The CHAIRMAN. What name were you born under? Soltis or Summers?

Mr. SOLTIS. My name is Joseph Soltis, S-o-l-t-i-s.

The CHAIRMAN. You were born with that name? Your parents have that name?

Mr. SOLTIS. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. Thank you.

I now hand you some 12 or 13 photostatic copies of checks made payable to J. Summers. They vary in amount and date. Most of them, however, are dated this year, some time in 1961. They are on the account of Illinois Sports News, signed by James J. White and George A. Kelly. I ask you to examine these photostatic copies of checks which the clerk now presents to you and state if you identify them as being copies of the originals.

Mr. SOLTIS. I refuse to answer on the grounds that my answer might tend to incriminate me.

The CHAIRMAN. You have examined them. You have looked at them, have you?

Mr. SOLTIS. I refuse to answer on the grounds that my answer might tend to incriminate me.

sir.

The CHAIRMAN. Mr. Counsel, put them right in front of him, please,

Now look at them. Do you see a check there that you recognize? Mr. SOLTIS. I refuse to answer on the grounds that my answer might tend to incriminate me.

The CHAIRMAN. Turn them over and look at the back side of them and see the endorsements and see if you recognize the endorsement. What endorsement do you see on the back of them?

Mr. SOLTIS. I refuse to answer on the grounds that my answer might tend to incriminate me.

The CHAIRMAN. Do you see your own signature on there?

Mr. SOLTIS. I refuse to answer on the grounds that my answer might tend to incriminate me.

The CHAIRMAN. Would you mind writing your name on that pad there with a pencil? Just pick it up and write your name.

(The witness conferred with his counsel.)

Mr. SOLTIS. I refuse to answer on the grounds that my answer might tend to incriminate me.

The CHAIRMAN. Do you not know we can get copies of your signature at other places? You do not want to put your Government to that much trouble, do you?

Mr. SOLTIS. I refuse

The CHAIRMAN. Can you not accommodate us just a little?

Mr. SOLTIS. I refuse to answer on the grounds that my answer might tend to incriminate me.

The CHAIRMAN. Were not all these checks sent to you or delivered to you, all of them?

(The witness conferred with his counsel.)

Mr. SOLTIS. I refuse to answer on the grounds that my answer might tend to incriminate me.

The CHAIRMAN. Did you not endorse them? Does not the name J. Summers appear on the reverse side as endorsements? Is that not your signature, and did you not endorse them and get the money?

Mr. SOLTIS. I refuse to answer on the grounds that my answer may tend to incriminate me.

The CHAIRMAN. The checks may be made exhibit No. 40 in bulk and arranged in the order of their date.

(The documents referred to were marked "Exhibit No. 40" for reference and may be found in the files of the subcommittee.)

The CHAIRMAN. All right, Mr. Counsel.

Mr. ADLERMAN. You were born under the name of Soltis, were you not?

Mr. SOLTIS. Yes, sir.

Mr. ADLERMAN. Your father was a well-known character named "Polock Joe" Soltis?

Mr. SOLTIS. I refuse to answer on the grounds that my answer might tend to incriminate me.

Mr. ADLERMAN. And you changed your name to Summers because you did not want to be known by the name of Soltis?

Mr. SOLTIS. I refuse to answer on the grounds that my answer might tend to incriminate me.

Mr. ADLERMAN. And you were carried on the payroll of the Illinois Sports News under the name of Joe Summers until March or April of 1961?

Mr. SOLTIS. I refuse to answer on the grounds that my answer might tend to incriminate me.

The CHAIRMAN. Why did you change your name?

Mr. SOLTIS. I refuse to answer on the grounds that my answer might tend to incriminate me.

The CHAIRMAN. Which name do you want us to call you, Summers or Soltis? We will try to accommodate you. You are not accommodating us. If you will make a choice, we will respect it.

Mr. SOLTIS. I refuse to answer on the ground that my answer might tend to incriminate me.

Mr. ADLERMAN. I would like to point out, on these checks which were just admitted, the last check of March 25, 1961, is made out to J. Summers, and the check of April 1, 1961, is made out to J. R. Soltis. The CHAIRMAN. Is your middle initial "R."?

Mr. SOLTIS. I refuse to answer on the ground that my answer might tend to incriminate me.

The CHAIRMAN. Joe, you are getting yourself into kind of a knot here. I don't know what is wrong with "R." Do you know? It is in the alphabet. It is not different from any other letters, is it, except as an identifying mark?

Mr. SOLTIS. I refuse to answer on the grounds that my answer might tend to incriminate me.

TESTIMONY OF JEROME S. ADLERMAN AND HAROLD RANSTADResumed

The CHAIRMAN. Mr. Counsel, you have been sworn and you have examined the checks. Was there a change in the name of the payee at a given time, apparently?

Mr. ADLERMAN. Yes. It occurred, apparently, about April 6, 1961. Mr. Ranstad has examined the payroll records and he can testify as to the changes.

The CHAIRMAN. Mr. Ranstad, what did you find? You have examined the payroll of the company which issued the checks?

Mr. RANSTAD. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. What did you find with respect to that?

Mr. RANSTAD. J. Summers, S-u-m-m-e-r-s, originally. Then on the payroll for the week ending March 25, 1961, it was obvious that the letters u-m-m-e-r-s had been erased and o-l-t-i-s written in, changing it from J. Summers to J. Soltis.

The CHAIRMAN. That is on the ledger account of the company? Mr. RANSTAD. On the payroll sheet.

The CHAIRMAN. On the payroll sheet of the company which issued the check?

Mr. RANSTAD. For the week ending March 25, 1961.

Then on the next payroll sheet, for the week ending April 1, 1961, the word "Summers" had been erased. Originally it read "J. Summers," and the word "Summers" had been erased and the initial "R." and the word "Soltis" written in.

