Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1962-06-08

~AA = a6G n u
fered no explanation. :" Mr..
Manuel said.
Kent Bond Down
Mr.. Miller was the official
responsible for allowing Estes
grain storage bond to remain
at 100000. instead Of raising
it to 81 million.
1t was in connection with this
matter that Mr.. Manuel quoted
Mr.. Miller as telling him that
Estes visited his office and
sought to pressure him" with
the names of Mr.. Rayburn and
Mr.. Johnson.
Mr.. Manuel said:
MY dismissal by the Demo-
cratic Party members Of the
Fountain Subcommittee was
the price I am prepared to pay
for making available to the
public the true facts in a very
important matter Of grave con-
Germ to the public. I am not
the first to be penalized for
trying to bring into the open
the full truth about the Billie
Sol Estes case. And probably
won't be the last"
When he bacame the mi
nority counsel Just two weeks
ago, Mr.. Manuel said, Il saw
at once that the operation Of
the Fountain Subcommittee
was incredible" He added:
Here, q counsel and two
assistants, sitting in their
washington offices, in about
10 days prepared for public
hearings on one Of the most
complex and serious national
scandals in many years. BY
comparison, the Senate Inves-
tigating Subcommittee, headed
by Senator John Mcclellan Of
Arkansas, has been working
for many weeks with staff of
well over 40 investigators, and
still will not be ready to begin
its public hearings until
June 81"
Report Not Classified
As to the report which he
leaked to the New York Herald
Tribune, Mr.. Manuel said,
This report was not legally
classified. 1t was stamped
enthusiastically confidential
which meant that it contained
politically embarrassing mate
rial that the Department Of
Agriculture wanted to keep
from the public"
Mr.. Fountain said that Mr..
Manuel, a 1853 graduate of
the University Of Virginia Law
School, admitted releasing the
report ION his own" and with
out the knowledge of any sub
committee members.
He said he was in no way
ashamed of what he did," Mr..
Fountain reported yesterday.
He said he felt 1t was his
duty to make it available.
Personally, I feel it is a
sort Of thing which reflects on
the committee system in Con-
gress. I think the majority felt
that If we retained Mr.. Manuel
it might be q serious handicap
to us as we continue what may
well be a lengthy investiga-
ton"
Representatives Florence E.
Dwyer of New Jersey and Lam
gen Of Minnesota. the Repub-
lican members, vigorously dis
sented to the action taken.
While not approving Of what
Mr.. Manuel did, they said that
they thought he should be
given a second chance since he
was following a practice not
uncommon on Capitol Hill.
Steps Against Repeat
Whatever the consideration
involved in Mr.. Manuel's &C
tions." said Mrs. Dwyer, ". =
we have taken action to assure
that such a situation will not
be repeated. We have urged
the subcommittee to accept
assurance"
Mrs. Dwyer sold that Mr..
Manuel had been contributing
valuable work to the investi-
cation and added:
I'VE believe that the majority
isexaggerating the significance
Of Mr.. Manuel's actions and we
must hold them responsible for
the decision to discharge a
valuable staff officer in the
midst of an important investi-
cation. This action. shows a
disregard for the public inter-
est in a case that bears signi-
ficance to every taxpayer and
citizen"
Mr.. Langen said he thought
the decision was "a, little too
harsh" since such happenings
are mot new around the halls
Of Congress" He added that
Mr.. Manuel should have been
given a second chance in view
Of the fact that there was a
question of whether the con-
fidential report had been passed
out to newspapermen earlier.
Representative Bass, Demo-
crat Of Tennessee, said he made
a request to Chairman Dawson
Of the full House Government
Operations Committee to fire
the attorney and appoint a new
minority counsel.
Mr.. Bass said he considered
that Mr.. Manuel had COM
mitted "a breach Of faith" and
was responsible for "a misuse
of trust"
Mr.. Fountain said Mr.. Man.
uel told the subcommittee he
leaked the report to be sure that
Texas Attorney General Will
Wilson received a copy in con-
nection with the investigation
of the mysterious death of Henry