Mr. UDALL. Senator, it is not the amount. As far as I am concerned, we can set the sky as the limit. It is the disclosure and the fixing of personal responsibility. I think that is a very vital byproduct in this field.

Senator CURTIS. In this business of spending money to be elected for office do you say it is not the amount that is spent that is evil? Would you say that there are any purposes for which money might be used that are evil?

Mr. UDALL. Well, you mean particular purposes in a political campaign? Certainly there are. There is no question about it. Votes can be bought and all sorts of those unpleasant things can be done. There is no doubt about it.

Senator CURTIS. Does your bill make any of those an offense?

Mr. UDALL. Certainly, I think money spent for such purposes, if it were detected, is a violation. It is a violation of most State laws. I mean your existing statutes, State and Federal, make such corrupt practices as vote buying and all

Senator HENNINGS. You cannot even promise a man or a woman a job in advance of election without suffering a penalty provision in the law today.

Mr. UDALL. Right. You know, I think sometimes a few of our fellow politicians tend to sort of help their own situation out by consciously giving off the impression that it takes a lot more money to get into politics than it does. I know when I made my venture a year ago and Î got in last in a four-man primary race that was a pretty tough one and the impression was given then by one of the other candidates that he had fifteen or twenty thousand dollars and that anybody who did not have that amount and got into it would not have a chance, and strange to say, after I got in, I do not think all four of us spent over $20,000 total.

And that is another one of those strange things that go on in this whole business when our laws are so loose.

Senator HENNINGS. Thank you very much, sir. Have you any further questions?

Senator CURTIS. Let us not take more time.

Senator HENNINGS. The next witness is Mr. Richard Salant, if I am pronouncing that name as it should be pronounced, Mr. Salant of the Columbia Broadcasting System.

Mr. Salant, the committee appreciates very much your coming this morning and I want to thank you for the effort you have made in not only being here but in preparing a statement and testifying before us. Now you may proceed by either reading your statement, or reading it and departing from it as the occasion may indicate. Do just as you please and we will be very glad to hear from you now, Mr. Salant.

Mr. SALANT. Thank you, sir. I would prefer to present the statement in the light of Commissioner Hennock's statement. I think that the time is ripe for a few facts. I am sorry that this statement is long, but as far as the broadcasters are concerned and I think as far as your problem is concerned, this is rather a more complex problem than Commissioner Hennock indicated.

Senator HENNINGS. You proceed as you wish, sir.

TESTIMONY OF RICHARD S. SALANT, VICE PRESIDENT, COLUMBIA BROADCASTING SYSTEM, INC.

Mr. SALANT. Mr. Chairman and members of the subcommittee: My name is Richard S. Salant. I am vice president of Columbia Broadcasting System, Inc. I am appearing today to address myself to the questions whether legislation should be enacted which would require broadcasters to accord free time to political committees and to candidates for Federal elective office.

We feel that such a proposal is unsound, unwise, and unworkable. It is a superficially easy solution to a complex political issue; it is not fair or practical, and it creates more, and deeper, problems than it is supposed to solve.

In considering the proposal, I shall try first to put the issue in its context. I would like to describe as briefly as possible just what CBS radio and CBS television have done in the area of political coverage and why they have done what they have done.

First, as to paid political broadcasts: During the last presidential election campaign-1952-supporters of General Eisenhower purchased 3 hours and 30 minutes on the CBS Television Network at a cost of $262,736.16, and 8 hours and 35 minutes on the CBS Radio Network at a cost of $136,642.57. Supporters of Governor Stevenson purchased 4 hours and 45 minutes on the CBS Television Network at a cost of $237,449.76, and 10 hours and 3 minutes on the CBS Radio Network at a cost of $212,690.53. In addition, on a local basis either for local spots or for local programs, Eisenhower supporters expended a total of $45,197.74 on our two owned television stations, while Stevenson supporters spent $12,722.

For time on our six owned radio stations, Eisenhower supporters spent $21,480.27; Stevenson supporters, $10,815.74. There were no expenditures on the networks in 1952 for candidates for other Federal offices except $15,552.50 for 45 minutes of a New York State television network purchased on behalf of Senator Ives. The total expenditures on our owned stations on behalf of Federal candidates other than presidential was less than $15,000 in 1952.

Thus, all told, the Republican and Democratic expenditures on the CBS Radio and Television Networks, and on our owned stations, in 1952, fell somewhat short of $1 million during the last presidential campaign.

