davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-04-12
HOUSES FoR SALE-MD.
A FARMERS FARM

A nice modern home, 3 large barns.
All buildings. fences and entire
farm well kept. 80 acres. Over
900 f. on Rte 8, near Naniemoy
in Charles County, Nd.
oNLEsT REALTY RE. e-53ss
FOR SALE-On Ridge I'd. north
Of Braddock Park. Nd. home ma
sonry construction. on lot 100x
435 It This house is 35x42 #.
Pull basement. concrete floor, with
fireplace, laundry tubs, toilet.
shower bath. kitchen sink. ban
auet tables. oil burner. furnace,
hot and cold water. Has pump
room First floor large living rn..
dining room. kitchen. electric
stove. refrigerator. pantry. two
large bedrooms with two closets
IN each room and small store
room Storu1 windows al over
the house. Front and back en-
closed porches Upstairs can be
made into three bedrooms Two
car garage. Has toilet shower
and sink Lots Of fruit trees. ber-
ries and grapes. This home has
to be seen 10 be appreciated
Phone sK. $3.50.
Evening star., 1959-11-03
Program to Explain
Deceit Suggested !

Q.-But you feel there is an
obligation for them to conduct
honest programs, do you not?
A.-Of course, I do. II
Q.-Then If they conduct
dishonest programs, they should
ultimately-it seems to me
on their own set the record
straight and offer some public
service time expressly for this
purpose to explain how the
people Of our country. 100 mil
lion or 100 million people, had
been deceived
Chairman Harris-Mr. Van
Doren, on page Of your state
ment you stated that Mr..
Freedman guaranteed that you
would end up winning no less
than a certain amount. Are
you in a position to state what
that amount was?
A.-ThiS amount changed
from week to week. It was, as
! say, before the first week
$1,000, before the second week
$4,000 and. If I remember cor
rectly, it then went to IL, IS,
25. I think it was never dis
cussed after I had been on the
program six or eight times. !
assumed thereafter that !
would receive what I had won
on the program
Representative Bennett (Re-
publican Of Michigan Did the
NBC people ask you about this?
A. They asked me to come
down and testify.
@. Who discussed it with you
at NBC?
A. Mr.. David Levy and Mr..
James Stable.
@. Who were they?
A. Mr.. Levy is, I believe, vice
president in charge of television
programming, and Mr.. Stable
is vice president, I believe, in
charge of talent negotiations
:. I had the feeling that this
was the wish, the desire Of the
network as a whole.
@. They asked you to give
them the facts about this or
had you previously told them
everything about it?
A. I had previously told them
that I knew nothing about
1t.
@. That was after Mr.. Stem
pei made his statement?
A. Yes.
Evening star., 1959-11-03
Portion of Truth
Told NBC Officials

Q. Would you just tell the
committee what portion Of the
truth you did tell them in that
conference?
! A. I told them that Mr.
Evening star., 1959-11-03
Failure to Reply
Led to Suspension

@. Then later were you
called in at a time when you
were suspended?
Evening star., 1959-11-03

Representative Mack, Demo-
crat Of Illinois) of us
wonder at times II 1t is neces-
sary to have a phony arrange
ment or a deceptive arrange
ment in order for one to gain
this national popularity in our
entertainment field, particu-
larly as 1t relates to television.
Mr.. Van Doren-As far as
this program is concerned, Sir.
I think It would have been q
popular program II it had been
done honestly. I wish 1t had
been done honestly. ! don't
know much about show busi-
ness-about the entertainment
business. I don't believe that in
any business 1t is necessary to
be dishonest.
@. One Of the other contest
ants on these shows indicated
that he was aware of the fact
that you were going to lose at
q certain time. He indicated
that he was very enterprising
and that he had gained finan-
cfally at that time.
1t would seem to me that II
this operation were known to
any extent that there would be
other enterprising individuals
who made similar investments.
] would like to ask you If you
have any knowledge Of anyone
else making a similar invest
ment in the show?
A. No, I have none.
@. Are you still on the payroll
Of the National Broadcasting
Company?
A. I believe that was as of
the time I walked in here. I
don't know if I am now.
@. I hope there has been no
change in the last hour, and !
personally hope there will be
no change.
! was wondering :. since the
television and radio stations
operate theoretically as a pub
lie service and in the public
interest, if you feel there is any
obligation for them to more or
less clear themselves with all
Of the people that have been
deceived on these quiz pro-
grams, and If they should not
offer some public service in ad-
dition to the news coverage-
some public service time-for
the purpose of clarifying this
situation.
A. I don't want to avoid
answering that question. I can
only say that I think it might
involve a greater knowledge of
the legal responsibilities of the
networks than I have, sir. I
believe very strongly in public
service programming. and I
have been involved in some of
it in my two years with NBC.
I personally would want to
see a lot more. But I think it,
would be probably presumptu-
Gus of me to say what the net
works should do in this case.
Evening star., 1959-11-03
Van Doren Answers Questions by House Probers

