worth as an employee in a normal relationship to settle labor difficulties.

Mr. BURSTEIN. And, Mr. Senator, this witness has unequivocally denied that. Our books and records are available for inspection at any time to the committee.

Mr. KENNEDY. As I understand it, you are not denying that you hired him in order to get labor peace?

Mr. MONTANTI. No.

Mr. KENNEDY. That is the reason that you hired him, to bring you

labor peace.

Mr. MONTANTI. That is right. I have said that, Mr. Kennedy. Mr. KENNEDY. That was one of the points. This man was a man who at that time when he came to you, told you he was trying to straighten out and go straight; is that right?

Mr. MONTANTI. When he came to work for me I did not know of any record that he had. When he was working for me for a while, he did come to me and he told me that he appreciated the job and he wanted to go straight. That is correct. That was after he was working for me.

Mr. KENNEDY. So that you did know the fact that he had this background, this criminal background

Mr. MONTANTI. No, I did not. I thought he was just like anybody else on the Brooklyn waterfront who was in trouble. I thought he was a bookie, somebody taking book or something like that. I didn't know anything about his background.

Mr. KENNEDY. You knew he was able to get along with somebody like "Ding Dong" Bell, Buster Bell?

Mr. MONTANTI. Well, Mr. Kennedy, if you lived on the waterfront as long as he did, you might know him.

Mr. KENNEDY. This was somebody special, somebody who can get along with this man. This man "Ding Dong" Bell has 13 arrests, 5 convictions, 3 for disorderly conduct, and 1 for possession of a gun. On June 23, 1935, he was arrested for public enemy law, possession of gas bombs, receiving stolen bombs, stolen auto. He was sentenced in 1935 to 10 to 20 years at the New Jersey State Prison.

Are you listening to me?

Mr. BURSTEIN. Yes.

Mr. KENNEDY. On January 16, 1935, he was shot in a lunch wagon in Manhattan.

The CHAIRMAN. Is he regarded as a tough character?

Mr. MONTANTI. Please believe me, I am telling you this truthfully. I only know what I have been reading in the newspapers and that is the God's honest truth. Please believe me. I have heard many things about the man now.

Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. Chairman?

The point, and a very critical point, is the fact that you as a businessman, and maybe it is necessary-the point is that you as a businessman hired a man with a criminal record in order to deal with these other people.

Mr. MONTANTI. Mr. Kennedy, I have already told you that I did not know of this criminal record.

Mr. KENNEDY. You knew of his criminal associates. You knew that at the time you hired him—

except when he told me when he came down to see me looking for work he was trying to straighten out and go straight.

You certainly knew at the time the grand jury investigation was made in January 1956. You certainly knew then, because they explained it to you.

Mr. MONTANTI. Well, tell me, so what? I found out then. That is when I found out that he maybe had a record. But they still didn't tell me what his record was.

Mr. KENNEDY. You certainly could have found out very easily. Mr. MONTANTI. I don't know about that. I tried to find out and they wouldn't tell me.

Mr. KENNEDY. You couldn't have gone to the police department and found out his record?

Mr. MONTANTI. Mr. Kennedy, I don't know how familiar you are with the waterfront, but if I had to screen everybody who comes to work for me please let me finish the statement-if I had to screen everybody who comes to work for the Monti Marine organization, or anybody else along the waterfront, steamship companies, ship repair, if they had to screen everybody who came into their gates, it would be some problem. I am not kidding.

Mr. KENNEDY. You are hiring this man for labor peace. This man has a criminal background and you are hiring him in order to deal with these people.

Mr. MONTANTI. And I will still say I did not know about his criminal background.

Mr. KENNEDY. You certainly did in 1956.

Mr. MONTANTI. Mr. Kennedy, please, the man was already working for me. My attorney, Mr. Burstein, I think he knows everybody there is to know on the waterfront, or any other union in this country. Do I consider him to be a person of ill repute because he associates with those people? I would like an answer to that question, Mr. Kennedy. You are talking about association.

The CHAIRMAN. Just a moment now. If you thought he was that kind, I assume you would not employ him.

Mr. MONTANTI. Sir?

The CHAIRMAN. If you thought your lawyer was a crook, I assume you wouldn't employ him.

Mr. MONTANTI. That is correct, sir. That is very correct.

