Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1963-06-08
HEADLINE PERSONALITY
Lawyer, SO, Heads
Team Against Hoffo

During the grand larceny
trial some years ago of Dave
Beck. then president of the
International Brotherhood of
Transfers. the defense at
torneys peppered the court with
legal arguments.
Every time another legal
point was raised, a young dep
uty prosecutor quietly dipped
into his papers and handed
a brief to the prosecutor
answering the point.
The young deputy, Charles
z. Smith of Seattle, Wash, had
anticipated every legal defense
before it was raised.
For the past two years, Mr..
Smith has been using his legal
wits to examine the operations
Of Beck's successor, James r..
Hoffa.
The 36-year-old Negro at
torney, now in the Justice De-
partment's Criminal Division,
headed a team of five attorneys
who presented the evidence
leading to last Tuesdays in
dictment of Mr.. Hoffa and
seven others on fraud charges
involving $40 million in loans
from the Transfers Central
States Pension Fund.
No Time for Vacation
Behind the indictment lie
$4,000 man-hours of work by
the five-man team. None of the
five attorneys has had a va
cation for two years. Although
they are quartered at the JUS
tice Department, they have
spent more time on the road
than in Washington.
Mr.. Smith estimated he had
averaged two days a week with
his family in the last two years.
They have accumulated some
40 file cabinets full of records.
They have run into frequent
reluctant vitnesSes-including
legitimate businessmen who
have refused to cooperate.
They have had to struggle to
get information that ordinarily
would be Immediately available.
Before the indictment was
returned. they had taken 1877
witnesses before the grand jury
in Chicago alone.
I'VE we're not simply lawyers"
Mr.. Smith explained. I'VE had
to be Investigators, too"
Work With Police
That in itself was nothing
new to Mr.. Smith. AS a deputy
prosecuting attorney for Kings
County. Wash, he often worked
with the police as he has worked
on the Hoffa case with the FBI.
In the old days. he would evai-
uate police reports to see If
more evidence was needed and
frequently went out with the
police.
Like the wives Of other in
vestigators In the midst OF a
hot case. Mrs. Smith for a long
time didn't know her husbands
assignment at the Justice De-
partment. And like other wives.
Mrs. Smith had TO become ac-
customed to midnight calls
from people all over the coun-
try who had information for
Mr.. Smith on his Teamster in
vestigation.
Mr.. Smith first came to At
torney General Robert F. Ken.
nedy's attention when Mr.. Ken
nedy was chief counsel Of the
Senate Rackets Committee. Mr..
Smith, as a deputy prosecutor
In Dave Beck's home town, was
monitoring the hearings TO de-
termine II there we're any State
violations.
They met In Seattle and ex-
changed information.
When Mr.. Kennedy became
Attorney General he remem-
bered the young prosecutor.
Chose Organized Crime Work
Mr.. Smith emphasized, how
ever. that the Attorney General
did not bring him 10 Washing
ton 10 90 after the Transfers.
Nobody mentioned Hoffa 10
me-" he said. II hardly knew
who he was. I was offered sew
eral possibilities In the depart
ment but chose the organized
crime section because OF the
challenge II REPRESENTED"
He said he started out with a
number Of areas OF investiga-
ton OF possible labor-manage-
ment corruption and gradually
the field narrowed down 10
Transfers Pension Fund
matters.
He was assigned 10 look az
loans on the West Coast. Other
department attorneys. mean
while, were examining the back
ground Of pension fund loans
in other parts Of the country.
Finally. In August. 1862. the