or your attorney arrived at an
understanding with the New
York district attorneys ONCE
relative to what disposition may
be made as a result Of this
conflict?
A. No. sir.
@. DO you realize there are
implications Of contempt or
perjury?
A. Yes. sir. -.
Mr.. Chairman. can I thank
this committee. I didn't think
anyone would ever want to
thank this committee, but I
owe this committee a great deal
in my own heart.
want to thank Mr.. Lishman
and Mr.. Goodwin, too, Mr.. Ho-
gan and Mr.. Stone, all Of whom
I have deceived, and I hope I
will never do that sort Of thing
again.
Mr.. Harris-Mr. Van Doren,
you have given a very dramatic,
but in my humble Judgment a
very pathetic presentation here
today -.
You have been duped into a
certain situation, even though
at your age you should have
and did know better as you
have revealed here today. I still
feel that anyone, regardless Of
how it hurts, who comes and
tells the whole truth in a mat
ter that is so important to the
American people and the pub
lie interest is to be highly COM
plimented for it -.
I think I could end this ses-
sion with you by saying what
your attorney did say to you the
other day; that is, God bless
you :.
Evening star., 1959-11-03

q representative Of the COM
mittee and within the hour &C.
cepted a subpoena for Novem-
ber 2. +. :"
Was that a true statement
A. I meant by 1t that ]
didn't know that the commit
tee issued q subpoena.
@. You said 1t was not unit
Monday night that you learned
Of the committees desire To
hear you. But you received Mr.
Harris telegram?
A. Yes, sir.
@. So that is not q correct
statement?
A. Yes. sir; that is correct
@. You deceived the press o1
the country on the 14th of Oc.
tober when you made thai
statement? <
A. All right: YES. sir.
Evening star., 1959-11-03
Network Requested
Van Doren's Telegram

@. But their request was that
you come down here to testify?
A. Yes. Their request was
that I write the telegram de-
manding the right to come
down here and testify.
@. I suppose it would not be
any excuse or any consolation
or justification for your part in
this, but certainly it seems to
me that the people most re-
sponsible for this kind OF
deception are those who pro-
duced the program and who
apparently were much more
experienced in the art of decep-
ton than you were.
Representative Rogers, Dem
ocrat of Texas: There are one
or two questions that I want
to ask. and that has to do with
the network with whom YOU
were associated. Did you evel
at any time talk to any of the
officials Of that network about
Evening star., 1959-11-03
.Chided on Motive
To Aid Education

@. At the time you were con-
sidering going on Twenty One,
in order to "do q great service
to the intellectual life. to teach
ers and to education" in gen.
eral, we're you thinking at all
about the effect Of your ap-
pearance on the children Of this
country?
A. Yes, sir; ! was.
@. Did you think that your
performances as have come out
now, would be a good thing for
the children Of the country to
know about in their respect for
education?
A. No, sir, I did not.
@. You did not realize at that
time the bad effect this would
have on the children Of the
country?
A. Unfortunately I did not.
@. Boiled down, Mr.. Van
Doren, to the essentials, your
statement to me indicates that
what you did you did for
money. Do you agree?
A. I am sorry, sir; that was
not the only reason. OF course.
that was the reason.
Representative Moss, Demo
crat Of California: Did you re-
ceive any assistance in the
preparation Of the telegram
directed to this committee early
in october? Did it require
the approval Of any officials
of NBC?
A. I believe it did, sir, yes.
@. The telegram as drafted
constituting a denial of charges
and insisting upon hearings met
the specifications of the officials
of NBC?
A. I tried to say in my state
ment, sir, that I did not con-
slider this an insiStence. I hoped
it was very foolish of me-
hoped the committee would un-
derstand that I was desperate,
and that if I came down here
all I could do was reiterate my
grand jury testimony which
believed the committee knew
was not true.
@. You had certainly suffi-
cient knowledge that we could
not believe you on the basis oi
! the telegram directed to us.
Evening star., 1959-11-03
Asked by Producer
To Make Statement

