Mr. KENNEDY. What is his salary, Mr. Aporta? Mr. APORTA. $19,500. Mr. KENNEDY. Plus the Cadillac? Mr. APORTA. The Cadillacs. Mr. KENNEDY. Plus expenses? Mr. APORTA. Plus expenses. Mr. KENNEDY. Is he also a beneficiary under this special arrangement that was made in 1957? Mr. APORTA. Yes, sir. Mr. KENNEDY. So you received money also from three sources, the special arrangement, the salary and expenses, and you received money from the employers; is that right, Mr. Castellito? Mr. CASTELLITO. I respect fully decline to answer because I honestly believe that my answer might tend to incriminate me. Mr. KENNEDY. That is all. Senator CURTIS. Mr. Castellito, how long have you been with the Teamsters Union? Mr. CASTELLITO. I respect fully decline to answer because I honestly believe my answer might tend to incriminate me. Mr. KENNEDY. Will you tell us what you know about Mr. Communale? Mr. CASTELLITO. I respectfully decline to answer because I honestly believe that my answer may tend to incriminate me. Mr. KENNEDY. That is all. Senator CURTIS. You may stand aside. You will remain under subpena, subject to returning upon reasonable notice. Do you agree to that? Mr. CASTELLITO. Yes. Senator CURTIS. Call your next witness. Mr. KENNEDY. That finishes that phase, Mr. Chairman. We have two or three things I would like to finish up this afternoon. But that is the main purpose of the hearing. I would like to call Mr. Benjamin Dranow. Senator CURTIS. Mr. Dranow. Will you raise your right hand and be sworn? You do solemnly swear that the testimony you are about to give will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God? Mr. DRANOW. I do. TESTIMONY OF BENJAMIN DRANOW ACCOMPANIED BY COUNSEL, H. CLIFFORD ALLDER Senator CURTIS. State your name, your residence, and your business or occupation. Mr. DRANOW. My name is Benjamin Dranow. I live in Beverly Hills, Calif. Senator CURTIS. Your street address? Mr. DRANOW. 9649 West Olympic Boulevard. Senator CURTIS. Your business or occupation? Mr. DRANOW. I respectfully decline to answer because I honestly believe that the answer might tend to incriminate me. Senator CURTIS. You have counsel present? Mr. DRANOW. Yes, I do. Senator CURTIS. Counsel, will you again identify yourself for the record? Mr. ALLDER. H. Clifford Allder, Washington, D.C. Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. Dranow, Mr. Chairman, as you will remember, appeared before the committee about a year ago in connection with a loan to a department store up in Minneapolis. Mr. Hoffa had loaned them $1,200,000, and the department store then went into bankruptcy. Mr. Dranow had been a friend and associate of Mr. Hoffa. Dr. Dranow then took off with over $100,000 from the department store. That was all developed during our hearings first in 1957 and then later in 1958. We had also gone into the Sun Valley situation down in Florida, where another friend of Mr. Hoffa's had developed the Sun Valley operation, and where Mr. Hoffa had obtained loans from banks in Detroit and in Florida. Then that went into bankruptcy. Then we found from our investigation in 1959 that Mr. Benjamin Dranow took over the Sun Valley operation. Could you tell us how that was arranged? Mr. DRANOW. I respectfully decline to answer because I honestly believe my answer might tend to incriminate me. Mr. KENNEDY. We had testimony from Claude E. Davis, president of the Barnard National Bank, in Cocoa, Fla., that on October 8, just 3 weeks after we held hearings on some of these activities, Mr. Benjamin Dranow went down there and said if the bank would make a loan on this matter which he was interested in, he in turn could get $1 million of Teamster Union funds deposited at the bank without paying any interest. Would you tell us about that? Mr. DRANOW. I respectfully decline to answer because I honestly believe my answer might tend to incriminate me. Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. Chairman, he appeared before the committee in 1958. He was supposed to have appeared in 1957. We were unable to find him. We finally found him after a year of looking for him. He appeared in 1958. Then he was supposed to appear last week. unable to testify. Mr. Allder was able to pearance here today. He became ill and was secure him for an ap We also found him not only in the Sun Valley operation, but also, according to the testimony before the committee, we found that it was to Mr. Dranow that the Teamsters looked in order to make the purchase of certain jackets for Teamster Union members, some 20,000 jackets, mostly for locals 299 and 337 in Detroit, and that the jackets were paid for by these two locals, and that there was no bid obtained. Could you tell us why the Teamsters went through you for that? Mr. DRANOW. I respectfully decline to answer because I honestly believe my answer might tend to incriminate me. Mr. KENNEDY. Particularly in view of the fact that your operations have been revealed here before the committee, why, then, would Mr. Hoffa deal with you, Mr. Dranow? Mr. DRANOW. I respectfully decline to answer because I honestly believe my answer might tend to incriminate me. Mr. KENNEDY. And then the third case, Mr. Chairman, that we found Mr. Dranow involved in-and this is all since our hearings when the information regarding Mr. Dranow was developed-the third case involved certain airplanes, one of which ultimately ended up trying to transport arms and goods to the Dominican Republic. Would you tell us what you know about that, Mr. Dranow? Mr. DRANOW. I respectfully decline to answer because I honestly believe my answer might tend to incriminate me. Mr. KENNEDY. And when the representative for the company went to see Mr. Downs in Chicago, the man that was ultimately arrested in connection with the transportation of the arms, he stated that he was there at the suggestion of Mr. Dranow who spoke for Mr. Hoffa on these matters. Would you tell us about that? Mr. DRANOW. I respectfully decline to answer because I honestly believe my answer might tend to incriminate me. Mr. KENNEDY. Why would Mr. Hoffa go through all these financial dealings with you, Mr. Dranow? Mr. DRANOW. I respectfully decline to answer because I honestly believe my answer might tend to incriminate me. Mr. KENNEDY. Wouldn't he be interested in protecting the union membership by dealing with somebody who was not found to be dishonest in connection with these financial deals? Mr. DRANOW. I respectfully decline to answer because I honestly believe my answer might tend to incriminate me. Mr. KENNEDY. Would you tell us who made the arrangement whereby you only paid $18,000 for Mr. Henry Lower's interest in Sun Valley? Mr. DRANOW. I respectfully decline to answer because I honestly believe my answer might tend to incriminate me. Mr. KENNEDY. That is all, Mr. Chairman. Senator CURTIS. You may stand aside. You will remain under subpena and return upon proper notice. Mr. DRANOW. Yes, sir. Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. Dominic Abata, Everett Clark, and Cecil Clark, Mr. Chairman. Senator CURTIS. Will you three gentlemen come forward? All three of you will be sworn at once. Do you and each of you solemnly swear that the testimony you are about to give before this Senate Select Committee shall be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God? Mr. ABATA. I do. Mr. EVERETT CLARK. I do. Mr. CECIL CLARK. I do. TESTIMONY OF CECIL CLARK, DOMINIC ABATA, AND EVERETT CLARK Senator CURTIS. Beginning on my left, will you give your name, your residence, and your business or occupation? Mr. CECIL CLARK. Cecil J. Clark, Yellow Cab driver, 2450 South Sawyer, Chicago, Ill. Senator CURTIS. Your name and address? Mr. ABATA. Dominic Abata, 2610 West Berwyn, Chicago, Ill. Mr. ABATA. I am organizer now. Senator CURTIS. For what? Mr. ABATA. President of DOUC, Democratic Organizing Com mittee. Senator CURTIS. What union? Mr. ABATA. Local 777. Senator CURTIS. Of the Teamsters? Mr. ABATA. No. Independent. Senator CURTIS. And your name and address and business or occupation? Mr. EVERETT CLARK. Everett Clark, Yellow Cab driver, 3332 South Hamilton Avenue, Chicago, Ill. Senator CURTIS. You gentlemen are aware that you are entitled to have an attorney to advise you when you appear as a witness? You are each aware of that, are you? Mr. CECIL CLARK. Yes. Mr. EVERETT CLARK. Yes. Mr. ABATA. Yes. Senator CURTIS. Do you waive counsel? Mr. EVERETT CLARK. Yes. Mr. CECIL CLARK. Yes. Mr. ABATA. Yes. Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. Abata, you testified before this committee some months ago; is that correct? Mr. ABATA. I did. Mr. KENNEDY. In connection with activities of Joseph Glimco, of local 777 of the Teamsters? Mr. ABATA. I did, sir. Mr. KENNEDY. At that time we had a considerable amount of testimony other than your own, which revealed that Mr. Glimco was using the union funds for his own personal purchases and for his own reasons; is that right? Mr. ABATA. That is right, sir. Mr. KENNEDY. That he made a trip to California, that he was using union funds to make purchases for his friends; is that correct? Mr. ABATA. Right, sir. Mr. KENNEDY. That was all revealed before the committee. And in addition, there was testimony about the lack of democracy and also collusion with certain employers in the Chicago area in connection with Mr. Glimco? Mr. ABATA. Right, sir. Mr. KENNEDY. After you returned to Chicago, there was an effort by the union membership, was there not, to try to throw off the control of Mr. Joseph Glimco, of local 777? Mr. ABATA. We are still trying. Mr. KENNEDY. That was at least in part led by you; is that correct? Mr. ABATA. Right, sir. Mr. KENNEDY. Have there been efforts to harass yourself and those who have attempted to get rid of Mr. Glimco? Mr. ABATA. Definitely. Mr. KENNEDY. There has been a major effort along those lines, has there not? Mr. ABATA. I would say yes. Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. Clark, both of you are individuals that have supported Mr. Abata in connection with these efforts? Mr. EVERETT CLARK. Yes, sir. Mr. CECIL CLARK. That is right, sir. Mr. KENNEDY. And you have had the support, help, and assistance of other taxicab drivers in the Chicago area? Mr. CECIL CLARK. Very much so. Mr. EVERETT CLARK. That is right. Mr. KENNEDY. Those who have been helping and assisting you, have they been subject to harassment? Mr. EVERETT CLARK. They have. Mr. KENNEDY. What form does this take? Mr. EVERETT CLARK. Fired, discharged. Mr. KENNEDY. By whom? Mr. EVERETT CLARK. By the company and the union. Mr. KENNEDY. When you say fired by the company, how did that take place? Mr. EVERETT CLARK. No bookings. Mr. KENNEDY. They wouldn't give you the work that they gave to the other individuals? Mr. EVERETT CLARK. That is right. Mr. KENNEDY. What taxicab companies are involved in some of these things? Mr. EVERETT CLARK. The Yellow Cab and the Checker Cab Co. Mr. KENNEDY. You two are still working, are you not? Mr. EVERETT CLARK. We are. Mr. KENNEDY. Were some of your colleagues fired? Mr. EVERETT CLARK. That is right. Mr. KENNEDY. By both of these taxicab companies? Mr. KENNEDY. Has it been obvious that the two taxicab companies have favored Mr. Joseph Glimco? Mr. EVERETT CLARK. They have. Mr. KENNEDY. Did you find that you had difficulty getting as many runs as you had prior to the time that you opposed Mr. Glimco? Mr. EVERETT CLARK. Would you repeat that again, sir? Mr. KENNEDY. Did you find that harassment also took the form of you not being given as much business as you had received prior to the time that you opposed Mr. Glimco? Mr. EVERETT CLARK. No. Mr. KENNEDY. How did the harassment take place as far as you were concerned? (The witnesses conferred with each other.) Mr. KENNEDY. Maybe you can explain it, Mr. Abata. Mr. ABATA. The harassment took place in the form of intimidation Mr. KENNEDY. In what specifics, please? Mr. ABATA. Such as threatening him to break his legs, and beating him up on occasion, and intimidating him in the garages. Mr. KENNEDY. Did you try to get petitions signed? Mr. ABATA. We did, sir. Mr. KENNEDY. What happened? |