Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-08-10
GayeFHA Aides
NoCostIy Gifts,
Woodner Says
$219.0 900 in Checks
Issued in Six-Week
Period Probed
By Hector Mclean

Ian Woodner, Washington
and New York builder-architect
who constructed the Woodner
Apartments at 1886 Sixteenth
street NV. today denied he had
ever given anything of value to
any official of the Federal Hous-
ing Observation-Disclosures you
call a bottle of whisky a thing
of value"
His statement came in re-
Spouse to a question by Chair
man Capehart, of the Senate
Banking Committee, who has
charged that Mr.. Woodner is
unable to account in detail for
$4,000 in checks issued by the
Jonathan Woodner Co. over a
six-week period in 1949.
did you ever give any FILA
official anything of value?" the
Indiana Republican demanded.
mo. SIR" Mr.. Woodner de-
clared emphatically, mot unless
you call a bottle of whisky a
thing of value"
Called Important Period.
The declaration came after
William Simon, counsel for the
investigating staff Of the COM
mittee. declared the period from
the middle of February to the
end of March in 1919 was "a
rather important six-week pc
Rod"
It was then, Mr.. Simon said,
that Mr.. Woodner was negotiat-
ing for an FILA commitment to
issue mortgage loan guarantee
on the Woodner and that $219.-
900 was moved around" in the
bank accounts of Mr.. Woodner,
his company and members of his
family.
Today's session was a reSump-
ton of hearings last week. It
was devoted largely to attempt
ing to trace the $4,000 in
checks handled through the &C
counts of Mr.. Woodner, his
brother Max, his sister Beverly
and his former wife Ruth-now
Mrs. Sidney r. Jackson-from
whom he separated late in 1919.
All four members of the group
testified today, and all were un-
able to explain the purpose for
which the checks were drawn
and their ultimate destination.
Can't Recall Buying Bonds.
Mrs. jackson, q New York
radio and television actress, said,
81 don't recall" purchasing $13,-
600 of Treasury bonds through
an account with the brokerage
firm of Carreau & Co.
Also, she said, she had mo
idea" of the purpose for which
a $4,000 check from the Jona-
than Woodner Co. was deposited
to her account in the Corn Ex-
change Bank of New York dur
ing the period in question.
The money. she declared,
wasn't there for me to spend. F."
Describing her separation from
Mr.. Woodner, she Said, when
we separated he handed me a
whole stack of papers and asked
me % sign. I was very sad at
the time and signed IL or Is of
them"
did you read any of them?"
she was asked.
mo, I didn't" she replied. "He
had his hand over the paper and
I didn't read what I signed"
Mr.. Simon asked, "You were
a sponsor in a number of FILA
projects, were you not?"
II don't even know what a
sponsor is" she replied.
Her questioners, struck silent
by the answer, dismissed her
from the witness stand.
Miss Woodner Testifies.
She was followed by Miss Bev-
erly Woodner who said she has
addresses in New York and at
the Woodner here. She said she
works for the Jonathan Wood
ner Co. "of and on" and is paid
a salary of $3.50 week net.
Il don't remember" she said
when asked if she had received
$25, 900 in two checks in the l949
period.
II don't know what the exact
purpose was" she told Senator
Capehart, who asked: Weren't
you excited when you got these
checks"
mo. I wasn't excited. If I
were excited I would remember, !"
she declared. IF they were part
of business. what's the differ
ence?%
Senator Capehart prodded her