Q.-When was your tirst
conversation with officials oi
the National Broadcastine
Comany with regard to the
Stempel charges?
A. The charges, II ] remem-
ber my dates correctly, first
appeared In the newspapers al
the end Of August, 1858. ]
think the day was August 90
II that is q Thursday. I had
appeared on the program that
morning. I heard about these
charges during the day, and ]
was called by the producer oi
the Today program and asked
If I wanted to make a state
ment about these matters.
said yes. I did, and I made It
@. How many times would
you say that you talked to Mr.
Freedman during the period oi
the grand jury investigation?
A. I spoke to him that time
and I called him on the tele-
phone the day after he was in
dicted for jerjury. I believe
those are the only times.
@. What was the substance
Of the conversation when you
discussed with him his indict-
ment for perjury?
A. I simply said that ! was
very sorry. We didn't speak
long.
@. At that time, to the best
of your knowledge, did he still
contend publicly there was ne
fraud or collusion in the pro-
gram Twenty One.
A. Yes, to the best Of my
knowledge, yes. That would
have been about sometime ir
November Of 1858, I believe, OF
October.
Representative Derouniar
Republican Of New York;
Mr.. Van Doren, I am happy
that you made the statement
but I cannot agree with most oi
my colleagues who have com.
mended you for telling the
truth because I don't think ar
adult of your intelligence ought
to be commended for telling
the truth -.
Do you know now how Il
avoid a subpoena?
A. Not really, sir.
@. You did not know that vol
were sought after?
A. I didn't know that I wal
subpoenaed, sir.
@. I quote again:
1T was not until Menda!
night that I learned of th'
committees desire to hear me
BY prearrangement between tn
committee and my counsel
have made myself available Il
Evening star., 1959-11-03
BY the Associated Press

Here condensed transcript OF Charles Van Dorens
question and aspcr testimony before the House Legislative
Oversight Subcommittee:
Evening star., 1959-11-03
Conflict in Settlement
Before Grand Jury

@. You recall this morning
that you were sworn by the
chairman Of the committee?. +.
I presume you likewise were
sworn before the New York
grand jury?
A. Yes, sir.
@. And the testimony here
today. If not in direct conflict,
at least is in substantial vari-
ance with the testimony you
gave there; Is that correct?
A. Yes, sir.
@. I will ask you if either you
Evening star., 1959-11-03

A. Yes, sir.
@. How many opponents or
Twenty-One did you have ir
the-what was 1t. IL weeks oi
your appearance?
A. Fourteen weeks, I believe
@. Do you recall how many
opponents?
A. No, I don't -.
@. How many Of those op'
ponents do you feel had re.
ceived assistance?
A. Sir, / have no knowledge
Of any other contestant.
@. You won from Mr.. Stem.
pie on a score Of IS to 10?
A. Yes, sir.
@. In order for you to wir
at that point 1t was necessary
that you challenge?
A. I had to stop.
@. Were you instructed or
other programs when yol
should stop?
A. I may have been. I dom
recall.
@. Were you informed as Il
the score your opponent woulc
have IL Won did stop?
A. No, sir, ! never was
I never knew what my op'
ponents score would be. I nevel
knew how much money
would have won by the end o.
the program or anything o.
that sort.
@. You only knew that yor
could not fail because you hat
the answers.
A. Yes, sir.
Representative Devine, Re-
publican of Ohio-Mr. Val
Doren were you not tolc
prior to your appearance will
Mr.. Stempel that you woult
play three ties?
A. No, sir, I was not told tina
I would play three ties. I wa
simply told the number o
points to take in each cate
CORY and the question that
would be asked, and how Il
answer.
@. You knew how many point
to select in advance?
A. Yes.
@. You could logically infe
that the other contestant woult
naturally know the same?
A. Perhaps.
@. When you played ties.
A. He didn't tell me I wa
going to play ties. He indicates
that. He didn't say that as t.
Mr.. Stempel. Yes, he did, as
matter of fact.
Evening star., 1959-11-03

