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Air Disaster: Second Worst in U.S. History Takes 56 Lives.
Air Disaster: Second Worst in U.S. History Takes 56 Lives. The second worst air disaster in U. S. history takes the lives of fifty-six passengers and crew, when a C-46 non-scheduled airliner falls in flames shortly after take-off from Newark. The huge craft narrowly missed plummeting into congested city streets. Night. Various shots of the wreckage and rescue workers at the site. Removing a body. Day, more scenes of the twisted metal. Damage to nearby house.
News in Brief: Washington, Barkleys Back From Orient.
News in Brief: Washington, Barkleys Back From Orient. Vice President Alben Barkley and his wife return home by air during blizzard, with hopes high for armistice in Korea. The 'veep' toured front lines to get his first-hand impressions of war. The Barkleys get off plane, walk into snowy weather. The VP speaks at press conference, says he feels optimistic about a truce despite what he says was haggling on the part of the other side.
News in Brief: Helicopter Gets Award
News in Brief: Helicopter Gets Award President Truman presents Collier Aviation Award to civilian and military leaders responsible for development of the helicopter, which craft has done yeomen work in rescue operations in Korea. Posing for the camera at the presentation are President Harry S. Truman, Defense Secretary Robert Lovett, helicopter industry man Igor Sikorsky, and Vice Admiral Merlin O'Neill. Big trophy.
July 20, 1995 - Part 3
(12:30:20) Mr. BEN-VENISTE. Finally, with respect to your experience in investigating suicides, Sergeant Braun, how many suicides had you investigated prior to July 20, 1993? Ms, BRAUN. I had done one prior. 192 Mr. BEN-VENISTE. One prior. In that case, I trust the workplace was not sealed? Ms. BRAUN. The workplace wasn't relevant. Mr. BEN-VENISTE. In your collective experience, including Major Hines', I trust there has been no example of a workplace being sealed or requested to be sealed where that workplace was not the scene of the death; is that correct? Mr. HINES. That's correct. Mr. BEN-VENISTE. You've talked to your colleagues at the Park Police, and that is a uniform conclusion, is it not? Mr. ROLLA. I believe so. Mr. HINES, Yes, it is. Mr. BEN-VENISTE. So, essentially, when you were going to the White House, you were looking for the cooperation of individuals, there to help you along with your investigation to look for the lim- ited types of materials that you've described here; correct? Mr. ROLLA. That's correct. Mr. BEN-VENISTE. The only thing about this request of the Counsel's Office to the White House was that this wasn't a normal workplace at all. It was filled with lawyer's files and, indeed, the files of the lawyer to the President of the United States; correct? Mr. ROLLA. That's correct. Mr. HINES. That's correct. Mr. BEN-VENISTE. You didn't expect or would have expected that you would be able to look through all of those files; is that correct? Ms. BRAUN. That's correct. Mr. ROLLA. That's correct. Mr. BEN-VENISTE. There's no way that you wanted to do that? Ms. BRAUN. No. Mr. BEN-VENISTE. I have nothing further. (12:32:15)(tape #10117 ends)
July 20, 1995 - Part 4
(13:00:36) Senator MOSELEY-BRAUN. In any event, 30 minutes after you made that request, the office was locked. By the next morning at 10 a.m., there was a guard posted. By 11 a.m. the next day, the next morning, July 21, 1993, the day after, there was a locksmith brought in and the locks were changed. The Secret Service record has it? Yeah, yeah, so we can go through-these were not things you were party to. I'm not suggesting you were, but I'm trying to get to the sense of the timing of all of this. In hindsight, it seems like all of this was drawn out over a long period of time, but really what we're talking about were conversations that happened in a narrow window of time and that may have zipped by in ways that may not have been-that may not now seem to be all that evident. But the Secret Service record does show at 11:41 that the office was secured. Again, I said I was going to be brief, so I'm going to try to ask one other little question, and that's of you, Mr. Hines. In your report-I'm going to read a sentence to you that comes out of your report that was-this is a supplemental criminal incident report, a record that was done the day after. It doesn't say on here when it was written. It just says the day of the incident. In any event, what you said here was, "Originally, we had responded to the White House on Wednesday morning, July 21, to examine his office." This is yours; right? This says Investigator Hines." This could not be his. I don't know, based on what I see here. Is that Mr. Hines? Oh, it's Captain Hume. Mr. Hines, I take it back . This is not you. It's Captain Hume, so I guess I'll have to ask the question of him. I was going to ask the question what did he mean 203 by 44 originally, we responded to the White House on Wednesday morning," because it sounds like there were efforts made to try to lock things down. I don't have any further questions, except to say that based on everything I've heard, I have a sense that you guys did everything you could do under the circumstances at the time. With the benefit of hindsight, do you think at the time, based on your knowledge at the time, how you saw things when these things were going on, do you feel that you did what you thought was the right thing to do, the proper thing to do, the police personnel thing to do at the time that this incident occurred? Ms. BRAUN. Yes, we did what we had to do. Mr. ROLLA. Yes, I believe so. Mr. HINES. Yes. Senator MOSELEY-BRAUN. Thank you very much. The CHAIRMAN. Senator Sarbanes. Mr. ROLLA. Excuse me, Mr. Chairman. Can we take a 5-minute break? The CHAIRMAN, I believe we're very close to wrapping up, and I want to keep it going. If you wish to be excused for 5 minutes yourself, certainly, you may do so, and if anybody wants to ask you questions, we'll come back to you. OK? ( Mr. ROLLA. Thank you. Senator SARBANES. Senator Simon.