The CHAIRMAN. In the other matter of a public relations man, dealing with labor, obviously you hired a known criminal.

Mr. MONTANTI. No, sir; I did not hire him as a known criminal. The CHAIRMAN. At the time you hired him, you did not know it. Mr. MONTANTI. That is correct; I did not know it.

The CHAIRMAN. But thereafter you found out?

Mr. MONTANTI. Thereafter, when the grand jury was in Brooklyn, I found out that the man had a record. But up to that time, sir, I like to treat a man the way I find him. The man was doing a job for me. I did not know of anything he did beyond the law.

Mr. KENNEDY. Why didn't you break off relationship with him. after you found out?

Mr. MONTANTI. Well, I will tell you why. Just for the reasons that I am here today. Because there are articles in the newspaper that say that Mr. Lombardozzi was an officer of the Monti Marine Corp.,

and which he was never an officer of the Monti Marine Corp. That was a lie. It was printed in the newspaper. I deal with nice people. I deal with steamship companies and I deal with Government. Mr. KENNEDY. But you don't answer any questions.

Mr. MONTANTI. Please let me finish what I have to say. I think, Mr. Kennedy, you have said enough.

The CHAIRMAN. Listen, now

Mr. MONTANTI. I apologize. But let me get my point in. That is why I came, Senator McClellan.

Sir, I have been damaged so greatly that you have no idea. I deal with the Government, sir; I deal with steamship companies, and they are all nice people. I don't want them to think, sir, that I am not nice people. After all, sir, they read these articles in the newspaper and they have to think twice before they give me a contract.

Sir, I have worked 8 years to build up this organization. I have a fine organization. It speaks for itself. You can find out yourself. This is not fair.

The CHAIRMAN. What is not fair?

Mr. MONTANTI. For example here I am sorry.

The CHAIRMAN. Do you mean the newspaper article is not fair? Mr. MONTANTI. The statement that was made by Lieutenant Mooney where he said that Mr. Lombardozzi was a member of the Monti Marine Corp., also the statement where Lieutenant Mooney said to the committee here that the $750 that I paid to Mr. Lombardozzi, a week, was to keep my head from being bashed in, or some words to that effect. Sir, that is a lie.

The CHAIRMAN. All right. The lieutenant lied?

Mr. MONTANTI. Sir, I didn't say it was the lieutenant. I didn't say Lombardozzi. But it was one of them.

The CHAIRMAN. One of them lied?

Mr. MONTANTI. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. Have you anything further you want to say?

Mr. MONTANTI. I think I have said plenty.

Mr. BURSTEIN. Mr. Chairman, I don't think the witness wants to charge Lieutenant Mooney with lying.

The CHAIRMAN. Well, I don't know.

Mr. BURSTEIN. Might I say he is somewhat upsét, and he is emotionally disturbed over this situation.

The CHAIRMAN. Are you satisfied that his testimony up to now

Mr. BURSTEIN. I am satisfied with his statement. I do want to withdraw his comment that Lieutenant Mooney lied. I saw the transcript. I don't think Lieutenant Mooney identified Mr. Montanti or his company with Mr. Lombardozzi as an officer. There was a comment by one of the members of the committee, I believe it was Senator Kennedy, who concluded from a comment made by Lieutenant Mooney that the $750 with a labor payoff. This Mr. Montanti unequivocally denies. He has stated it under oath repeatedly in his statement, and again on examination, that he has never paid a cent. The fact that an individual knows a labor delegate certainly does not suggest any unusual relationship.

I have lectured at Columbia and New York University. I have taught on the faculties of two colleges. I have represented management. I know many labor representatives.

The CHAIRMAN. Now, will you answer the question? Are you satisfied that he has been given an opportunity?

Mr. BURSTEIN. Yes.

Mr. MONTANTI. Sir, I want to thank you very much. I did not mean that Lieutenant Mooney lied, sir. The truth might have been misconstrued a little bit.

I want to thank you very, very much, sir, for this opportunity.

The CHAIRMAN. I am sure you felt as though you had been injured by the testimony, and you wanted to come and correct it. Now we have given you the opportunity to make your statement, and undertook to interrogate you about some other things that might have been pertinent in weighing your testimony as against the testimony of others. But if you are satisfied that you have had your opportunity. I am satisfied.

Mr. MONTANTI. Thank you.

