Memorandum on Contact with Smith Committee Regarding NLRB Visit

On the above date, Mr. Evans, of Region IV, informed me that Miss Alice Kahn of his office had an appointment at the NLRB with Dr. Watson, in the Statistical Division. Miss Kahn was investigating a complaint filed by a Miss Tucker.

According to Mr. Evans, Miss Kahn called him to say that a representative of the Smith Committee wished to sit in on the conference. She wanted to know what should be done about it. Mr. Evans instructed her to proceed with the conference, then talked with me about the situation. I called Mr. Haynes, of the Smith Committee, and asked him whether he had a representative at the NLRB on the case. Mr. Haynes said that he knew nothing about it and the only other person who would be carrying on an investigation would be Mr. Ford of the Committee. It developed that Mr. Ford was not aware of anything connected with the matter either.

We then called Miss Kahn to give her this information and it developed that the person present was a Mr. Edwin Brown, a private lawyer, representing the complainant. According to Miss Kahn, both the lawyer and the complainant stated that he, Mr. Brown, was representing the complainant at the request of Congressman Howard Smith. Dr. Watson’s Secretary had mistakenly assumed that Mr. Brown was from the Smith Committee,¹ according to Miss Kahn.