Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1962-08-24

Deen nelQ IN the Agriculture
Department to deal with the
Estes case. This led Senator
Mcclellan to call on depart
ment officials to report to the
subcommittee any meetings
which have not been revealed
and which they may know
about.
2. Mr.. Jacobs brought into
question previous testimony in
dicating that Secretary Of Agri-
culture Freeman knew nothing
about the Estes case until last
March %. The witness said that
Thomas R. Hughes. the Secre-
tary's executive assistant. at
tended a number of meetings
dealing with the matter, and
Senator Mcclellan said Mr..
Hughes would be called as a
witness.
3. Mr.. Jacobs introduced one
new element in the investiga-
ton with testimony that there
had been no intention to as
sesS a penalty against Estes for
alleged illegal paintings in the
1861 cotton crop, whether the
allotments were Cancelled or
not. However. the department
did assess a penalty of $751;
900 when the allotments were
Cancelled two weeks after Estes
was arrested on Federal fraud
charges.
4. Mr.. Jacobs swore that
Estes did not pay for $1,000
worth Of suits and other cloth
ing Mr.. Jacobs bought on a
visit to the Neiman-M Marcus
store in Dallas last October.
While Estes accompanied him
to the store. the witness said.
Il paid for them with my own
money"
Discusses Conflict
In discussing the conflict be-
tween his testimony and that
Of Mr.. Miller, Mr.. Jacobs said:
Il think I can understand
the dilemma Mr.. Miller was in.
l think all of us are in some
dilemma 1 was gone. I
was out Of the department.
Tom Miller is a good man.
a very able man. He has a good
family. He saw the panic.
.. 1t seemed to me that almost
everybody who had any close
associations with Billie Sol Estes
would find himself sent home
in the morning.
HE probably caught the first
protection he could find and I
might be it. Unless Tom
misunderstood or misinterpreted
what 1 told him. l can reach
no other conclusion"
The witness testified that he
thought q penalty should not
be assessed against Estes on
his 1861 crop and he testified
that Mr.. Bagwell. Mr.. Moss and
Mr.. Miller held the same view.
He added that he and Under
secretary Murphy were "of the
same view"
AS for canceling the allot-
ment, Mr.. Jacobs said that he
and Mr.. Moss thought it should
not be carried out. AS for the
view Of others. the witness said
it "fluctuated." Asked about
Mr.. Murphy's views on the can
collation., Mr.. Jacobs said the
only reference he heard the
Undersecretary make regarding
it was after a January s meet
ing In the department.
Tells OF Meetings
He added Mr.. Murphy said
that, if the representations of
Estes attorney proved to be
true, there might be some basis
on which the allotments could
be retained.
Il think he was making a
great attempt to be eminently
fair" Mr.. Jacobs said.
The witness related that two
meetings were held in January
following the January 6 meet
ing at which the decision was
reached to suspend the cancel
lation of Estes allotments.
Neither of them had been
brought to the subcommittee's
attention before.
1t was in connection with the
discussion of these meetings
that Mr.. Jacobs revealed that
Mr.. Hughes had attended some
of the conferences. He said the
Secretary'S assistant came in
to some of them very briefly"
and would Just sit and listen"
In his appearance before the
subcommittee yesterday. Mr..
Jacobs contradicted in impor-
tant particulars the testimony
of three other officials who may
have to be recalled by the sub
committee in its inquiry.
The officials are John C..
Bagwell, general counsel; Ed
ward Jaenk. associate director
OF the Agricultural Stabiliza-
ton and Conservation Service.
and Joe Moss, director Of the
Cotton Division.