The CHAIRMAN. I do not know which one might incriminate him. I do not know which to call him. That is why I asked him. I thought the suggestion might be helpful.

Proceed.

Mr. ADLERMAN. Did you have somebody under your direction check the social security numbers under both names?

Mr. RANSTAD. Yes, sir.

Mr. ADLERMAN. Are they the same numbers?

Mr. RANSTAD. They are identical.

Mr. ADLERMAN. What is the number?

Mr. RANSTAd. 214–18–6848.

The CHAIRMAN. Are those social security numbers shown on the payroll?

Mr. RANSTAD. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. Did you check with

Mr. RANSTAD. Mr. Lever checked at my request.

The CHAIRMAN. It has been checked out by the staff?

Mr. RANSTAD. Yes, on the Illinois Sports News records; yes, sir.

TESTIMONY OF JOSEPH R. SOLTIS, ACCOMPANIED BY COUNSEL, WALTER E. GALLAGHER-Resumed

The CHAIRMAN. Is that your social security number?

Mr. SOLTIS. I refuse to answer on the grounds that my answer might tend to incriminate me.

Senator CURTIS. May I ask the staff witness this question: I hold a check dated February 4, 1961, signed by what appears to be James White and George L. Kelly. Can you identify those people?

Mr. RANSTAD. James White is the general manager of Illinois Sports News and George Kelly a partner.

Senator CURTIS. Is George Kelly a relative of Thomas Kelly, Sr., who appeared here as a witness?

Mr. RANSTAD. He is a brother.

Senator CURTIS. There is another signature which appears on one of these that I cannot read besides James White. Can you identify that one?

Mr. RANSTAD. It appears to be one of the Kellys. T. F. Kelly, I

would say.

The CHAIRMAN. Proceed.

Mr. ADLERMAN. Mr. Summers, did you hear the testimony a little while ago of Mr. Gorman?

Mr. SOLTIS. I refuse to answer on the grounds that my answer might tend to incriminate me.

Mr. ADLERMAN. Did you hear him say that he would call up a man named Joe Summers in Chicago to get the race results?

Mr. SOLTIS. I refuse to answer on the grounds that my answer might tend to incriminate me.

Mr. ADLERMAN. Are you the Joe Summers that he called?

Mr. SOLTIS. I refuse to answer on the grounds that my answer might tend to incriminate me.

Mr. ADLERMAN. Would you be willing to deny that you were the person that he called?

Mr. SOLTIS. I refuse to answer on the grounds that my answer might tend to incriminate me.

Mr. ADLERMAN. Are you in the practice of getting race results from the racetracks?

Mr. SOLTIS. I refuse to answer on the grounds that my answer might tend to incriminate me.

Mr. ADLERMAN. Have you worked with Pat Burns, Stanley Burns, and Stanley LoPresto in this deal?

Mr. SOLTIS. I refuse to answer on the grounds that my answer might tend to incriminate me.

Mr. ADLERMAN. No further questions.

The CHAIRMAN. Are there any further questions?

Very well, you may stand aside.

We find we are going to have to conclude a little early this afternoon in order to accommodate some other matters. For that reason, the committee will stand in recess until 10 o'clock tomorrow morning. Unless a witness is specifically excused by counsel for the committee, you will be expected to return tomorrow. Take it up with counsel as to whether you are needed or not.

(Whereupon, at 4:35 p.m. the committee was recessed, to be reconvened at 10 a.m., Wednesday, August 30, 1961.)

(Subcommittee members present at time of recess; Senators McClellan and Curtis.)

GAMBLING AND ORGANIZED CRIME

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 1961

U.S. SENATE,

PERMANENT SUBCOMMITTEE ON INVESTIGATIONS

OF THE COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS,

Washington, D.C.

The subcommittee met at 10:47 a.m., pursuant to Senate Resolution 69, agreed to February 13, 1961, in room 3302, Senate Office Building, Senator John L. McClellan (chairman of the subcommittee) presiding. Present: Senator John L. McClellan, Democrat, Arkansas; Senator Karl E. Mundt, Republican, South Dakota; Senator Carl T. Curtis, Republican, Nebraska.

Also present: Jerome S. Adlerman, general counsel; Paul J. Tierney, assistant counsel; Robert Emmet Dunne, assistant counsel; Joseph M. Mannix, assistant counsel; Philip W. Morgan, chief counsel to the minority; Ruth Y. Watt, chief clerk.

The CHAIRMAN. The committee will be in order.

(Members of the subcommittee present at time of convening: Senators McClellan and Mundt.)

The CHAIRMAN. The Chair will make this comment for the record. We are in the closing days of the session of Congress, we hope, and the Senators are really burdened with work at this time. We are just having to spread ourselves around. It is not possible always for us to be at the place designated on time, so we are just having to work the best we can under not altogether convenient circumstances. All right, Mr. Counsel, you may call the next witness.

Mr. ADLERMAN. Mr. Louis Efkeman.

The CHAIRMAN. Come forward, please. Be sworn.

You do solemnly swear the evidence you shall give before this Senate subcommittee shall be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?

Mr. EFKEMAN. I do.

TESTIMONY OF LOUIS EFKEMAN, ACCOMPANIED BY COUNSEL, WALTER E. GALLAGHER

The CHAIRMAN. State your name, your place of residence, and business or occupation.

Mr. EFKEMAN. My name is Louis Efkeman, 223 Pepper Drive, in Lexington, Ky.

The CHAIRMAN. And what do you do for a living?

Mr. EFKEMAN. I refuse to answer on the ground that my answer might tend to incriminate me.

The CHAIRMAN. Do you make an honest living?