Document:

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                                                                   EXHIBIT 10.52

                                    AGREEMENT

Agreement by and between Howard Janzen ("Janzen") and WilTel Communications
Group, Inc., a Nevada corporation, (the "Company") effective as of October 15,
2002 (the "Effective Date"). Reference is made to the Plan of Reorganization of
In re Williams Communications Group, Inc. and CG Austria, Inc., Debtors (the
"Reorganization Plan"), United States Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of New
York, Chapter 11, Case No. 02-11957 (BRL) (the "Proceeding").

FOR VALUABLE CONSIDERATION, Janzen and Company agree as follows:

1. Effective as of 12:01 a.m. on the day following the effective date of the
Reorganization Plan, Janzen will resign as an officer, employee and director of
Company and its subsidiaries. Janzen and Company hereby agree that the language
referenced on Exhibit A hereto to be included in the Company's press release
(and other public announcements) regarding such resignation or the circumstances
thereof is acceptable to both parties.

2. Janzen shall retain all benefits and rights vested into him as an employee,
director, and officer into which he was vested and entitled on the effective
date of the Reorganization Plan as an employee of Williams Communications Group,
Inc. ("WCG") or Company (as WCG's successor) and nothing in this Agreement or
any other predecessor document shall terminate or limit such benefits and rights
or the general intent of Janzen and Company to settle all disputes. The vested
benefits and rights include, without limitation, the following:

         * Loan Forgiveness, approximate value $5,603,830

         * Tax Gross up for Loans, approximate value $4,452,031

         * Restructuring Incentive approximate value $780,000

         * SERP, approximate value $700,000

         * Base Severance, approximate value $1,040,000

         * All indemnification rights, all director and officer insurance
                  benefits and other coverage, the channeling order in the
                  foregoing Plan of Reorganization, and similar rights as an
                  officer and director of WCG and Company.

The foregoing list may not be exclusive. Such benefits and rights will be paid
and maintained in accordance with the terms of the plans and documents under
which they were created as in effect on the effective date of the Reorganization
Plan, except as discussed in Section 3.

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3. Commencing on the Effective Date and continuing to the fourth anniversary of
the Effective Date, Janzen will make himself available during normal business
hours to Company upon the reasonable request of Company for consultation
regarding any historical matters relating to WCG and any litigation matters
relating to WCG which, in the reasonable opinion of Company, require his direct
and immediate input. All consulting obligations of Janzen will be performed at a
time reasonably convenient to Janzen and in no event will any consulting
obligation require Janzen to place any new employment at risk. For making
himself available for consultation, Janzen will be paid $400,000 in four
installments of $100,000 each, payable on January 2, 2003, January 2, 2004, and
January 2, 2005 and on the fourth anniversary of the Effective Date. In
addition, Janzen will be reimbursed reasonable out-of-pocket expenses arising in
the course of such consultation. Any other consulting agreements with Company or
its subsidiaries are superseded and terminated by this Section 3.

4. Janzen will not, without first obtaining Company's express written consent,
disclose to others or use for any purpose whatsoever any information or data
which pertains to Company's business or interests and which is not freely
available to persons not employed by Company. Such information shall include,
but not be limited to, technical data and plans, financial data, budgets,
organizational plans, business plans and strategies, engineering plans and
designs, legal matters and documents, software and network data, investment
information, customer and vendor information, and any Company trade secret
protected under the Uniform Trade Secrets Act. Janzen warrants that he has
returned or will return to Company all existing documents, data or other
tangible materials and copies thereof made or acquired by him during his
employment which contain any such information or data. Janzen shall abide by all
restrictions placed on all information, software and other technology licensed
by Company by third parties. Janzen shall maintain the confidentiality of
information provided to Company by third parties subject to non-disclosure
agreements. Janzen acknowledges that any breach or threatened breach of this
Section 4 would cause irreparable injury to Company and that money damages would
not provide an adequate remedy at law for such injury.

5. Janzen acknowledges and agrees that he possesses confidential information
about other employees of Company relating to their education, experience,
skills, abilities, compensation and benefits, and their interpersonal
relationships with customers or suppliers of Company. Janzen acknowledges and
agrees that the information he possesses about these other employees is not
generally known, is of substantial value to Company in developing its business
and in securing and retaining customers, and has been acquired by Janzen because
of his position with WCG. Accordingly, Janzen agrees that for one year after the
Effective Date, unless otherwise agreed to by Company's Chief People Officer,
Janzen will not directly or indirectly, through himself or others, solicit,
influence, induce, recruit or encourage an employee of Company or any of its
subsidiaries to terminate or otherwise alter his/her relationship with Company
or any of its subsidiaries in order to become employed by Janzen, Janzen's
employer, or by any

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person or entity engaged in the design, development, production, support, market
or sale of products or services competitive with any of Company's products or
services (including actual or demonstrably anticipated research or development
of Company). Janzen acknowledges that any breach or threatened breach of this
Section 5 would cause irreparable injury to Company and that money damages would
not provide an adequate remedy at law for such injury. This provision is not
intended to prevent Janzen from being a reference for present and past employees
of Company or WCG.

