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I refuse to answer the questions indicated here and on constitutional grounds because I believe this investigation is unrelated to any legislative purpose. I certainly cannot sit here and assume the responsibility are those individuals. I just come here because I was commanded to in un wouldn't cooper

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with this committee. I refuse to answer that question, Mr Aaron. I refuse to answer that question. If you're wondering about those people back there. They are witnesses. American citizens had been asked questions by congressional investigating committees and our witnesses, were they answering the questions? Well, hardly

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and they were within their rights when they didn't answer then is Congress entitled to ask those questions? Oh, definitely ours. You see is a nation of laws the constitution declares and here it is all legislative powers shall be vested in a Congress and constitutional law. And

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the courts have always held that when the constitution empowered Congress to make the laws, it empowered Congress to gather the information on which those laws are. To be based. The object of such information gathering is to determine whether new laws are needed or old ones should

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be revised. And to find out just how Well, the laws on the books are being administered. That is how well your government is being run, but you can't write her on the law and you can't write a law unless you know what you are doing. You

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must have the facts, you must have the figures. Thus, when facts are needed, assignments are given to congressional investigating committees old established. Absolutely legal arms of the United States Congress from its very beginning. Well, what were those beginnings for the committees? How did our congressional investigating

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committees get their start? The first congressional investigation? And with it, the first congressional investigating committee came into being a long while ago. The year was 1792. The place was Philadelphia. At that time, the capital of the New Little American Republic 1792 a mere three years after

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the adoption of the constitution, three years after the birth of the United States government. And do you know the subject of that very first inquiry? It was a probe of the military. No less, not much that's new. Is there on the far frontier of Ohio way?

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American troops cent to fight Indians met with a shattering disaster. 600 American soldiers were killed, an angry nation wanted to know who was responsible for the catastrophe. The House of Representatives promised an answer. A committee of inquiry said the commander Major General Arthur ST Clair, United

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States Army was blameless but it held the War Department's quartermasters negligent in not providing the general with sufficient supplies, enough trained men and that's how congressional investigations came about. Probe. Number two was launched in the very next year, 1793 it was an examination of the official

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conduct of the Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton for a quarter of a century. All of the inquiries were conducted by the House of Representatives. Then in 1818, the Senate set up an investigating committee of its own. The object was to determine whether an individualistic major

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general named Andrew Jackson had assumed more authority during the Seminole war. The need been entitled to wield. There was a new development in 1861 Congress created the first joint committee of inquiry that means its membership was selected from both House and Senate. It was called the

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joint Committee on the conduct of the war and the investigations went on in much more modern times. 1923 and 24 to be exact, congressional investigators pried the lid off the most famous of all instances of corruption in the government. The scandal called Teapot Dome, broadly speaking,

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the probe related to oil leases and centered around the Secretary of the Interior and the Attorney General. Teapot Dome is tremendously important in the story of congressional investigations for one thing. And it is the legislative reference service of the Library of Congress that is being quoted

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here. The United States Supreme Court in sweeping terms, ratified the power of Congress to inquire into the administration of an executive department. In the same decision, the high tribunal laid down the rule that whenever Congress authorizes an investigation, that investigation must be presumed automatically to have

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a legislative purpose. The court said that this would hold true even where the legislative purpose is not actually stated. Furthermore, the Supreme Court decreed that both Senate and House have the authority to compel any private individual to appear and to testify, provided, appearing and testifying can

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help either chamber to carry out its lawmaking function by the time of Teapot Dome in the early twenties, remember the Treasury and Interior Departments each had been investigated by Congress some 50 times and beginning with John Adams. But counting only as far as Woodrow Wilson, presidents

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of the United States were the subject of 23 separate congressional inquiries. But here I am telling you what congressional committees have done without first telling you what they're supposed to do and how they are supposed to do it. Let's say some aspect of the nation's agriculture

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seems to need investigating the Billy Sol S case was a famous example. The appropriate committee undertakes the task staff. Investigators found out collecting the preliminary information that will tell whether a full scale hearing is to be required. If hearings are held, witnesses are called and questions

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asked, the testimony may be published. Findings are analyzed, reports are issued to Senate or House of Representatives and if the investigating committee feels that legislative action is needed. It suggests what in its opinion should be done to put it another way. Congressional investigating committees have three

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basic responsibilities. They aid in legislation by gathering facts upon which legislation is based, they have to check and balance the other branches of government and by making their findings to the Congress and to the people the Congress represents, they contribute to an informed public opinion. Now,

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naturally the committees are specialists. Usually a committee's name identifies its field. For instance, banking and currency, education and labor, public works. Each committee's area of operations is limited. Its authority is limited, its purpose is limited but most rigidly limited of all is its procedures. Here's an

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example of rules formulated by an investigating committee in the House of Representatives approved by the House and frozen in print. Now, let's see whether we can turn those words into pictures. By the way, some of the pictures come from film made at the time the events

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happened, forgive us if the film occasionally looks its age, it may not always be pretty, but it's always true. Aid in legislation in that department. I'm sure you're way ahead of me here. The committee's duty is to come up with recommendations for new laws or suggestions

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for ways to improve laws that already exist. Those hearings cover such far ranging subjects as excessive violence in entertainment. No, I didn't say that, sir. I said that I'm satisfied that it didn't happen as far as the television network is concerned, I can't speak for the

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industry, juvenile delinquency, the delinquents from the teenage gangs must be disarmed and disarmed immediately. Otherwise parts of our city are going to become jungles unsafe for people to live in or travel through espionage, labor racketeering about the fact that you gave $175 a week in cash

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to Mr Mchugh. And it was your impression at the time you were giving it that it was going into his pocket. Now, isn't that correct? Later on, I have from my various statements said, and what I heard is was his opinion that probably they are coming.

