DODD SEEKING TO AMEND SUIT

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75-00149R000200300049-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: November 11, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 20, 1999
• Sequence Number: 49
• Publication Date: May 26, 1966
• Content Type: NSPR

STATINTL
Sanitized - Approved For Rele :2SII DP75-OO149R
noaa Seeking
To Amend suet
11 ' Pearson Statement a conspiracy to "induce, aid and
A statement relca rd by abet" Dodd's employes to
Peason's office said: remove documents ' from the
"It seems to us that the drop-senator's office and later pub-
ping of 10 significant counts is fished material from those
an indirect admission that Dodd [ allegedly stolen documents,
did accept compensation from
companies for which he did
favors, and that he did profit
from the proceeds of campaign
dinners. We intend to prosecute
the defense of this suit vigorous-
ly."'
A statement released by
Dodd's office, however, de-
scribed the action as "measures
that would insure trial at the
earliest possible dale."
In a motion for relief filed
with the court, Sonnett said the
action was taken to "concen-
trate this case, on the fewest
possible hard-core issues."
His motion said the new suit
2. They inaccurately wrote
that Dodd made a 1964 trip to
%Vest Germany to aid Julius
Klein, a Chicago public relations
man who is a registered foreign
agent for West German Inter-
ests.
Klein was the subject, of
extensive publicity in the West
German press after he was
called by a Senate Foreign
Relations Committee probe of
foreign agents in 1963.
The columnists said Dodd's
,trip was designed to help Klein
"hang on to his clients" and that
Dodd "accepted expensive gifts"
from Klein in return for th
e
Moves to Withdraw
10 of 14 Charges
By ROBERT WALTERS
Attorneys for, Sen. Thomas J.
Dodd, D-Conn., today moved -to
drop 10 of the; 14 charges con-
Itained in a libel suit Dodd filed
against' newspaper columnists
Drew Pearson and Jack Ander
lson.
Dodd's lawyers also reduced
their damage claim- from $5
,million' to $2 'million, waived
their. right to a .jury. trial, asked
;for assignment of a single judge.
to the case and said they hoped
the suit would be brought_.to
trial, by July., ..
The developments came in a
series of legal papers filed in
U.S. District Court here by John
F. Sonnett and Donald Mulvi-.
hill,' the a ttorneys who have
represented Dodd since the
initial suit was filed May 6.
Among the charges dropped
by Dodd were charges that the
columnists inaccurately report-
led the senator's 'two-year log
of a car from a Connecticut
businessman and the senator's
alleged transfer of campaign
funds for personal use.
Remaining Allegations
The amended suit against the
tcolumnists, contains one charge
of conspiracy, ' two. specific
allegations of libel and a fourth
`count charging that the Pear-
,son-Anderson columns, taken
together, have damaged Dodd's
reputation.
The move came as Dodd's
attorneys were scheduled to
take the first deposition in the
case-a pretrial statement from
James P. Boyd, the senator's
former administrative assistant:
Sonnett estimated that the
examination of Boyd would take
about three days. The ]text ings in this suit would subject;
scheduled deposition is to be Sen. Dodd to continued assault l
taken from Dodd by attorneys
for the columnists.
Elimination of the to earlier
allegations would mean that
charged that Pearson and' assistance.
Anderson conspired to damage 3. They inaccurately wrote
Dodds reputation only in 1965j'th3 Dodd ato subvert
and 1966, while the initial suit attempted
n1lannri Ihnt thn rnn-nirnrvlI U.S. foreign policy in the Congo
began In 1958 and continued
through this year.
Shift on Depnsilions
Sonnett had earlier said he
in 1961 by "acting in cooperation
with another foreign agent,
Michael Struelens."
Struelens, chief of information
services for the breakaway
Province of Katanga, had offices
I wanted to take depositions from In this country but was ordered
Ithe two defendants, two sccre-by the federal government to
th
i
t
e coun
ry
n 1962
ti i th bildih Iweave
aresneung were.
4 Ther col mns ! k n
"malice and reckless disregard".
for the truth. Pearson and
Anderson have written . more
than 30 columns about Dodd j
since late January.
Earlier Allegations
Among the earlier allegations
by the columnists contested in
the initial libel suit but not
included in the amended com-
plaint are charges that Dodd:
1. Accepted a two-year loan of
a car from a Connecticut con-
tractor and later interceded
with federal agencies to gain
government contracts for the
businessman.
2. Diverted for his personal
use funds raised at a series of
testimonial dinners and ear-
marked for campaign pur-
poses, then failed to report the
money on his federal income
tax. Dodd claims the money
represents tax-free gifts.
3. Accepted a "whopping $500,-
000" legal fee from the Team-
sters Union,
4. Misused his position as a
senator to reward the Korean
government and several firms
and individuals who had given
gifts to him.
The Senate Ethics Committee
has announeed its intention to
hold public hearings on Dodd's
relationship with Klein, but has
not yet scheduled a date for the
Anderson works and five former together, tend tocast doubt on
employes of Dodd. Dodd's ..ability to serve as a
In his motion today, however,
Sonnett said he was prepared to
forego taking pretrial state-
ments from at least two of the
'nine persons "and maybe able
to forego some others, depend-
ing on the truthfulness of those
to be examined."
Sonnett also charged' that the
columnists were attempting to
"delay and commercially exploit
this case in every way poser
ble."
! He further charged that
Pearson and Anderson were
"determined to cast reflections
not only on the plaintiff, but as
well on this court, on the Feder
al Bureau of Investigation and
on anyone else who refuses to.
"Protracted pretrial proceed-
in Pearson's column," said a
statement released by . the 1 .1
senator's office.
'The remaining allegations
against the . columnists are
about them because the charges! these: - , . , ' 1 1
are no longer relevant to the] 1..They unlawfully'engagedin
Case
senator and were made with first session. . '
Sanitized - Approved For Release : CIA-RbP75-00149ROO0200300049-7 '