News in Brief: Hawaii, "Junk Lady Of The Navy.'
News in Brief: Hawaii, "Junk Lady Of The Navy.' Lt. Elizabeth Stover of the WAVES certainly earns the title, for she is charged with selling millions of dollars worth of Navy surplus - from shoes and ships to sealing wax. Woman working at desk, then sorting through items along with a few men. Naval ship junkyard; Stover (in her WAVES uniform with skirt) points out what to sell while men take notes. Working woman, war work.
News in Brief: France, Modern Scalp Treatment.
News in Brief: France, Modern Scalp Treatment. "A new fad in gay paree is the 'mohican haircut' - a scalp job just like the Indians used to do. When the barber gets through with these 'young bucks' - they're ready for the warpath." Very ordinary-looking hair salon/ barbershop. Young man sits down and gets what would later be known as a Mohawk haircut. (I guess there is nothing new under the sun.) Other customers sit and wait, one looks at photo of Native American (?) in a book. Two teenage boys show off their new hairstyles. Another waiting patron looks disapprovingly away, back to the newspaper he's reading. One of those wacky trends of crazy youth. Ahead of their time, pioneers.
Goodwill Envoys: Embassy Children Bring New Year Greeting.
Goodwill Envoys: Embassy Children Bring New Year Greeting. Here's a cheery New Year greeting, from scores of youngsters dressed in their native costumes. Children of embassy officials from many lands, they extend season's greeting to the children of America. Those who speak include representatives from Mexico, Cuba, Italy, Guatemala, Norway (some speak first in their native tongue, then in English). Cute. Then all shout in unison, "Happy New Year From All of the World!"
1951: Year of Stalemate.
1951: Year of Stalemate. (1951 Highlights - most or all of these exist in longer form within our library)
July 20, 1995 - Part 4
(12:30:01)(tape # 10118 begins) Mr. ROLLA, No, the manual does not. Mr. BEN-VENISTE. It does not. The distinction is obviously made between the scene of a death and a workplace investigation related to a suicide that occurs in a different location; is that correct? Mr. ROLLA. That's correct. (12:30:20) Mr. BEN-VENISTE. Finally, with respect to your experience in investigating suicides, Sergeant Braun, how many suicides had you investigated prior to July 20, 1993? Ms, BRAUN. I had done one prior. 192 Mr. BEN-VENISTE. One prior. In that case, I trust the workplace was not sealed? Ms. BRAUN. The workplace wasn't relevant. Mr. BEN-VENISTE. In your collective experience, including Major Hines', I trust there has been no example of a workplace being sealed or requested to be sealed where that workplace was not the scene of the death; is that correct? Mr. HINES. That's correct. Mr. BEN-VENISTE. You've talked to your colleagues at the Park Police, and that is a uniform conclusion, is it not? Mr. ROLLA. I believe so. Mr. HINES, Yes, it is. Mr. BEN-VENISTE. So, essentially, when you were going to the White House, you were looking for the cooperation of individuals, there to help you along with your investigation to look for the lim- ited types of materials that you've described here; correct? Mr. ROLLA. That's correct. Mr. BEN-VENISTE. The only thing about this request of the Counsel's Office to the White House was that this wasn't a normal workplace at all. It was filled with lawyer's files and, indeed, the files of the lawyer to the President of the United States; correct? Mr. ROLLA. That's correct. Mr. HINES. That's correct. Mr. BEN-VENISTE. You didn't expect or would have expected that you would be able to look through all of those files; is that correct? Ms. BRAUN. That's correct. Mr. ROLLA. That's correct. Mr. BEN-VENISTE. There's no way that you wanted to do that? Ms. BRAUN. No. Mr. BEN-VENISTE. I have nothing further. (12:32:15)(tape #10117 ends) The CHAIRMAN. Mr. Hines, on the night of July 20, 1993, you got a phone call at approximately 9:45 informing you of the Foster death; is that correct? Mr. HINES. That's correct, Senator. The CHAIRMAN. Who called you from the Park Police? Mr. HINES. Lieutenant Gavin. The CHAIRMAN. Lieutenant Gavin called you and suggested that you make contact with people at the White House? Mr. HINES. Yes, he did. The CHAIRMAN. You called a Mr. Burton? Mr. HINES. Yes, I did. The CHAIRMAN. Mr. Burton is the assistant to Mr. McLarty, the Chief of Staff of the White House? Mr. HINES. That's my understanding. The CHAIRMAN. You testified in your deposition that he was obviously shocked and upset, you could tell Mr. HINES. I could tell on the phone that he was very upset. The CHAIRMAN. He told you of the close relationship-because you didn't realize it at the time-and what Mr. Foster's position was in the Administration? Mr. HINES. Yes, he did. The CHAIRMAN. His relationship with the President? Mr. HINES. Yes, he did. 193 The CHAIRMAN. Then you go on, on page 29, and you say--I want to verify whether this is correct, if your memory is still as you gave in the deposition. I will read to you. You were telling him, "One of the things we would need to do is to look into his office," meaning Mr. Foster's office, "for any evidence of motive that we might find for a suicide like a suicide note or any other items." Then you continue, "We have a certain protocol, investigation of suicides that we look for. I told him that he would need to have his offices secured for those reasons." Did