6. Company recognizes that Janzen will remain in the industry, and likely will
be employed by a direct competitor of Company. Nothing in this Agreement or any
other agreement shall prevent or restrict such employment by Janzen or in any
way reduce amounts due to him under Section 2 or 3; and to the extent of any
conflicts with this Section 6 and any vested or agreed upon benefit to which
Janzen is entitled, this Agreement shall govern, it being understood that
except for the restrictions in this Agreement, Janzen shall be absolutely free
to compete.

7. This Agreement shall serve as a complete and mutual release of all claims
between Janzen and Company, including but not limited to statutory, contract, or
common law claims arising in equity or law, out of the restructuring and
employment issues between Janzen, WCG, and Company and their respective
successors and assigns and their respective shareholders, officers, and
directors and Janzen hereby releases Company and its shareholders, officers,
employees, and agents, and its and their successors, and Company hereby releases
Janzen in respect of the foregoing. Notwithstanding the foregoing, nothing
herein shall release WCG or the Company (i) from their obligations to indemnify
and defend Janzen as an officer and director under the Reorganization Plan filed
in the Proceeding, or (ii) from any obligation to indemnify and defend Janzen in
accordance with the Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws of the Company as in
effect on the date hereof.

8. Where there is any conflict in this Agreement and any plan or document
governing any vested rights to which Janzen is entitled under Section 2, the
terms of the underlying plan or document shall govern as to the issue of the
level of benefit accorded. Otherwise, this Agreement shall govern the rights and
obligations of the parties with respect to the terms of this Agreement, and
shall affirm their vesting in accordance with such plans or documents into
Janzen.

9. This Agreement is intended to settle all disputes between Janzen and Company
and Company's directors, officers, and shareholders with respect to benefits to
which Janzen is entitled upon his resignation and this document is intended to
serve as an acceptable severance agreement required by Company or WCG under any
benefit plan. Should this Agreement be raised before any court of competent
jurisdiction, and the court

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cannot determine as between the evidentiary views of Janzen and the Company, the
court shall have jurisdiction to determine the intent of Janzen and the Company
based on the record before it, and the court shall not dismiss the claim based
on a failure of the meeting of the minds.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, Janzen and Company have executed this Agreement as of the
Effective Date.

WILTEL COMMUNICATIONS
GROUP, INC.

By /s/ H.E. SCRUGGS                          /s/ HOWARD JANZEN
----------------------------                 ------------------------------
                                             Howard Janzen
Title: Senior Vice President

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                                                                   EXHIBIT 10.53

                                December 9, 2002

Scott E. Schubert
Williams Communications, LLC
One Technology Center, 15A
Tulsa, OK 74103

         Re: December 10, 2002 - June 27, 2003 Employment Agreement

Dear Scott:

         This letter is to memorialize the terms and conditions or the agreement
reached between you and Williams Communications, LLC (the "Company") on October
29, 2002 regarding your continued employment by the Company from December 10,
2002 until June 27, 2003, as follows:

         1. You will no longer serve as Chief Financial and Corporate Services
Officer of the Company or as an officer of its parent, WilTel Communications
Group, Inc. You will instead serve as a senior executive of both companies. You
will assist the Chief Executive Officer as directed, including assistance in
financial planning and reporting efforts, and perform other duties assigned by
the CEO and Board of Directors that are consistent with your position as a
senior executive.

         2. On or after June 27, 2003, your employment may be terminated
immediately upon notice either by you or by the Company. In the event of such
termination, you will receive severance benefits equal to those that you would
be entitled to receive as Chief Financial and Corporate Services Officer under
the Williams Communications Group, Inc. Severance Protection Plan (the "Plan"),
as if your employment had involuntarily terminated due to Severance, as that
term is defined in the Plan, as of the date of this agreement. You will be
entitled to receive these benefits regardless of whether the decision to
terminate your employment is yours or the Company's.

         3. The Company reserves the right to terminate your employment, at its
sole discretion, before June 27, 2003. In that event, you will receive the total
compensation, benefits, and severance you would have been entitled to under
Sections 1 and 2 above had you remained employed until June 27, unless you are
terminated for Cause, as defined in the Plan.

         4. You have the right to terminate your employment prior to June 27,
2003, provided that upon such termination you will forego, as of the date of
such termination, the compensation and benefits to which you would have been
entitled to under Section 1 above. In the event of a termination under this
Section 4, you will receive severance benefits equal to those that you would be
entitled to receive as Chief Financial and Corporate Services Officer under the
Plan as if your employment had involuntarily terminated due to Severance, as
that term is defined in the Plan, as of the date of this agreement.

         5. Nothing in this agreement is intended to alter the ability of you
and the Company to continue your employment after June 27, 2003, upon mutually
agreeable terms.

         6. Nothing in this agreement is intended to alter or terminate any
indemnification rights to which you are otherwise entitled or which the Company
is otherwise obligated to provide. In addition, nothing in this agreement is
intended to alter or terminate any other compensation and benefits to which you
are entitled as of the date of this agreement except as specifically provided
for in this agreement.

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         If the above terms are acceptable to you, please so indicate by signing
below, retaining a copy for yourself and returning a copy to me immediately.

Yours very truly,

/s/ JEFF K. STOREY                           /s/ H.E. SCRUGGS
--------------------------------             ----------------------------------
Jeff K. Storey                               H.E. Scruggs
Chief Executive Officer                      Senior Vice President

Accepted on the 10 day of December, 2002.
                --

/s/ SCOTT E. SCHUBERT
--------------------------------
Scott E. Schubert

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