$8,000,000 SHIPBUILDING 'KISS OFF' CALLED POSSIBLE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75-00149R000600090016-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: November 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 17, 1999
• Sequence Number: 16
• Publication Date: June 20, 1958
• Content Type: NSPR

BALTIMORE St JON 2 0 195
Approved For Release 2000/05/24: CIA-RDP75-00149R0
-11
`Kiss Off' C . i.led Possible!
r 7`'?;,60O,OOO ,,hipl)uilding
Ry HPLBN'Ua1.1tH
(bfaru(me Editor of I he Stint
Washington; ,tune 19 -Aris-
totle S. Onassis,.Greek shipping
magnate, today said he could
have "kissed off" an $8,040,000
payment to the United States
Government and been under no
ohligation thereafter to build
any ships for the American flag.
However, the naturalized Ar-
gentine. citizen, who enthralled
'a crowdede -hearing room wilh
his flowery phrases as ho talked
about his business transactions
that have grossed him,hunds?Cds
of millions of dollars said the
Maritime Administration and an
official of his own company said
then wanted to build the ships,
so Onassis went along with
theft. - '
Testified Standing '
During the entire 2i.*2 hours
that the short rather stocky in-
terhatlonal millionaire who op-
erates his empire from 'big head-
quartcria In Monte Carig tfstt
fled before a subcommittee of
the House Merchant Marine and
Fisheries Committee, he stood
.up with lug hands on the back
of I chair or gesticulating freely.
After relating the number of
American seampn he had kept
employed on the thirteen ships
in questti(.n-I,000' m'n for 10
. Nears-and on Others,' he drolly
Istated:
-"If .1 had done ituit In Filg-
land or Arty placer lit, I would
have bean knlgh iitk. In tile
Jnited States ram Indicted.'"
The abips in Ntles
with 51 per cent United States
citizenship ownership, Mr. Onu-
sis replied:
"That. is an interesting story.
err.,, will he surnrised at the
answor. We consulted with law' y k
i
s
n
g 375 lawyers
firms totalin their partnerships and ? mem-1 1 ; .
bcrships," r. 1 ' P'
Names Given ! 4
They?are 'Bing ti-iilt at Chet
Bethlehem ;4nl.t' 1 ompsn' f-t ip
N itrd in Qi',I '; - 'Mass., in behalf
of a trus'i rAir) ,i;hn,cnt for his
Amerie'iti Nr t ?hlldien olio he
said too y ft ahroal
The fN,'I it contr9 s7oE.,oli'1?r'
i,trMii~li4~ixttia Irlnrtkn (D..
lie cited the.namea, Including
"Mr. George Lord, who is the f ~:s
highest authority on adm'iraity
bert Brownell. lr., former attor-
ney general of the United States
who was In the Federal Govern-
ment office at the time Onasris
was Indicted, is a member of
the firm of Lord. Day and Lord.
Mr. Onassis added that he
had ?ald "fancy fees" for the 5(1-
'which led him to being in-
i
v
ce
dicted later. lie also added that
ne felt that he could have fouga '
the United. States'Covrrnmen)
hi{i
f th
e a
on,the entire Issue o
sales and won over a period yil
years, but he wanted to "psy4
the ransom and become a fref
.
man
'
His "ransom" was. $7,0U0.0 0i,
in tines and the L'on-struction oft k
vessels under American flag.
did I
whether his Arizona {Loci[ Waa;f,s -
n ttimaeif-
-ICPYRGHT
Approved For Release 2000/05/24: CIA-RDP75-00149R000600090016-3