you tell him that? Mr. HINES. Yes, I did, The CHAIRMAN, Is that correct? Mr. HINES. That's correct. The CHAIRMAN. You remember having told him that, you remember having testified to that in your deposition? Mr. HINES. Yes, I do. The CHAIRMAN. That is correct and true? Mr. HINES. Yes, it is. The CHAIRMAN. Mr. Chertoff. Senator Grams, excuse me. Senator GRAMS. I had one question. I'd like to make a clarification in response to some questions that Senator Dodd had asked and also Minority counsel. They tried to talk about the sealing of the office, how it all of a sudden wasn't important in your minds. I think he said by the next morning you had assessed in your opinion that this was a suicide, and sealing the office, in your mind at that time, was not as important. I think you both responded yes, although Mr. Hines had testified until this is concluded, certainly, and all evidence is in that it was a suicide, all areas should be considered as if a crime scene were involved. Would you agree with that, that even the next morning, while the assumption was this was a suicide, all the information had not been in, and so the office still should have been considered an area that should have been sealed? Mr. ROLLA. No, I don't agree with that. Senator GRAMS. You think the next morning, that the information you had was enough to say that this was a suicide?
July 20, 1995 - Part 4
(12:35:21) Mr. ROLLA. Well Senator GRAMS. That the office was not important and the integrity of the office was not important? Mr. ROLLA. Let me say this: Whether that was a homicide or a suicide, that wasn't a crime scene. That's a secondary scene, not a crime scene. We have no legal authority to tell anyone to seal an office. If we wanted to get in to look for evidence, we would need a search warrant, and we'd have to come up with enough probable cause to get a search warrant. The request to seal the office, which he told me-in my mind is why it's not written in the report, is an informal request for cooperation to go to the workplace. Because Mr. Foster, being who he is in the White House, we knew we were not going to be able to go in there that night. Our limited scope--again, what we want to look for, the higher-ups are going to have to be there, there's going to have to be protocol done to figure out how to go about this. No, we don't want to read every legal document, but we would like to look through obvious areas and maybe look through some 194 drawers and the briefcase for, not just a suicide note, was there anything there, other reasons, a diary, a letter, something that could have caused embarrassment, something--not looking to embarrass the man, but trying to find mental-his state of mind at the time. Senator GRAMS. I did infer that you were ordering, but I was asking if it was still important and if it was important enough to try to secure that area so it wouldn't have been "contaminated" as you stated earlier? Mr. ROLLA. No, it was important to try to maintain it. Again, if somebody went in there because they had to do things related to his job, we have no authority to keep them out. If somebody went in there and removed things, that's beyond us. Senator GRAMS. Mr. Hines, would you agree with that? Mr. HINES. Senator, I'd agree with that. The reason the examination of the room-and I'll use "examination" as opposed to "search" because we're looking for limited information that might lead us to believe that his suicide-to prove that he had intent. The reason it's important is the person's office is a work space; it tells a lot about him. So if we could normalize him and find out how he conducted his business, was he neat? If he was neat and it was messy, that would be a piece of information we'd want to know. The office itself is a piece of information, and that's why we wanted it secure. If you noticed, our guideline manual was published after this suicide, and we do say we would be very unobtrusive in searching his office, and we would have been. We're looking for a note of suicide, we're looking for any information of any difficulty he may be having that would make him so discouraged that he would take his own life. Our only factor in this investigation is that we feel that we had a complete investigation. The only problems we've had is the conduct of the examination of that office. I would like to use the term "examination" and not the term "search" because when I say "search," I'm thinking of Fourth Amendment searches and, definitely, that was not our intent in this case. Senator GRAMS. One quick question, Sergeant Braun Ms. BRAUN. Could I also answer that first question? Senator GRAMS. Sure. Ms. BRAUN. Since I am the one who spoke to Mr. Watkins' it was a request. It wasn't an order, and maybe the terms are getting all blown out of proportion. Secured-I've said it meant secured, closed, et cetera. I wanted to try to preserve that office in the state that it was. This isn't a perfect world. It didn't happen. It isn't the end of the world that it didn't happen, but, yes, that would have given us some insight, if people had not gone in and gone through the office, as to what kind of state it was in when Mr. Foster left and some indication as to his state of mind when he left. That's what I was looking for, Senator GRAMS. Do you think the White House or those that were requested did an appropriate job in making sure that was done? Evidently not. Ms. BRAUN. Like I said, it's