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Well, then you continued to pay the money. I continue to pay the money. Well, then you were giving him a bribe. Is that a question? That's a question. Why did you do it? Because I was given a, given an assignment by the general president to in

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both instances, try to work out a situation. There's Frank Costello, Senator Charles Toby is asking the questions after that you must have in your mind, some things you've done that you can speak of to your credit as an American citizen. If so, what are they paid

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by tax? Here's Joe Viac blowing the whistle on the worldwide crime syndicate, the mafia working toward legislation. The committees may also look into such things as the nation's space effort. Hearing from such renowned space scientists as Dr Werner von Braun, or they may consider the public

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health or trade practices. For example, the Senate sub-committee on antitrust and monopoly concerned itself with the US prescription drug industry. Estes Claver was the chairman. Our idea there is that some drugs costing a little to me by virtue of the pattern monopoly are being sold at

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what I think to be very unreasonable price. Galva blamed this on patent monopolies. Officials of the drug industry strongly challenged statements about high prices. Furthermore, they insisted that the senator's control bill would practically destroy drug research in this country. Thus crippling medical advancement among the protesting

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witnesses was the renowned Dr Van Nar Bush board, chairman of one of the largest pharmaceutical firms and former head of the government's Office of Scientific Research and Development. I'll go along with you on this, Mr Chairman. I think a lot of things in this country cost

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too much money. I wouldn't include just drugs when I buy an automobile. I think it cost me too much money. One of the reasons is that there is a great expense incurred in selling me the automobile. Now, unfortunately, that's one of the penalties that we pay

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for the free enterprise system. The costs of selling are high. I wouldn't abandon the essential nature of the free enterprise system in order to save those few dollars because I know what the alternative would be. The alternative would be a government manufactured automobile sold to me

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at a price dictated by a bureaucrat and probably not able to run more than 2000 miles before it broke down. Almost as important as aiding in legislation is the committee's watchdog function. Each continuing congressional committee is required to keep an eye on certain major laws already

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on the statute books to make sure those laws are being administered in the best interests of the American people. This is part of checking on the executive and judicial branches, Capitol Hill and the White House could hardly have been on friendlier terms than during the first

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two Congresses of Franklin D Roosevelt's New deal in the 19 thirties. Yet in that brief four year period, 165 congressional investigations were undertaken, 45 of them critical of the executive branch and another 51 designed to improve the executive's operations even where no real fault was implied.

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Finally, the third function informing the public, the American Admiral who commanded at Pearl Harbor when the Japanese attacked is testifying the dispatch, fixing the hour for the delivery of the Japanese model in the United States at 1 p.m. Washington time was intercepted and decoded by the

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Navy Department by seven on the morning of December 7th 7 a.m. Washington time. Then 6.5 hours later, this investigation succeeds in preserving for the future the pertinent facts about Pearl Harbor. I shall be content yet there are Americans who oppose the investigatory system often on the

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grounds that it interferes with freedom of thought speech and association guaranteed by the first amendment to the US constitution. Witnesses trying to avoid answering congressional questions by invoking the first amendment, usually call on the much better known fifth amendment as well. The fifth covers quite a

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lot of ground. However, the one and only applicable phrase in the amendment is the statement that no person shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself. Let's repeat that no person shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness

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against himself. But investigations by congressional committees aren't criminal cases. Such committees are not courts of criminal law. In fact, they aren't courts of any kind. They don't try anyone and they can't sentence anyone. And insofar as witnesses are concerned, a committee's sole objective is information. Nevertheless,

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I refuse to answer the indicated questions on further constitutional grounds that the answers to such questions might tend to incriminate me. I would expect me to kind to answer because I honestly believe and I answered my 10 to imprison when our cord Miller this morning identified

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you as a communist. He did so that he was under oath. We like to give you an opportunity now to deny it while you're under. Do you care to build yourself of that opportunity? Or was Clifford Miller lying when he said this morning that he knew

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you as a communist or was Clifford Miller telling the truth much of the opposition to congressional investigating committees centers in one turbulent area, loyalty security. That's where the committee's inquiry into subversion, espionage, sabotage, and general disloyalty. Two such committees are absolutely basic targets. The House Committee

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on Un American activities in existence since 1938 and the Senate Internal Security sub-committee in existence since 1950. This is Representative Edwin E Willis of Louisiana, chairman of the Committee on Un American activities. Our purpose in conducting these hearings is to obtain information which will aid Congress

