Summaries of Telephone Conversations

Washington, D. C. CO SUMMARY July 31, 1945 10:43 AM WILLIAM (BILL) RICHARDS (possibly RITCHIE) contacted WORTH CLARK. RICHARDS (Omaha) says he got a call from JOHN R. HANDY, Associate General Counsel of the Massachusetts Mutual Life at Springfield. He (HANDY) had a MR. CLAUDIUS E. BENNETT (Federal Power Commission) in Washington last week trying to see (BASIL) MANLEY, but he had to see OLDS and WEINBROCK (instead) (Apparently attorneys for the Power Commission). CLARK states that WEINBROCK (phonetic) is coming out (to Omaha ?) to try the case. RICHARDS relates that OLDS and WEINBROCK told BENNETT that they didn't know who is going to handle the case. CLARK states that WEINBROCK is going to try it for the Commission and "they've really got blood in their eye." RICHARDS has been going through the Federal Power Commission Act and has been reading some decisions. RICHARDS is under the impression that they have jurisdiction under Section 204 as well as 203 and 205. RICHARDS thinks that the objections that he (RICHARDS) and CLARK files should be revised. RICHARDS has completed an extensive reply to JOHN DAWSON, following up RICHARDS testimony before the BOREN (phonetic) Committee, in which reply he has documented everything; it shows the whole damned set-up that DAWSON gave to the Commission is false; RICHARDS has in the reply also an analysis of the income tax situation, which shows that the opinion on which they predicate their claim of exemption is based on false premises and facts. RICHARDS was going to send all this information to MANLEY, but now thinks it best to send it to CLARK. CLARK agrees and states that he will see that WEINBROCK gets it. RICHARDS asked if CLARK can come out (to Omaha). CLARK doesn't think so and doesn't think he can contribute much. CLARK says, "WEINBROCK is going to do a real job on this and they're going to break this, BILL, just between you and me. We've really set the machinery here. Now, here's the situation: OLDS is the Commissioner in Charge -- he could go out there but he won't but, he's the Commissioner in Charge and that was done for a purpose and I think you're going to find it okay." RICHARDS asked if WEINBROCK will contact him (RICHARDS) as RICHARDS is going to have some strong witnesses. CLARK suggests RICHARDS call WEINBROCK and ask him. RICHARDS shouldn't tell WEINBROCK that CLARK told RICHARDS that WEINBROCK is in charge. RICHARDS is to tell him that MR. HANDY told RICHARDS about it. CLARK mentions that (CHARLES V. SHANNON (Formerly of Federal Power Commission) the General Counsel resigned about three weeks ago to go into private practice so WEINBROCK, though not next in line, is pretty close to it, and CLARK found out the whole business through MANLEY. CLARK asks "and they are really going to try to break it." RICHARDS states that when the story came out in Omaha that the order was out, the AP called and asked for a story but RICHARDS did not give it to them as he's been misquoted so often -- the World Herald deliberately misquotes him. RICHARDS then took the order over to the AP and the UP, let them read it, write their stories, and then had them read the stories back to him. The World Telegram, however, had their Washington Office's "Man Friday -- KENNEDY™ go to MANLEY and say that RICHARDS had said that the Commission had found so and so -- which MANLEY, of course, denied. The World Herald then came out with a story saying "RITCHIE (phonetic--RICHARDS ?) gives misinformation on subject."