not a perfect world. Senator GRAMS. I wanted to ask one other thing in regards to what Minority counsel had mentioned about the manual on suicide 195 printed afterwards, and the office or work space was not as important, I think, was the line of questioning he was trying to infer. Does that suicide manual refer to an office of a high-level member of the White House staff inside the White House? This is a completely unique situation, and that manual did not refer to the office of Vince Foster as not being important. Ms. BRAUN. That's correct. Senator GRAMS. Thank you. Senator DODD. Mr, Chairman, this is unclear. I thought earlier the issue of whether or not the office I think our colleague from Minnesota mentioned that the office was part of the crime scene, and there's no-you don't agree with that, that office was not in any way, whatsoever, part of a crime scene? The CHAIRMAN. I think the record is pretty clear. Senator GRAMS. We had established that before. The CHAIRMAN. The importance of the office related to, at that point in time, what appeared to be a suicide. There's no doubt. It's not a crime scene, but I think the record amply attests to that. Senator, have you concluded?
July 20, 1995 - Part 4
(12:40:35) Senator GRAMS. Yes, thank you. The CHAIRMAN. We have several minutes. Three minutes. Mr. Chertoff. Mr. CHERTOFF. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Major Hines, am I correct from what you just said that you regard the office itself, including where everything is placed, whether it's neat or messy, where things are arranged, what the last thing looked at on the desk was-you look at all of that information in the office as evidence; correct? Mr. HINES. That would be evidence and information that we would need in a suicide to determine a person's state of mind, and then we would ask questions. We would have to combine these with interviews with employees that he worked with. Mr. CHERTOFF. So the very condition of the office itself is an important piece of information; correct? Mr. HINES. Very important piece of information. Mr. CHERTOFF. Sergeant Braun, I take it on the day of July 20, 1993 or the night of July 20, 1993, when you asked to have the office secured, you were using your best judgment, that going in there and looking at that information and evidence was important to you; correct? Ms. BRAUN. That's correct. Mr. CHERTOFF. You didn't order anybody to do it; right? Ms. BRAUN. No, I did riot. Mr. CHERTOFF. You made a request for cooperation; correct? Ms. BRAUN. Yes, I did. Mr. CHERTOFF. Is it common in your experience when you deal with people who are witnesses or who have some involvement in an investigation that you want their cooperation? Ms. BRAUN. Yes, sir. Mr. CHERTOFF. Did Mr. Watkins indicate to you that he would refuse to cooperate? Ms. BRAUN. No. Mr. CHERTOFF. He told you he would cooperate? Ms. BRAUN. Yes. 196 Mr. CHERTOFF. The reason you wanted that office secured-not with a lot of tape, but locked so that no one could get into it-was to prevent people from rummaging, moving things, opening things, packing things away; correct? Ms. BRAUN. That is correct. Mr. CHERTOFF. You didn't get your request adhered to; isn't that also correct? Ms. BRAUN. That is correct. The CHAIRMAN. Senator Sarbanes. Senator SARBANES. Senator Kerry. OPENING COMMENTS OF SENATOR JOHN F. KERRY Senator KERRY. Let me follow up quickly on that point, if I may. It's my understanding, Ms. Braun, that you left the house at approximately 11 p.m., 11:10? Ms. BRAUN. Yes, sir. Senator KERRY. The President of the United States had arrived? Ms. BRAUN. Yes. Senator FERRY. There was Secret Service everywhere? Ms. BRAUN. There was one on the steps, and then I think there was one outside, Senator KERRY. You never mentioned anything to them about sealing the office? Ms. BRAUN. No, I did not. Senator KERRY. The place was more crowded than ever at that point in time? Ms. BRAUN. It was slightly more crowded, yes. Senator KERRY. Would you say it was a very difficult situation in which to try to talk to people and get answers, get questions? Ms. BRAUN. It made it impossible. Senator KERRY. Impossible. All right. At 11:10 you made this request of Mr. Watkins to have the office either sealed or locked; is that correct? Ms. BRAUN. Yes. Senator KERRY. At the time you made that request, you weren't thinking about national security files, were you? Ms. BRAUN. No, I was not. Senator KERRY. You weren't thinking about any files, were you? Ms, BRAUN. No. I was thinking about evidence, such as a suicide note, things that were going to indicate Mr. Foster's state of mind. Senator KERRY. In fact, it's your evidence last year, it's your evidence this year, it's your testimony in depositions repeatedly, all of you, that really what was on your minds that night was Mr. Foster's state of mind; correct? Ms. BRAUN. Yes. Senator KERRY. Correct, Mr. Rolla? Mr. ROLLA. That's correct. Senator KERRY. What consumed you as you went to this house was not the word "Whitewater." In fact, did Whitewater cross your mind at that point? Ms. BRAUN. I had never heard the word "Whitewater" before that. Mr. ROLLA. I never heard it, 197 Senator KERRY. What consumed you was the tragedy? Ms. BRAUN. Yes. Mr. ROLLA. Yes. Senator KERRY, At 11.10 you made a request not with any sense of somebody hiding something, just to secure it so if a note could be found or something existed to show state of mind, you would