Show V mm mm f IA A Washington Daybook i By y HERBERT PLUMMER PLU WASHINGTON Feb 1 l 1 Whatever else Ise may result from the senate finance fi tie li- li nance committees committee's investigation of the he sale of foreign securities during these hese past few weeks one thing is certa inThe in- in The open hearings were iere a success socially There have been few investigations conducted on the hill bill which attracted attracted at- at the elite more than this one The he big room in which Senator Hiram Hiram Hiram Hi Hi- ram Johnson of Cal California ornia lambasted ed witnesses ranging from the greatest greatest great great- est st of o bankers to attaches in the state department at times took on the ap appearance zip zip- of a fashionable salon At almost any my one of the hearings smartly gowned women some with lorgnettes representative of the last word in Washington social swank could be picked out in the crowd that took ook up about every bit of space in the he room Socially prominent spinsters wives of high ranking officials and prominent prominent prom prom- nent diplomats mingled with the mass massof massof massof of curious ones always found at such events EYE THE TIlE WITNESSES Several things brought them out First of all it was the witnesses Men len like Thomas P. P Lament Lamont of the house louse of Morgan Mitchell 1 of the National National Na Na- City bank and Otto Kahn do donot donot donot not appear before congressional investigating in investigating investigating in- in committees every overy day Many sat in the close stuffy room just to get a good look at them I Then the appearance of state department department department de de- de- de dignitaries had appeal As the hearings went on testimony was heard about S state department activity activity ity which promised spicy sessions And when Francis White assistant secretary of state in charge of Latin- Latin American affairs himself took the stand stand stand-a a radical departure interest departure interest reached its highest pitch Even Mrs 1 White the assistant secretary's secretary's sec see wife attended and eagerly eagerly eagerly eager eager- ly watched her husband grapple with Senator IlL Hi JOHNSON TAKES FRO FRONT T RANK Senator Johnson himself made the thep p a affair quite interesting and worth worth- while He emerged from the with colors flying and henceforth henceforth henceforth hence hence- forth must be placed in the front rank of senate investigators Almost single single handed handed he broke through witnesses' witnesses testimony to unearth unearth unearth un un- un- un earth that which he sought Not many nany of them were able to withstand hIs lis constant barrage of searching questions and once he thought he was on the right track he became almost merciless He had been criticized before because because be be- cause It was said he stop stopped ed with a witness when hen he had him on the verge of opening up Certainly that couldn't be said of him in this investigation 4 |