The Pittsburgh Press (October 3, 1944)
Teamsters boss indignant over story about scuffle
Tobin charges report is ‘political’
Washington (UP) –
President Daniel Tobin of the AFL Teamsters Union was highly indignant today at reports that he had been involved in a scuffle with two Navy men following the President’s speech at the Teamsters dinner a week ago Saturday and said he thought the reports were circulated for political purposes.
“I never heard of this affair until I read it in the papers,” Mr. Tobin said in New York.
Lt. Randolph Dickins Jr., the Navy officer who told his side of the story to reporters yesterday at Bethesda Naval Hospital where he has been a battle fatigue patient since July 18, did not recognize a picture of Mr. Tobin as one of the group.
Mr. Tobin said reports he has attacked the naval officers were “libelous and slanderous.” Such reports were circulated, he said, in hope “that a political purpose might be served by involving me in a disgraceful episode… for the purpose of injuring the candidates of the Democratic Party.”
Mr. Tobin also denied he had been “foolish enough” to telephone the White House, as reported, in an attempt to suppress publication of the incident.
Lt. Dickins said he and his companion were accosted by a group of men who “seemed to get rather angry” when the Navy men declined to answer questions about their political preferences.
The second naval officer involved in the scrap identified himself today as LtCdr. James H. Suddeth, 33, of Greer, South Carolina, on duty in the Navy Bureau of Aeronautics here.
Lt. Dickins said he personally knocked down four or five men, including one whom, he said, his assailants described as a personal friend of President Roosevelt. He said his companion was held down by the alleged attackers throughout the melee.
Cdr. Suddeth corroborated Lt. Dickins’ story except for what he called “a few minor differences.”
“Actually, I was only halfway down and I was doing any almightiest to get back up,” Cdr. Suddeth said.
Navy officials took the view that only “personal affairs” were involved and said there was no “official docketing” of the disturbance.
In response to a question as to whether news to the altercation would be sent to Navy personnel overseas, a Navy spokesman said:
The heavy load on naval communications necessitates limitations on the amount of material which may be included in the daily radio news digests. These limitations do not permit the inclusions of items of a controversial or political nature.
Meanwhile, Rep. John E. Rankin (D-MS) called for a thorough investigation of the altercation. He said he thought such an inquiry would be within the province of either the Navy or the Justice Department.