be able to find that? Ms. BRAUN, Yes, Senator KERRY. You are now aware that the office was, in fact, locked within half an hour; is that correct? Ms. BRAUN. No, I'm not aware of that. Senator KERRY. You're not aware of that. You don't know that the office was locked at 11:41 p.m., just 30 minutes later? Ms. BRAUN. No. Mr. ROLLA. No. Senator KERRY. Would you say if, in fact, the office was locked and there's evidence that the office was locked 30 minutes later, that that's a pretty quick response under those circumstances? Ms. BRAUN. Assuming it was, yes, Senator KERRY, Would that response satisfy you in terms of your directive? Ms. BRAUN. I guess, but knowing now that the office was entered before I made the request, it's a moot point. Senator KERRY. I understand that, but if there was no request under the circumstances of this tragedy, if someone was not at a home where they were acting out and working out their grief, is it not perfect common sense and normal human behavior that they would gravitate to the place where they worked with this person? Is there anything unusual in your mind about that in terms of human behavior?
Battlefront: Guns Roar During Cardinal's Visit
Battlefront: Guns Roar During Cardinal's Visit Battle scenes along the fighting front in Korea. VS United Nations troops loading and firing big guns (artillery). Explosions hit nearby hillsides. Long shots of North Korean soldiers surrendering. Wounded POWs are helped along. Korean prisoners of war sit while their guns are piled next to them. Cardinal Spellman visits wounded soldiers at hospital while General Van Fleet looks on.
July 20, 1995 - Part 4
(23:45:47) Ms. BRAUN. I guess not. Senator KERRY. Mr. Rolla, what about you? Mr. ROLLA. No. Senator KERRY. So, before they get a request, some of his coworkers went to his office and there's evidence that Maggie Williams was sitting there crying. Does that strike you as unusual? Ms. BRAUN. No, I guess not. Senator KERRY. Now, importantly, again and again you have said the only thing on your mind was a note or state of mind; correct? Ms. BRAUN. Yes. Senator FERRY. You didn't view the house as a place of suspicion, did you, when you got there? Ms. BRAUN. No. Senator KERRY. You didn't go upstairs and search in the bathroom, in the medicine cabinet, under the pillow, on the bureau or anywhere for a note, did you? Ms. BRAUN. That would be unreasonable. Senator KERRY. Because you knew this was a place of grief, and it was a place where people were trying to give you. answers about state of mind under difficult circumstances? Ms. BRAUN. Yes. 198 Senator KERRY. Is there any reason to have believed that his office would have been a different kind of place that same night at that same time? Ms. BRAUN. I guess it didn't occur to me. What I was looking for in that office was the state it was in when he left it. Mr. ROLLA. I didn't expect anyone to be in his office. I didn't expect the office to be like his house, people gravitating, grieving. A house is more personal. We're not going to intrude on somebody's bedroom or in their house during that. Again, it's just an issue of cooperation, Senator KERRY. In point of fact, his office was not treated as if it were a house. There were only three or so people, his co-workers in that particular department or in the White House, who went into it. Isn't that accurate? Mr. ROLLA. I believe so. Senator KERRY. Now, you never told Mr. Watkins specifically that you should not prevent anybody with a right to go into the office from going in, did you? Ms. BRAUN. No. Senator KERRY. Did you ever intend that somebody who had a right to go into the office should not go into the office? Ms. BRAUN. No. Senator KERRY. You merely intended that it be basically preserved from maybe the media coming in or a whole lot of people traipsing around and disturbing the possibility of exclusively finding a note; correct? Ms. BRAUN. Right. Senator KERRY. With respect to that note, we have the actual handwritten note. Both sides have had it, and out of respect to the family, that note is not now going to be made available on these screens, nor do I think it should be, necessarily, though I might say were it visible on the screen for people to read and see, I think they would have a better understanding of what all of this is really about. It has been made public, however, its contents. Let me just ask you a couple of questions about it. Subsequent to the finding of that note, the handwriting of that note has been compared, has it not, to Vince Foster's handwriting? Ms. BRAUN. I had no involvement in that part of the investigation. Senator KERRY. Do you know that? Mr. ROLLA. Yes. Senator KERRY. Do you know that, Major? Mr. HINES. Yes, I do. Senator KERRY. You know that the finding is that this handwriting has been found to be Vince Foster's handwriting? Mr. HINES. Yes, I do. Senator KERRY. The authenticity of this note is not in doubt, is it? Mr. HINES. It's not in doubt. Senator KERRY. No one has questioned its authenticity? Mr. HINES. Not to my knowledge. Senator KERRY. Since it was handwritten and that authenticity is stated and clear and unquestioned, I might add, this note was written before Vince Foster died? 199 Mr. ROLLA. Yes, it was. Senator KERRY. Therefore, let me read the contents to you for a moment, and I want to ask you a question about it. Vince Foster wrote: Whenever I made mistakes from ignorance, inexperience, and