A. I was called in on Thurs
day evening and told that ]
had already been suspended.
@. What reason did they
give for your suspension?
A. They told me that it was
because I had not yet replied
to the chairman's telegram,
which was in reply to mine.
@. When you appeared at
this conference, did NBC ask
you to tell the truth or did
they just merely ask you to
respond to the committee?
A. They asked me to re-
spond to the committee, to go
and testify.
@. When you sent that tele-
gram, Mr.. Van Doren, did you
in fact intend to comply with
what that telegram inferred
when you sent it?
Al hoped that I would not
be asked to, sir.
@. At this conference that
you had with NBC. did Mr..
Stable or Mr.. Levy or anyone
else representing NBC ask you
about the truth of this mat
ter?
A. Well, I told them what
was not true, but I said it was
the truth. So they didn't have
to ask me.
@. Do you know whether or
not NBC made any investiga-
ton with other employees, fol
instance, of Barry and En-.
right to determine whether Of
not in fact you were telling
them the truth?
A. No, I don't, sir.
@. Do you recall a statement
which was issued by NBC ap.
Iproximately August, 1858, ir
which YOU Joined or made
collateral statement with ref.
erence to the truth of the
Stempel charges.
A. No, Sir, I don't. . I recall
the statement that I made or
the Today program. -.
@. To refresh your recollec.
ton, was that August 20, 1885,
"A. Yes, it probably was.
@. In which you say, II also
believe in the honesty Of the
contestants on that program
whom I know"
A. Yes.
@. Did you, Mr.. Van Doren
at any time have any converse.
tion with any sponsor Of any
program on which you appeared
as part Of a quiz program?
A. While I was on the pro.
gram?
@. Yes.
A. No, sir.
@. Mr.. Van Doren, are you ir
fact still employed by Columbis
University?
A. I believe so, Sir. yes.
@. Have you offered a res
ignation to Columbia?
A. I have told them that il
they wished my resignation
they may have it at the time
and place they request.
@. Have you any informa-
don that they are in fact In
tending to relieve you perma.
nently of your duties at CO.
lumbia?
@. No. sir: I don't. I have
no information about it.
! Representative Flynt, Dem
Evening star., 1959-11-03

the rigging Of these Tv shows2
A. I talked-after Mr..
Stempel's charges were aired
or appeared In the newspapers
II talked to Mr.. Robert
Levine. and I told him that I
had received a $1,000 advance.
I told him otherwise that I had
not been involved in any i'm
proper activities. He said he
was glad to hear that. Until
Tuesday night, october 8, ]
believe that was the only con-
versation that I had with NBC
officials about this matter.
@. The only recollection you
have is the conversation that
you related?
A. No. I had q conversation
with Mr.. Stable in which ] said
to him that 1t seemed to me
that in the opinion Of the COM
mittee investigators the pro-
gram Twenty-One had been
rigged, and other programs. too.
I did not, to the best of my
recollection, give that as my
opinion. :.
@. Did you ever talk to any
Of the other NBC officials about
these shows in any way?
A. I did speak also, in the
same week that I spoke to Mr..
Levine, to an attorney at NBC.
I think 1t may have been Mr..
Erwin. I don't recall. I simply
told him what I had told Mr..
Levine, that is to say, that I
had received a $4,000 advance,
and ! asked him If he thought
I should.
@. Did you ever have any
discussion with any Of the
officials prior to the time Mr..
Stempel's testimony came out
publicly?
A. No, sir, I didn't.
Evening star., 1959-11-03

ocrat Of Georgia - Mr.. Van
Doren, when did you first learn
that Herbert Stempel had
made charges Of deceptive
practices and fraud. on the
program known as Twenty
One?
A. It must have been Just
about August 28. 1858. the day
before I made that statement.
I believe that was the first
time I heard 1t.
Evening star., 1959-11-03

| Freedman had offered me as
| sistance and that I had re-
| fused it. I also told them that
Mr.. Freedman had returned to
the grand jury and had i'm
plicated me. and that was the
reason I was afraid to appear
and testify. I also told them
and to the best of my recollec-
ton it was in answer to q
question that they asked me
that question was, to the best
of my recollection, Did Mr.
Freedman ever ask you for any
money. I recalled and told
them that at one time, I think
it was toward the latter hall
of the month of January, Mr.
Freedman told me that I was
going to be the first contestant
to win more than 100000. AT
that time that was considered
to be a very important event
Mr.. Harris-Was that right
after you started as a contest
ant?
A. That was some six OF
seven weeks after I had start
ed. He said to me, I think
these are almost his exact
words, Charley, I think
ought to have $4,000 of that
money"
I am very sorry I ever men.
toned this, and this is not be-
cause I am trying to hide any
thing from anybody. 1t is simply
that I don't believe that Mr.
Freedman meant that in the
way it sounds. He never men
toned it again. ! never men.
toned it again. Nothing was
ever done about it. I thinl
that he blurted it out in q
more or less unthinking way
not realizing what he was really
saying. If he did realize thu
seriousness of it afterwards
maybe that is why he never
mentioned it. But no arrange
ment of any kind was evel
made between me and Mr.
Freedman.
Mr.. Springer: Just this again
Did THEY ask you for the con-
ference or did you go to SCI
them?
A. They asked me to come
and see them.
@. Did they insist that vol
send the telegram?
A. I believe the situation wa'
that they insisted that I senC
the telegram, and if I refused
to send it. in which case i
probably would have been q
breach of my contract. -.
@. Were you advised by YOU
own person counsel with ref
erence to whether or not thii
was a breach Of the contract
A. He, I believe, gave me the
impression that he thought II
would be.
@. He understood the full
implications of that, is thai
true?
A. I had not told him the
truth.
Evening star., 1959-11-03
Met Top Officials
On $4,000 Job