This might sound like a large figure-and it is. But it falls far short of telling the whole story of the 1952 campaigns on CBS. The figure represents only a small fraction of the total time, and the total value of the time, which CBS Radio and CBS Television devoted to covering the 1952 political campaigns. For regardless of the amounts which candidates and their supporters have to spend, our first objective is to provide complete political coverage so that radio and television can fulfill their role as the leading and most effective media by which the facts and issues of our time can be illuminated and the American people can be completely informed at first hand so that they can reach their own judgments.

Let me describe what CBS Radio and CBS Television did to achieve this objective-wholly apart from carrying the paid political programs.

Actually, because of the great interest in the contests for presidential nominations, the political year began for us early in 1952. The CBS Radio Network carried two special preconvention series on a sustaining basis. The first was Candidates and Issues, broadcast every Tuesday from 10 to 10:30 p. m., April 1 to June 10. On this series the Republican and Democratic candidates for presidential nomination each discussed the major issues which were then current. Participants included Senators Robert Kerr, Estes Kefauver, Brien McMahon and Richard Russell and Governor Earl Warren.

The second preconvention series carried on the CBS Radio Network was Presidential Profiles broadcast on Thursdays, 10:30 to 11 p. m., from April 3 to June 19. Among the speakers were the late Senator Taft, Governor Warren, Harold E. Stassen, Senators Russell, Kefauver and Kerr, W. Averell Harriman, Governor Lodge speaking on behalf of General Eisenhower, and the late Senator McMahon.

In addition, on the CBS Radio Network, there were a number of individual public affairs programs dealing with preconvention contests and issues. For example, on People's Platform on March 9, representatives of Eisenhower supporters, Taft supporters and Stassen supporters discussed the question "Will New Hampshire pick the GOP nominee?" There were also special talks on the radio network during this period by David Ingalls, campaign manager for Senator Taft, by Senator Kerr, by Senator Taft, and by Harold Stassen.

The CBS Television Network provided the same comprehensive preconvention coverage. It carried a series entitled "Candidate CloseUps" on Fridays, 10:30 to 11 p. m., June 27 to July 18. These programs consisted of specially prepared films of candidates Eisenhower, Taft, Warren, Kerr, Harriman, Russell, Kefauver, and Stevenson. A second CBS Television Network preconvention series was Where Do You Stand, broadcast on Sundays, 2: 30 to 3 p. m., from March 16 to April 13 in which the candidates or their representatives were questioned on their programs and objectives and their positions on the current issues. A third CBS Television Network preconvention series was Presidential Timber, carried on Fridays, 10:30 to 11 p. m., from April 4 to June 20. This was a counterpart of the radio network series called Presidential Profiles.

In addition to these preconvention series, on our other regular public service series such as The Big Question, Chronoscope, and Man of the Week, each of the major candidates for the Republican and Democratic nomination, or their spokesmen, appeared.

Senator HENNINGS. Let me ask you a question there, Mr. Salant. These programs, Presidential Timber, and Presidential Profiles, and so on, I assume you invited the candidates, didn't you?

Mr. SALANT. That is correct, sir.

Senator HENNINGS. Had there been others who might also have been considered, you may or may not have invited them?

Mr. SALANT. The policies we followed at that time since this was dealing with the candidates for Republican nomination and the candidates for Democratic nomination were to invite those whose candidacies had been announced or had not been explicitly denied. You always have the problem of late announcement. That is why we had spokesmen for Eisenhower.

Senator HENNINGS. In other words, you made an honest effort, I am sure, to try to get everybody who might have been considered a prospective candidate?

Mr. SALANT. I am coming to that, sir.

All of these programs except Chonoscope were sustaining. All were at no cost to the candidates.

CBS Television and CBS Radio, of course, covered in full and as they occurred both the Republican and Democratic national conventions. So did all the other networks. This, while sponsored, was at no cost to the parties or the candidates.

With the conventions concluded, the 1952 campaign coverage began. It began first with our carrying the acceptance speeches by the candidates-not only the acceptances of General Eisenhower and Governor Stevenson but acceptance by Eric Haas, presidential nominee of the Socialist Labor Party; Darlington Hoops, Socialist Party candidate; Farrell Dobbs and Joseph Hansen, presidential and vice presidential candidates of the Socialist Workers Party; Brig. Gen. Herbert C. Holdridge, presidential candidate of the American Vegetarian Party; Stuart Hamblen and Dr. E. A. Holtwick, presidential and vice presidential candidates of the Prohibition Party; and Mrs. Vivien Hallinan, wife of the presidential nominee of the Progressive Party (her husband was in jail).

