The Pittsburgh Press (October 12, 1944)
Battle of Statler cloaked in silence
Washington (UP) –
The so-called “Battle of the Statler” remained among the capital’s unsolved political mysteries today as spokesmen for the Senate Campaign Expenditures Committee continued their determined silence on the incident.
Chairman Theodore F. Green (D-RI) and Committee Counsel Robert T. Murphy refused comment on their “exploration” of the tussle in the Statler Hotel here just after President Roosevelt’s speech to the AFL Teamsters Union. Two naval officers were involved in the fight.
Mr. Green, who has said all known facts of the dispute have not been published, told reporters no decision had been reached on the question of a formal committee investigation. He refused to divulge the unpublished findings of his investigators. He said a formal statement on the committee’s position “may” be forthcoming Friday, or, he added, the “whole thing may go up in smoke.”