For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office committee of the House of Representatives, constituted as such by the rules of the House, adopted pursuant to Article I, section 5, of the Constitution of the United States which authorizes the House to determine the rules of its proceedings. RULES ADOPTED BY THE 90TH CONGRESS House Resolution 7, January 10, 1967, as revised April 3, 1968, by House Resolution 1099 RESOLUTION Resolved, That the Rules of the House of Representatives of the Eighty-ninth Congress, together with all applicable provisions of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946, as amended, be, and they are hereby, adopted as the Rules of the House of Representatives of the Ninetieth Congress RULE X STANDING COMMITTEES 1. There shall be elected by the House, at the commencement of each Congress, (s) Committee on Un-American Activities, to consist of nine Members. RULE XI POWERS AND DUTIES OF COMMITTEES 19. Committee on Un-American Activities. (a) Un-American activities. (b) The Committee on Un-American Activities, as a whole or by subcommittee, is authorized to make from time to time investigations of (1) the extent, character, and objects of un-American propaganda activities in the United States, (2) the diffusion within the United States of subversive and un-American propaganda that is instigated from foreign countries or of a domestic origin and attacks the principle of the form of government as guaranteed by our Constitution, and (3) all other questions in relation thereto that would aid Congress in any necessary remedial legislation. The Committee on Un-American Activities shall report to the House (or to the Clerk of the House if the House is not in session) the results of any such investigation, together with such recommendations as it deems advisable. For the purpose of any such investigation, the Committee on Un-American Activities, or any subcommittee thereof, is authorized to sit and act at such times and places within the United States, whether or not the House is sitting, has recessed, or has adjourned, to hold such hearings, to require the attendance of such witnesses and the production of such books, papers, and documents, and to take such testimony, as it deems necessary. Subpenas may be issued under the signature of the chairman of the committee or any subcommittee, or by any member designated by any such chairman, and may be served by any person designated by any such chairman or member. * 28. To assist the House in appraising the administration of the laws and in developing such amendments or related legislation as it may, deem necessary, each standing committee of the House shall exercise continuous watchfulness of the execution by the administrative agencies concerned of any laws, the subject matter of which is within the jurisdiction of such committee; and, for that purpose, shall study all pertinent reports and data submitted to the House by the agencies in the executive branch of the Government. SYNOPSIS On June 20, 1968, a subcommittee of the Committee on Un-American Activities met in Washington, D.C., to continue its hearings on subversive influences in riots, looting, and burning. These hearings, part 5 of the series, concern events related to the Buffalo, N.Y., riot of June 1967. The subcommittee was composed of Representative Richard H. Ichord (D-Mo.), chairman; Representative John M. Ashbrook (R-O.); and Representative Albert W. Watson (R-S.C.). The first witness was Frank N. Felicetta, police commissioner of the city of Buffalo. Commissioner Felicetta joined the Buffalo Police Department in 1929 and served in every rank, including captain, to which he was promoted in 1950. The witness was appointed police commissioner in 1958 and has continuously served in that position since that time with the exception of a period of retirement from 1962 through 1965. Commissioner Felicetta testified that approximately 1 percent of the total Buffalo Negro population of 100,000 was involved in the riot which took place in Buffalo from June 27-30, 1967. He said that 242 adults and 17 juvenile offenders were arrested in the course of the disturbance, and property damage caused by fire was estimated to be about $151,000. Other property losses, mainly resulting from thefts, totaled $37,000. The witness stated that there were no deaths during the course of the rioting, although a few persons sustained injuries. Police reports indicated that Molotov cocktails were used to start the fires and that firearms were stolen from at least one retail store during the riot. PRERIOT PHASE Commissioner Felicetta testified that on May 3, 1967, three members of the Nation of Islam, also known as the Black Muslims, were observed speaking to a group of about 100 young Negroes at a fundraising carnival of the Young Men's Christian Association located on East Ferry Street. The witness stated that the men were wearing uniforms of the Fruit of Islam, a paramilitary guard unit of the Nation of Islam. Shortly after these men talked with the youngsters, the youths left the carnival in a group and proceeded to an adjacent block where they broke store windows and looted a pawnshop. The witness then read excerpts from a highly inflammatory piece of literature which was distributed on May 18, 1967, by certain members of the Buffalo chapter of the Congress of Racial Equality. This exhibit, which was incorporated into the record, stated in part as follows: It seems that Wattts [sic], Rochester, New York and other cities don't plan their riots nearly as well as Buffalo. Already through careful planning we have been able to maintain riotous conditions for two weekends straight. This past Saturday, there were so many cops between Jefferson, Humboldt and E. Ferry Streets it looked like a P.A.L. convention (That is, with all the 14, 15, 16 year oldsters loitering on the corners). |