.
tically free trip candle took Ia
Europe In the summer Of 1850 TO
help wine merchant named
D'Agostino maintain his dollar
credits in Italian banks.
Caudle told newsmen during the
Inquiry that he helped Cannon
D'Agostino press a claim for sos 900
which the New Jersey wine mer.
chant and his father, Malteo
d'Agostino, had deposited In italy
before World War III. The banks
wanted to pay off ia Italian cur
rency At the pre.war exchange rate
and the D'AgoStinos wanted dol
lars. which were worth more IN
Italian lira At that time.
The Truman letter 10 Caud,e
was shown BY = reliable source
who declined 10 be quoted by
name. He said Il would be given
to the Chef subcommittee. which
among other things is looking into
the circumstances Of caudle' s
custer.
A White House Spokesman snld
. reporter that the clerk who
keeps records al gifts to the presi.
cent was not available. He added
The President receives gifts
nom all over toe world, and these
are acknowledged as : matter Of
routine. with a staff member
sometimes signing the Presidents
name for him.
The receipt u an autographed
baseball from Pie Trayn0r has
e0mDlefed the rrossn - ~ .,,s,,