overwork, I did not knowingly violate any law or standard of conduct. No one in the White House, to my knowledge, violated any law or standard of conduct, including any action in the Travel Office. There was no intent to benefit any individual or specific group. The FBI lied in their report to the AG. The press is covering up the illegal benefits they received from the Travel staff. The GOP has lied and misrepresented its knowledge and role and covered up a prior investigation. The Ushers Office plotted to have excessive costs incurred, taking advantage of CACI and HRC. The public will never believe the innocence of the Clintons and their loyal staff. The WSJ-standing for Wall Street Journal--editors lie without consequence. I was not meant for the job or the spotlight of public life in Washington. Here, ruining people is considered sport.
July 20, 1995 - Part 4
(12:50:52) Now, I ask you, as investigators for the Park Police, is there anything in that note that strikes you as a note that should not have been found or that hides something or that has any evidence whatsoever of anything that might lead somebody to an ill conclusion about Vince Foster or the Clintons? Ms. BRAUN. No. That note would have been helpful. Mr. ROLLA. No, not to me. Mr. HINES. No, not to me. The note, although not a suicide note, per se, did list some grievances he had and was a critical piece of evidence to us. Senator KERRY. You just said it would have been helpful, Ms. Braun? Ms. BRAUN. Yes. Senator KERRY. Therefore, presumably, one would have wanted to have found it sooner? Ms. BRAUN. Yes. Senator KERRY. Now, turning to your statement at some point in the deposition, Major, in answer to a question about the finding and friends on the other side of the aisle have asked you about this; they've said about this that a blind person could have found the note. In answer to the question what did he say to you-this is referring to Captain Hume about the discovery of the briefcase-he said, "Well, basically, we're talking about a briefcase. We believe it was the briefcase that was in the office the morning of the search." So, in effect, he doesn't know if it was the briefcase, but he believes it; correct? Mr. HINES. That's true. Senator KERRY. He says: Mr. Nussbaum took papers out of the briefcase and looked into it and then put it down and kicked it in the back of the room. Now, he's one of 13 people who suggests that is what happened, that he looked into it or did what he did, one of 13. Then you say- And when I talked to Captain Hume in relation to this, just in conversation, I said, 'We would have found that note because we would have been looking in the office and found his briefcase.' And he said, 'Yeah, our oldest, blindest detective would have found the note,' which is true. If it had been in the briefcase the morning we were there, and we'd have looked into it, we would have found it. 200 The point is, Major, you didn't look in, did you? Mr. HINES. No, we didn't. Senator KERRY. There were files in it; isn't that correct? Mr. HINES. My understanding. I didn't look in the briefcase. Senator KERRY. The evidence shows that the note was crimped beneath the middle flap; correct? Mr. HINES. That's the way I understand it. Senator KERRY. so if the files were in it on top of the crimp and on top of the note and you were looking down at files, you wouldn't see a note, would you? Mr. HINES, Senator Kerry, if any one of the Park Police detectives would have searched that briefcase and if we would have looked in the briefcase, we would have found the note. Senator KERRY. I agree. But they didn't, did they? Mr. HINES. We didn't look into it. Senator KERRY. Correct, and we'll get to all of that later. All I'm trying to point out is that we should not permit assumptions to be drawn here that are not based on the evidence. Mr. HINES. True. Senator KERRY. Isn't that true? Mr. HINES. Yes, sir. Senator KERRY. You know that as a detective, as an investigator? Mr. HINES. That's true. Senator KERRY. The fact here is it wasn't looked into. The facts about the state of the briefcase were, in fact, different from the phraseology that you were making your assumption on; isn't that true? Mr. HINES. That's true. Senator KERRY. So, point made, it's improbable to really say that judgment you drew is, in fact, true? Mr. HINES. That was my opinion at the time. Senator KERRY. Opinion, but not a fact. Mr. HINES. It was not a fact. Senator KERRY. Thank you very much. The CHAIRMAN. Mr. Hines, why didn't you or the Park Service look into the briefcase, the bag, Vince Foster's case? Mr. HINES. My understanding of the reason we did not look into it is we were not allowed to look into it. The CHAIRMAN. Thank you. Senator Sarbanes, do you have any other people? Senator SARBANES. Yes, I have Senator Moseley-Braun. OPENING COMMENTS OF SENATOR CAROL MOSELEY-BRAUN Senator MOSELEY-BRAUN. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, Senator Sarbanes. I am going to try to be brief so we're not here on the next anniversary and we get through this process. At the outset, I want to join my colleagues in thanking all of you for your participation here. This is the second time we've done this. This is the second year, and once again for the record, Sergeant Braun, I think we should let the conspiracy theorists know we are not related in any way. We did that last year, but I think it's important to set the record straight on that.