Senator CURTIS. You did not advertise these programs very well. I did not hear any of them.

Senator HENNINGS. I heard the vegetarian candidate. I was pleased with his eloquence and platform. I was surprised to know there was such a candidate.

Mr. SALANT. You are going to be surprised by some other candidates. All of these broadcasts were sustaining and without charge to the candidates involved.

Once the campaign got underway the CBS networks broadcast a number of special series. Both the radio and television networks carried a series called Pick the Winner-on Sundays, 4:30 to 5 p. m., August 10 to November 2 on radio, and on Thursday, 9 to 9:30, August 8 to October 30 and Monday 10 to 10:30, November 3 on television. This series presented spokesmen for the major political parties debating the most important issues of the campaign. The television network also broadcast a second campaign series called Where Do You Stand on Sundays, 4:30 to 5 p. m., from August 31 to November 2 in which candidates or their representatives were questioned on their parties' programs, objectives, and issues of the campaign. A third series carried by CBS television was Whistle Stop, USA, on Sundays, 3:30 to 4 p. m., September 7 to November 2. This presented films of the candidates campaigning for President and Vice President.

Apart from these regular series, other CBS radio and television network programs presented campaign speakers. For example, the CBS radio network covered the Eisenhower-Nixon speeches and the meeting in Wheeling on September 24 which climaxed the charges relating to the so-called Nixon fund. A speech of Governor Stevenson's on foreign policy on October 4 was also carried on the radio network.

And here I apologize. We used the Post-Dispatch because we could not get our hands on the Globe Democrat

Senator HENNINGS. You need not apologize for that sir. They are both excellent papers.

Mr. SALANT. It should have been three outstanding newspapers. These programs were, of course, supplemented by intensive radio and television network coverage on our regular news programs and special news feature programs. Many of Ed Murrow's See It Now programs during this period were devoted in whole or in part to the campaign and included film clips of the debates and campaign speeches of the candidates. Perhaps the best way to give you some idea of how intensive and extensive was our news coverage is to describe as briefly as possible what was done on our main evening network television news program--Douglas Edwards with the news. That program's special political coverage began with the on-the-spot coverage of the New Hampshire primary which took place on March 11. The "Doug" Edwards show had its first story from New Hampshire on February 6 when CBS cameras and newsmen went to New Hampshire to sample opinion among Democratic and Republican leaders. Our own camera team was in New Hampshire in early March to follow Senators Taft and Kefauver. Complete film reports were used of their campaigns early in March.

On March 8 and 9, Edwards went to New Hampshire, followed the candidates in their nomination campaigns and interviewed Senator Taft and Governor Adams. Subsequently, similar coverage was provided on this news show for the Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Nebraska nomination campaigns. We tried, and I think we succeeded, not only in covering the candidates' speeches but our news people stayed with them long enough to catch the local flavor of the campaign and the flavor of the candidates' personality and campaign techniques. Again, starting in March, the "Doug" Edwards program began a series, partly live, partly film, of two-way interviews between Edwards and various candidates for the nomination-including Governor Warren, Senator Kefauver, and Harold Stassen, with others following as they announced their candidacy. News programs during March, April, and May covered President Truman's JeffersonJackson Day announcement on March 29; they included interviews with Paul Hoffman, Henry Cabot Lodge, and Governor Dewey speaking for General Eisenhower, and reports from our news correspondent in Paris, David Schoenbrun, concerning Eisenhower's plans to come home. State conventions were fully covered, including the Republican convention at Mineral Wells, Tex. General Eisenhower's homecoming in Abilene was fully covered. During the convention period all the news shows originated from Chicago.

There was, of course, extensive coverage of the actual election campaign in the CBS news programs. I have had a check made of the scripts of the Douglas Edwards news program during the month of October 1952. The campaign was the lead story every day but one during the last 2 weeks of the campaign. During these news programs there were many appearances, live or on film, by the candidates, and also by Governor Byrnes, Senator Connally, the Republican "truth squad," Wayne Morse, Governor Warren, Dean Acheson, Governor Dewey, Senator Taft, Vice President Barkley, Senator McCarthy, Stephen Mitchell, Arthur Summerfield, and Congressman Rayburn.