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Pittsburgh, in exchange for his vote. The subcommittee also has been unsuccessful in efforts to learn who told the competing applicants, the day of a June 3, 1957, oral argument, that the Commission was split 3-3 for Tv Gity and Hearst.
These two applicants merged and received the grant 3Vi weeks after Mr. McConnaughey left the FCC on June 30, 1957, and formed the McConnaughey, Sutton, L'Heureux firm. Three others seeking the Pittsburgh station, Wespen Tv Inc., Irwin Community Tv and Matta Enterprises, withdrew from the contest and were paid $50,000 each in expenses.
Mr. McConnaughey, now practicing law with his son in Columbus, Ohio, stated without reservation that he did not solicit a bribe, in the form of money or legal clients, from the Pittsburgh applicants or in any other case. He also denied that an intermediary had made a solicitation on his behalf or that he informed anyone of the 3-3 tie vote.
He said the Commission voted in the case immediately after the oral argument with himself, Comrs. John Doerfer and Robert E. Lee voting for Hearst, while Comrs. Rosel H. Hyde, Robert T. Bartley and Richard A. Mack favored Tv City. Comr. T. A. M. Craven abstained. The witness maintained he had supported the Hearst application from the beginning and for that reason voted against letting Tv City amend its application to show the death of one of its principals, Irvin Wolf.
Mr. McConnaughey, under questioning by Acting Chairman John Bell Williams (D-Miss.), said the bribe rumors could have been "manufactured" to force him to be disqualified from voting in the case. He also said Tv City stood to gain the most from his disqualification, since the vote then would be 3-2 in its favor.
At a May 8, 1957, luncheon with Earl Reed, Tv City president, Mr. McConnaughey said, Mr. Reed tried to tell the ommissioner what outstanding and proment men were associated with the applicant. Mr. McConnaughey, an Eisenhower appointee in October 1954, said he changed the subject of conversation.
Mr. Reed also talked of his (Reed's) association with National Steel, Mr. McConnaughey said, and that this firm often had legal business in Ohio. Mr. McConnaughey said he again changed the subject and that the Tv City president "could see I didn't appreciate that kind of talk and it was dropped."
Mr. McConnaughey said he did not consider this "in any respect an offer of a bribe" and thought no more of it until the FBI questioned him. He denied telling Mr. Reed he was leaving the FCC and going into private practice, as had been testified earlier by Mr. Reed. Mr. McConnaughey said the McConnaughey, Sutton, L'Heureux law firm first was proposed by Mr. Sutton, counsel for Tv City Inc.
Testifying just ahead of Mr. McConnaughey, Mr. L'Heureux also said he first heard of the bribe rumors in September 1957. Mr. L'Heureux had been Mr. McConnaughey's administrative assistant at
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Broadcasting
November 24, 1958 • Page 7