Gen. Ike Returns: Seeks More Arms for NATO Nations.
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Football. Duke 14, Georgia Tech 14. Duke 14 - Georgia Tech 14 - it's a moral victory for the Blue Devils of Duke, as they come from behind to hold the Yellowjackets to a tie, in a few final, thrilling minutes of play. College football highlights. Passing touchdown for Duke. Blocked kick (punt, it seems) returned for Georgia Tech TD. WSs crowd cheering in stands. Duke players rush the QB, shove him back, and many players from both teams (far more than are supposed to be on the field) all run toward the action and surround those players.
July 20, 1995 - Part 4
(12:55:37) The point that I think is important, in listening to you -- and I know you've relived these events in your mind and gone over them 201 time and time again-is that time plays funny kinds of tricks on us. Sometimes things that we are right now going through minute by minute and second by second can go by in a flash, and I'm sure that a lot of what happened to you in that short period of time, those couple of days, went by a lot quicker than these hearings have, certainly, or the conversation after the fact has. So I just want to talk about, really, how you viewed a couple of issues that have come up in the context of the time then, without the benefit of hindsight, because I think that is very important. The first thing is that on several occasions we heard Marcy Park referred to as a crime scene. In your answers to Senator Boxer, all three of you said as far as you were concerned, at the time it was a suicide and you did not treat it as a crime scene. Mr. ROLLA. No, that's not Senator MOSELEY-BRAUN. I think that's important Mr. ROLLA. That's not true. Senator MOSELEY-BRAUN. That's not true? What you said in response to Senator Mr. ROLLA. No, that's not true. Fort Marcy Park was treated as a crime scene. Senator MOSELEY-BRAUN. It was treated as a crime scene. I'm sorry, I used the word homicide. Was it treated as the scene of a homicide or-is there a difference in the way you treat the scene of a homicide versus the scene of a suicide? Mr. ROLLA. It was treated as a death scene with an open investigation, and they're treated the same way. Senator MOSELEY-BRAUN. But at the time you thought of this whole event as a suicide, you were not viewing it as a homicide or any foul play or anything like that? Mr. ROLLA. Again, keeping an open mind after clearing the scene and viewing all the physical evidence of what we had, everything leaned toward suicide at that time. Senator MOSELEY-BRAUN. That's what you told Mr. Foster's wife at about 10 p.m. that night? Ms. BRAUN. Yes. Mr. ROLLA. An apparent suicide. Senator MOSELEY-BRAUN. With regard to the request, Sergeant Braun, the request that the office be sealed or secured, there is a difference between securing an off-ice, sealing an office and searching an office, certainly, and that's been talked about a little bit. You were earlier saying that since the time this happened, you've been promoted, and you learned as supervisor you have to ask people a lot of questions to know that they understand your meaning. Are you confident that Mr. Watkins understood your meaning when you made the request to him regarding sealing the office? Ms. BRAUN. Not at this time. Senator MOSELEY-BRAUN. Did you ask him to seal or did you ask him to secure the office? Ms. BRAUN. I don't know what exact words I used at the time. I basically indicated that we were interested in the office and going back through the office in the morning. Senator MOSELEY-BRAUN. Even though that wasn't the procedure that was a woman's intuition that it would be the right thing to do, to shut it down at that point? 202 Ms. BRAUN. Yes. Senator MOSELEY-BRAUN. You have testified that you didn't hear that request, but in any event the office was, in fact, secured about 30 minutes after that request was made to David Watkins, about 11:41. You talked to David Watkins about 10:30 or thereabouts? Ms. BRAUN. I'm confused. Are you referring to Detective Mark land's report? Because the way I interpreted Detective Markland's report when we had it on the screen earlier was it was secured all day after 10 a.m. Senator MOSELEY-BRAUN. We have 11:30 p.m., the testimony was that it was secured at 11:30. The office was locked at 11:41. That comes from the depositions. You were not aware that, in fact, it was locked 30 minutes after you made the request of Mr. Watkins. In any event, the next morning, by 10 a.m. the next morning, there was a guard posted there, and by 11 a.m. the next morning there was a locksmith called in and the locks changed. Mr. ROLLA. Yeah, but before 10 a.m. the secretary and Mr. Nussbaum had already been back in the office. Senator MOSELEY-BRAUN. I'm not debating that, I'm just saying in terms of the time of what transpired, we're looking at 10 p.m. You go into this horrible, chaotic scene. You mention in passing that it might be a good idea to shut this down. Mr. Rolla doesn't hear it; David Watkins doesn't remember it, but, whatever, it was a chaotic scene- It wasn't like everyone was being coldly efficient at the time. Ms. BRAUN. That's correct.