Mr. BURSTEIN. Thank you.

Mr. KENNEDY. Is he going? We have a lot more.

Mr. BURSTEIN. We are here.

Mr. MONTANTI. We are with you, Mr. Kennedy. We have been here since 10 o'clock. We are ready.

Mr. KENNEDY. We have these documents in connection with the generator.

Did you have anything to do with the purchase of the generator by Mr. Lombardozzi?

Mr. MONTANTI. No, sir. I stated that. You have that in the statement.

Mr. KENNEDY. Did you inspect the generator

The CHAIRMAN. Confine your interrogation to regarding the gen

erator.

Mr. KENNEDY. Did you have anything to do with setting up Mr. Lombardozzi's company which owned the generator?

Mr. MONTANTI. No, sir. I have stated that.

Mr. KENNEDY. Did you endorse the notes? Did you participate in the financial transaction for Mr. Lombardozzi purchasing the generator?

Mr. MONTANTI. Not that I know of.

Mr. KENNEDY. You did not?

Mr. MONTANTI. I don't think so, sir. I don't recall, but I doubt it very much.

The CHAIRMAN. Here seem to be exhibits that have been introduced. Have they been introduced?

Mr. KENNEDY. No. Can we put these documents in, Mr. Chairman? We have the documents and the records from the grand jury which have very many interesting passages. I do not want to keep the committee late.

The CHAIRMAN. I hand you here photostatic copies of what purport to be promissory notes dated January 13, 1955. There seems to be three of the notes. I believe they are in the amount of $1,000 each. I will ask you to examine those notes, the photostatic copies, and see if you can identify them.

(The documents were handed to the witness.)

(The witness conferred with his counsel.) Mr. MONTANTI. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. Do you identify the notes?

Mr. MONTANTI. Yes, sir; I do.

The CHAIRMAN. Did you become a guarantor or endorser of those notes, guaranteeing their payment?

Mr. MONTANTI. I think I can explain them, sir, if you want me to explain them.

The CHAIRMAN. Did you? Just answer "Yes" or "No."
Mr. MONTANTI. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. Those notes may be made exhibit No. 62.
(Documents referred to were marked

hibit No. 62" for reference and may be found in the files of the select committee.) Mr. MONTANTI. Now can I explain?

The CHAIRMAN. Yes, and I can show you another matter or two, and then you can make all of your explanations.

Mr. MONTANTI. I am sure we have explanations.

The CHAIRMAN. Now I show you a letter dated February 3, 1955, addressed to Mobile Marine Power Equipment Corp., apparently signed by Zelby & Burstein. I will ask you to examine that. It is on Zelby & Burstein attorneys' stationery. I will ask you to examine that letter and state if you identify it.

(The document was handed to the witness.)

The CHAIRMAN. Do you identify the copy of the letter?

Mr. MONTANTI. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. It may be made exhibit No. 62A.

(Document referred to was marked "Exhibit No. 62A" for refer

ence and may be found in the files of the select committee.)

The CHAIRMAN. I hand you another document which is apparently an inspection report, a photostatic copy of it.

Will you examine it and state if you identify it.

(The document was handed to the witness.)

Mr. MONTANTI. Sir, my name appears here, but it is not my sig

nature.

The CHAIRMAN. You may make explanation about that. That may be made exhibit No. 62B.

(Document referred to was marked "Exhibit No. 62B" for reference and may be found in the files of the select committee.)

Mr. MONTANTI. Sir, I can't identify it.

The CHAIRMAN. You cannot?

Mr. MONTANTI. I cannot.

The CHAIRMAN. You cannot identify it. Does it refer to the same generator that you have been interrogated about?

Mr. MONTANTI. Yes; I would say so.

The CHAIRMAN. You can say you don't identify it, or make any explanation about it that you want to.

Is there anything further?

Mr. KENNEDY. Does he want to explain the letter?

The CHAIRMAN. You may explain the notes and the letter.

Mr. BURSTEIN. May we see the notes first, please?

(The documents were handed to the witness.)

Mr. MONTANTI. Sir, at the time of the purchase of this generator, Mr. Heller did not know the Lombardozzis, and Mr. Heller knew me-Lombardozzi, that is Mr. Carmine Lombardozzi-and if I recall correctly there was $3,000 to be paid in monthly installments. I guess