DODD DEPOSITIONS TO BE MADE PUBLIC

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75-00149R000200300056-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: November 11, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 20, 1999
• Sequence Number: 56
• Publication Date: May 18, 1966
• Content Type: NSPR

BAY 18,1966
Sanitized - Approved For a ease : CIA-RDP7
No=.
I DODD DEPOSITIONS
TO BE MADE PUBLIC
U.S. 4udge Rules .;Against
Senatoi'''in Libel "Suit
WASHINGTON, May 17-A
Federal judge overruled today
,ti request by Senator Thomas
J. Dodd, Deanocrat'of Connecti-
cu't, that would' have kept so-
Icret the pretrial-statements, of
witnesses in, his $5-million libel
t
.and', eonspiracy suit agains
Drew, Pearson and Jack Ander-
lion, Washington columnists.
i. , United.States District Judge
Alexander Holtzoff told John
F.. Sonnett, Mr.. Dodd's lawyer,
,that the.. request for it court
,oxder. .; that would have sealed
,the. depositions of witnesses in
the di4pute until a trial actual-
Last Friday' ;Judge . Holtzoff
rejected the, columnists'' conten-
tion that the depositors, includ-
ing that of the Senator, should
be taken in open sessions. He
~itcrated -today his refusal to
order the'opcn questioning of,
any witnessoes, but. said that,
transcripts f thLi questioning:
would be made public as soon:
las they were filed in the court::
The deposition-taking process
Chas beer's point of special in-
i
o
-
s
terest.- According .to the dep
.tion schedule laid down by
Judge Holtzoff today, these in-
formal questioning sessions will
almost certainly precede-per?
hear by mromicd b the Sen 1j wecks-the hearings p Y
ate Select Cmmitteo on stand-'
l
ards and Conduct into the co
-1
umnists' charges against Mr.
.Dodd.
The judge ordered the first)
three such examinations-bY '
Mr. Sonnett of witnesses ap.
pearing for the columnists--'to
begin May 26. He ordered the,
t
.
a.11_-_tor to appear nex
in a series of more than 30
syndicated reports since and Mr.;
January, Mr. ~'
Anderson have. asserted that;
iN r- Doisoughtn to 'advance
improperly -the special interests of lobby-.
fists and businessmen and im-
properly converted campaign
'funds to his personal Ilse. ' flied
in his libel complaint,
)'May 6, the Senator, contended
that the. `columnists' eporrts,,
s
t
The suit may ,nnt; Dome to
trial until 1068 or-3969. because
. . . -i'-T.... ..a.
ntried
u
+sealing: rth '`depositions=-sworn
d
'
'
of; witnesses an
examinations,
part e'?r?to?a sutt.filed by. oppos-
ti.l victory. i`or:Mr. Pearson.'and
Mi,.: `Anderson,'? authors , of the
''.syndtcateds:.,golumn, "Wtishing
tl ' fylerr4.0?ktound, . . 'They
ttad.
~4ttr ed:,thGrcourt to author
dCpositionA be
ItA s
t> ~
"
,
,
,4take~1(" ,. ?Pe1 cat'1ngg,, with
cr
purportedly based on le
his
V ashington. office, were ?fal e,
;maliptous and defamatory,"'and
'were designed .to destroy his
t"accttpattgn?? rpputatton, . comp
fot%' 4nd:7~pul lldl: esteer-1'.'.'
Sanitized = Approved For Release : CIA-RDP75-00149R000200300:056-9