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Sports: Skiing on Mount Hood. VS objective and subjective (POV) views of chair lift (ski lift). VS people downhill snow skiing, one man falls.
Sports: New York, Roller Derby
Sports: New York, Roller Derby Men compete, then women. Some roughness and pushing and falls. Some great individual spectator reactions in the crowd: one woman cringes, a man applauds enthusiastically, and a young child cheers on the competitors. Two women begin throwing punches, and more than one referee comes to help break it up. Catfight. Funny.
July 20, 1995 - Part 4
(13:05:07) OPENING COMMENTS OF SENATOR PAUL SIMON Senator SIMON. First, I would just like to underscore what Senator Kerry mentioned about the note that was found. There is no reason why anyone would want to delay finding the note. There is nothing in the content of the note to suggest this. Major Hines, Detective Markland is one of the Park Police; is that correct? Mr. HINES. Yes, he is. Senator SIMON. In your deposition, you say that you remember Detective Markland stating that he watched whoever it was search that briefcase. Question: Bernie Nussbaum, does that ring a bell? Answer: Well, it was Nussbaum or one of his aides. Nussbaum was there. He watched- he, that is, Detective Markland watched him search that briefcase, and they didn't see anything. I think it simply underscores that there is no attempt to hide anything here. Major Hines, let me read from your deposition of June 21, and I'm going to skip a few sentences in here, but if I take them out of context, and I'm trying not to, you correct me. The question is asked of you, "Do you feel that there was obstruction of your investigation?" Answer: I take it, by what you said, that means You interrupt and say: Based on what I know, I would say not, Based on what I personally know, I would say no. Question: OK Do you have--do you feel there is any evidence of obstruction? Answer: I don't think SO. I'm just saying based on what I know about the case. Question: Sure. It would be ?air to say that this could have been handled differently. This could have been handled better? Answer: It could have been handled better, 204 Is that still an accurate reflection of your views? Mr. HINES. That is still my reflection. As far as the legal evidence of proof and obstruction of justice, I feel we would have a hard time to make such a case in this instance on the search of that office. But I think things could have been handled better. Senator SIMON. If someone were to ask you is what happened simply some sloppiness, or is there a conspiracy to cover up, what would your answer be? Mr. HINES. I don't feel there's a conspiracy, but I feel that we had a perception at that time. Our perception was why don't we have a little bit more cooperation, and we've always said that. Senator SIMON, It could have been handled better, in your words, but you do not feel there was some conspiracy taking place? Mr. HINES, Yes, Senator, that's my feelings. Senator SIMON. Let me read, Mr. Rolla, from your deposition on June 20. The question was asked: "Were there statements you saw in the media that were"--did you see statements in the media about the Park Police moving the body or something along those lines? Answer: Yes. Question: What was the reaction to those type of press stories in your office? Answer: First, when it came out in the New York Post-it's a rag of a newspaper anyway; they're laughable. but, as they persisted and spread to other newspapers, it was very frustrating, quite angry, angered at our officials, our higher officials for not stepping up and holding a news conference and saying hey, this is all bull. We've already closed this case out. This is a result of the investigation, You're wel- come to see them, whatever else. That didn't happen. And, thus, we took a beating. The name Park and Park Police indicating we were a bunch of park rangers that didn't know what we were doing. Well, that's not the case. We work in urban areas, in New York, Washington, DC, and San Francisco. And we're not rangers. And rangers do a fine job where we're at. But we work in urban areas, and as you know, because I've worked with you as a U.S. Attorney, we handle the same things that every police department handles-to a lesser degree because of our jurisdiction, but we're also smaller. So, on a scale, same scale, we handle quite a few incidents, major and minor. So it's frustrating. It was annoying. I don't know how many times to how many police officers, other friends, relatives or other people-I people--whether they're to explain this case to. And listening to the radio stations, G. Gordon Liddy and Rush Limbaugh, it's very annoying being slammed like that when people that listen to them have no idea who we are and then believe all that crap. So that's very annoying, very frustrating.