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in formulating laws to deal most effectively with the problems of communism as it affects the security of our nation in its very first year now. Well, over a quarter of a century ago, the Special Committee on Un American activities investigated the four major forces threatening the

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safety of the United States, fascism, Japanese militarism communism, Nazism. Hey, good afternoon. 1939 an investigation of the German American Bund, not Nazism far across the ocean, but Nazism here in the USA Fritz Kuhn was to be the American Hitler largely as a result of

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those hearings. Our government deported the furor to be to his native Germany. In 1940 the committee presented preliminary evidence that Japan intended to attack. The attack did come Martin dye. The committee's first chairman traced his group's spot in unearthing the birds of activities that preceded the

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attack. More than a year ago. Our committee began an intensive investigation of Japanese fifth column activities in this country. Our agents obtained a vast amount of evidence, both documentary and oral showing that Japan had long planned the conquest of the United States by surprise attack from

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Pearl Harbor, midway, the Philippine Islands, the Panama Canal and our west coast with World War two at an end. And communism free to resume its drive for control of the world. The House Committee on un-american activities concentrated on that menace to American safety among the House

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Committee's contributions, unmasking Gerhard Eisler as one of the international communism's top agents in the USA indicted by a federal grand jury then fried on Bale Gerhard Eisler shocked this nation when he skipped bond, fled on the Polish liner bato and became director of propaganda of Communist

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East Germany. The committee on Un American activities does not deal only with big names. Arthur Eugene Jr is an ordinary American but Arthur Eugene endured dangerous years in the Communist Party as an undercover man for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, furnishing

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information to your government. Mr Eugene during the course of your membership in the Communist Party. Did you know a person as a communist by the name of Lee Brown? Yes, I did. Do you see the person in the courtroom today? Now whom you knew as Lee

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Brown, would you look him in the eye and point him out to this committee while you're under oath? 1948 Elizabeth Bentley, one time carrier and contact woman for an elite communist F ring high within the United States government testified about Soviet espionage during World War. I

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I here's a fragment of what she told the committee on Un American activities. We were getting information from the army, particularly the air car, from the Treasury, from the State Department, from the Os S from the CIA A for Manpower Commission. I think that about covers

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it following such leads. The investigators uncovered a grave breach of American security. A discovery that developed into the celebrated his case. Alger Hiss, high official in our Department of State and advisor on policy at the highest level in sworn testimony before the House Committee on Un

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American activities in 1948 Whittaker Chambers, then senior editor of Time magazine revealed himself as a former communist who had directed a concealed network in Washington designed to overthrow the United States government. And Alger Hiss or Chambers was a communist and a member of this apparatus under

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oath. Alger has denied the allegations. I am not and never have been a member of the Communist Party afterward in a court deposition. And before a federal grand jury chambers swore that Alger Hiss was more than a Communist hiss was said, Whittaker Chambers also deeply involved

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in espionage. The federal grand jury summoned both Hiss and Chambers. It heard their stories. It examined the evidence. It indicted Alger Hiss on charges of lying to that jury tried in a Federal Court on two counts of perjury Hiss was found guilty. The sentence was five

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years and the government penitentiary on each of the two counts except for legislation, then existing Alger Hiss might have been tried for wartime espionage as a result of the chamber's accusations. However, the testimony came from chambers more than three years after the alleged acts of espionage

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were said to have occurred. And the federal statute of limitations in such matters had only a three year span. The Committee on un-american activities recommended that the three year limitation be raised to 10. Congress adopted the recommendation, the president signed it into law even so some

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insist that the committee performs no legislative functions as long ago as 1960 the Library of Congress searched the record. The library's report says Congress has adopted well over 40 pieces of legislation proposed by the House Committee on Un American activities. As a committee chairman told one

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ex communist witness who was willing to help his government, that you have made a tremendous contribution more than you and many people believe where else and how else can we find the material with which to keep on revising the loopholes in the law and to conceive

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new ones? Woodrow Wilson while still a university professor summed it up with enduring precision. Congress in committee he wrote is Congress at work. Recent presidents of the United States have been consistently firm in support of the fact finding efforts of House and Senate Harry S Truman

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had been a member of congressional investigating committees he once declared and I quote, the power of investigation is one of the most important powers of Congress and Truman added an informed Congress is a wise congress. John F. Kennedy likewise served on congressional committees of inquiry and

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of them. He said, and again, I quote, I am well satisfied with the present arrangement. What did Dwight D Eisenhower believe this? I do uphold with all the emphasis I can the right of Congress to investigate in order to form the basis of legitimate legislation in

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any field in which the Congress feels it has a responsibility, the power and the dignity of the Congress in this regard are in good hands. Yes. In this regard, the power and dignity of the Congress are indeed in good hands in the good hands of the

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congressional investigating committee system as that system operates. To give us the best possible laws, sound laws, safeguard our liberties. And since among free men in a free nation, questions always must be asked and answers always must be found the power and the dignity in truth, even

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the future of our government, our country, our persons may rest in those self. Same hands for legislation. Be it eternally remembered? Legislation can never be better than the information from which it is shaped.