Part: 123456789         Session: 1         Page na123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495050a51525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990919293949596979899100101102103104105106107108109110111112113114115116117118119120121122123124125126127128129130131132133134135136137138139140141142143144145146147148149150151152153154155156157158159160161162163164165166167168169170171172173174175176177178179180181182183184185186187188189190191192193194195196197198199200201202203204205206207208209210211212213214215216217218219220221222223224225226227228229230231232233234235236237238239240241242243244245246247248249250251252253254255256257258259260261262263264265266267268269270271272273274275276277278279280281282283284285286287288289290291292293294295296297298299300301302303304305306307308309310311312313314315316317318319320321322323324325326327328329330331332333334335336337338339340341342343344345346347348349350351352353354355356357358359358359360361362363364365366367368369370371372373374375376377378379380381382383384385386387388389390391392393394395396397398399400401402403404405406407408409410411412413414415416417418419420421422423424425426427428429430431432433434435436437438439440441442443444445446447448449450451452453454455456457458459460462463464465466467468469470471472473474475476477478479480481482483484485486487488489490491492493494495496497498499500501502503504505506507508509510511512513514515516517518519520521522523524525526527528529530531532533534536537538539540541542 of 542

wasn't true, but that was outside the pattern of the law. This was the Judiciary Committee. They were all lawyers on it.

Hatton Sumners finally fixed the day for my appearance. That day was set. Then there was a difficult twenty-four hours or so preparing for it, although the statement was ready. There always are last minute touches, however.

I had asked Sumners whether the hearing would be public or not. He asked me what I desired. I said that I preferred a public hearing, that after all the charges had been made very publicly and I preferred a public hearing. Well, he took it up with the Judiciary Committee. The committee wouldn't have a public hearing. As Gerry said laughingly, “They don't want to face it themselves. They know there's nothing to this and they don't want to face it and have the reporters in seeing them put in a position where they can't sustain the resolution. They would rather not have it.” By the way, J. Parnell Thomas was a member of this committee.

Hatton Sumners, of course, just said that the committee could do as it pleased about this kind of thing and his advice was to let them have their way on