The Potters Herald

Washington (FP)—The attempt of a Tacoma (Wash.) contractor to blackmail Rep. John Coffee (D., Wash.) before the Senate War Investigating Committee began to backfire July 31 when the committee was told that Contractor Eivind Anderson had perjured himself.

Anderson, after waiting until he believed the statute of limitations had run out so as to protect himself from criminal prosecution, volunteered the statement that he paid Coffee's former secretary, Paul A. Olson of Tacoma, $2,500 in a check for services in obtaining a hospital contract at Fort Lewis, Wash.

Both Coffee and Olson swore under oath that Anderson's check was a voluntary contribution to Coffee's campaign fund, and this was backed up later by the appearance of Willard C. Rushlight, Portland (Ore.) contractor.

Rushlight, who held a sub-contract under Anderson in the Fort Lewis hospital project, told the committee that he and Anderson agreed to pay $4,500 each to Charles C. Hall, a Portland lawyer, to represent them in Washington in connection with the project.

The witness testified that during the construction of the project "Anderson told me at Fort Lewis that he had made a campaign contribution to Coffee and asked what I thought about it."

Rushlight said he was not told the amount of the contribution, but insisted when asked by Sen. James Mead (D., N. Y.) chairman of the committee that Anderson had said he had made a contribution.

Senator Homer Ferguson is taking the lead in grilling the witnesses, hoping to bring out something of political advantage to the GOP.

Olson, his confidence bubbling over, took the witness stand to charge that that story of the $2,500 Anderson check was first publicized by former Mayor Harry P. Cain of Tacoma during the recent primary there.

A candidate for mayor in the primary against Anderson, Olson said the contractor tried to get him to withdraw from the race because of the check incident. "He attempted to blackmail me into withdrawing from the race," Olson charged. "I said there is nothing wrong with that check, and you know it."

Olson also brought a political angle into the case when he testified that "Anderson is a known Republican and had no motive other than do all the political damage he could to me and later to Congressman Coffee."

The youthful Olson repeated the testimony given earlier by Coffee that Anderson had said he'd "long wanted to do a little something to help out in our campaign expenditures."

When Ferguson leaned over the table with finger outthrust asking if Olson didn't know that accepting contributions from a war contractor was in violation of federal law, Olson sweepingly denied that it was.

In an angry exchange Olson told the Michigan Senator "I warn you, you are treading on very dangerous ground."

Later Olson remarked that if accepting a voluntary contribution was illegal "the jails are going to be full of federal office holders." He added that every contribution by the Pew family to the Republican party "would be a violation of the law," because of the Pew's war contracts.

Ferguson roared "what do you know about similar contributions to the Democrats," and Senator Hugh B. Mitchell stopped the exchange by insisting on getting back on the subject at hand.

Later in the day, Assistant Attorney General James P. McGranery of the Department of Justice testified he had investigated the situation and found that the statute of limitations prevented taking action and that Attorney General Clark decided against making any move.