KLEIN DESCRIBES DODD'S INTERVENTION WITH WEST GERMANS

Document Type: 
Collection: 
Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 
CIA-RDP75-00149R000200290067-9
Release Decision: 
RIPPUB
Original Classification: 
K
Document Page Count: 
2
Document Creation Date: 
November 11, 2016
Document Release Date: 
June 2, 1999
Sequence Number: 
67
Case Number: 
Publication Date: 
July 15, 1966
Content Type: 
NSPR
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PDF icon CIA-RDP75-00149R000200290067-9.pdf345.21 KB
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WASHINGTON STAR 1.1 Approved For Release 1999/09/1i7oLCiA5RW5-00149R000200291 STATINTL 'HEADLINES WERE SNOWBALLING OVER 'THEW rv- 77;1" it 77 escribes is 1 terventioni By JERRY BUCK ' Associated Press Staff Writer . NEW YORK?Public rein- 'tions man Julius Klein said: , today that when he learned: Sen. Thomas Dodd, . D-Conn., : was going to West Germany in 1964, "I asked him to speak , up for me" because the ? . headlines were "snowballing" ' .there. . Klein, a registered agent for, West German business inter-: ' ests, said he had been hurt by . a 1963 hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on foreign agents. Klein is scheduled to appear' Tuesday before the Senate Ethics Committee investigat- ing charges against Dodd. "I knew he was making the , trip," Klein said in an inter- ' view. "At the same time I ? asked him to speak up for me In West Germany." He added: ? ' "I wrote every member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and asked if they . would be good enough to ?explain that I was not tried, convicted or criticized by the ' committee?only by Sen. ? ' Fulbright (.1. William Ful- bright, D-Ark., the chairman). ." When I found out Senator ? Dodd was leaving, I asked him if he would do the same. , The headlines were snowball- ing over there." ,? ? The Ethics Committee is i'investigating charges by? columnists Drew Pearson and Jack Anderson that Dodd made the trip to West Germa- ny In 1964 to help Klein retain his clients. When Dodd testified before ? the committee June 27, he denied making the trip in ith West Gernions Klein's behalf. The senator 'said he was conducting an, investigation for the Senate ? Internal Security subcommit- ? tee and sought to help Klein' only as a side benefit. Klein, 64, stocky and owlish, , chain-smoked cigars in a ? white holder as he answered questions about his relation-: ship with Dodd. ? . . The wall of his office in his suite in the Essex House held numerous pictures of Klein; with famous personages?. Dwight D. Eisenhower, Harry: Truman, Gen. Douglas Mac- Arthur, Adm. Cheater W. Nimitz and others. As Klein discussed the Dodd case, his wife came into the office and held up a brown, fringed piece of cloth, about ? the size of a place mat. "This Is the famous Persian rug," ' she said. She was referring to allega- tions that Klein had given Dodd a Persian reg. Dodd testified at the heings in Washington that the rig was a $2 place mat that ,,ecompa- nied a Christmas cord from the Hleins in 1964. ' Here are Klein's answers to other questions in the Inter-, ? view? : Q. Have you ever done any favors for Senator Dodd? Or any other congressman? A. Senator Dodd has stayed in my suite in the Essex. House in New York. He was my guest. This apartment is rented by the year. If I'm not here it's available to my friends. Senator Dodd paid for his own services here. He made his telephone calls collect. This is my second WV:M ? ?Associated Press Julius Klein talks t,04 reporter in his suite in New York. ? ? ? home. I have a right to have anybody in my home I like. Q, Have ? you ever given' Senator Dodd any money or any gifts of value? , A. have never given Sen. A .Dodd, any gifts' of value. I ; have 'contributed to his cam- Nilo committees from the i day he ran for Congress to the day he ran for the Senate. That goes for: every other Approved For Release 1999/09/17 : CIA-RDP75-00149R000200290067-9 Cont 'hued ApproVed For Release 1999/09/17 : CIA-RDP75-00149R000200290067-9 !congressman. I've never` . _ given any of them a gift. As I, an old Republican I have made campaign contributions to congressmen whose posi- tions I support. ? Q. It has been alleged that In several letters you used , strong language to protest the ? ? c fact that Dodd did not attend the 1963 Foreign Relations ?7 Committee hearings. Is that i ,., correct? f ,. *,1 , A. Well, I Was disappointed ., that Senator Dodd was not ' there. Being a Republican I had hoped a Democrat would ? be , there. I didn't want any. Republicans coming to my.. 11, defense?it would look like' 1 politics. Afterwards, Senator, , rirDodd wrote a letter to Senator !,. Fullbright in which he outlined: '',, and clarified my position. He . told' Senator Fulbright what. he thought about me and asked ?that the record be set' i'?,, straight. Senator Fulbright ' said this letter was too late to ., , be included. It has never been ; i(, released publicly. It would p. have done me a lot of good. , '., ? Q, Have you ever furnished, '7, material to Senator Dodd with: .?? the request that he present it f! on the Senate floor or have itl i. inserted into the Congression- al Record? To your knowl-: edge, has be ever done so? ,. A. I have sent him, material: to be inserted lad the. :,., Congressional Record, yes,`; ! sir. And to many other sena-1 tors also, which I haVe a right! 1.1 , to not only as a ,citizen, but i r v as a registered agent. for 1 foreign interests. .I sent! :material to a lot of Senators? 'I still do. ...'? ?' , , ,? Q. .There /last been testimo-!; nay that , the . letters Senator? ,$ Dodd wrote to Dr. Ludger, , Westrick, the West German state secretary, were identical to ones drafted by you. Did you draft such letters for Senator Dodd. A. I was in his office when this letter arrived from Dr. Westrick. It was in German and I immediately translated it. He wanted to answer right away. I said, "Listen, Tom, I know the mentality of the Germans. Let me answer that letter." Yes, sir, I drafted that letter. I returned to my Chicago office and sent him a suggested draft. U Senator. Dodd hadn't liked 'what I .wrote he could have thrown it ? Into the Wastebasket: 4 ? ? , JUL 1.5 ?ass Approved For Release 1999/09/17 : CIA-RDP75-00149R000200290067-9 ?,? -I ?