@. Who did you talk to
about your $4,000 contract?
A. That contract was ar
ranged between my agents and
NBC.
There was q meeting. 1t
would be about April, I think,
Of 1857. after I had signed the
contract. >. A meeting to which
Mr.. Robert Sarnoff came, and
several other high officials of
the network, and I just met
them and we sat around in
the room and talked about the
kinds of things I might do.
Nobody had any ideas, and I
didn't have any, either. It was
a long time before NBC could
think of anything for me to
do, I believe.
Q.-Who are the individuals
that attend to your business?
A.-Mr. Herbert Rosenthal
/. and Mr.. Dick Rubin.
Q.-What prompted you to
hire them, Mr.. Van Doren?
Al was being driven crazy
by offers. Every day two or
three people wrote me or called
me up and said, Wouldn't you
like to do this for $50.000 or do
this for .$75,00O." I was offered
the lead in two movies. I was
offered the chance to go on
speaking tours and so forth. I
hired MICA Music Corpora
ton Of America) as agents
really to protect myself. I knew
nothing about this business. I
didn't want to be in the NOV
les. I didn't want to do most
Of these things. But I thought
I should have an agent to help
me in this dilemma.
| @. Mr.. Van Doren, who else
connected with the show in any
way. whatever besides Mr.. En-
fright and Mr.. Freedman, in your
opinion, knew what was going
on?
A. Ihave absolutely no knowl-
edge of anyone else's knowl-
edge about this.
@. Your testimony is that
you did not discuss 1t with any,
one else. and as far as you
know, No one else had any.
thing to do with 1t except Mr..
Freedman and Mr.. Enright in
SO far as your case personally
is concerned?
A. That is correct, yes, sir.
@. Did Mr.. Jack Barry at any
time discuss it with you?
A. No, he never did.
@. Did you have any indica-
tion that he might have known
what was going on?
A. No, I didn't.
@. There have been some
witnesses that have testified
who have taken the position
that this was entertainment,
that no one was hurt and that
Everybody was entertained and
Everybody was making money
and it was all right. That is
what Mr.. Freedman tried to sell
you. was it not?
A. Yes.
@. You knew from the begin
ming and know now that 1t is
not a Justification or a proper
excuse for what happened?
A. Yes, I know it is not a JUS
tiflcation. If no one else was
hurt, I was very deeply hurt.
Representative Springer, Re-
publican of Illinois-Mr. Van
Doren. as I recall from the
sequence of events some two
weeks ago, you sent a telegram
to the committee on Tuesday
and you released that to the
press in New York; is that cor
rect?
A. Well, yes, did. I had to
release it to the press.
@. Did you confer with NBC
before you released the tele-
gram?
A. Yes. The telegram was the
result Of a conference.
@. Did they ask you any
questions with reference to
whether or not you had told
the truth previously about this
matter?
A. They did not ask me any
questions. I told them. as I said
in my statement, more Of the
truth than I had told them
before, but still not the whole
truth.
Portion of Truth
Told NBC Officials
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-10-07
School Editors
Aid TB Fight

Seventy-five Wash in g I o r
high school editors met yes
terday in a school press project
to plan their coverage Of the
campaign against tuberculosis,
The young editors. about
equally divided between boys
and girls, met in the main
lounge OF The Stars new build
ing at Second street and Vir-
ginia avenue Sc.
The project is jointly spon-
sored by the District OF Column
bia tuberculosis Association
and the Columbia University
Scholastic Press Association
The chairman was Paul Smear
line, principal Of Western High
School.
He urged the editors to write
about tuberculosis as well as
good health in general in their
paper. He said the project was
designed to interest parents as
well as their fellow pupils in
the anti-TB campaign.
He urged the editors to cover
the story with editorials, car
toons and stories.
Field trips are planned fol-