Representative Boggs.

And then you paid for it. What was this committee? Are you the chairman of that committee?

Mr. Weissman.

Well, this is an ad hoc committee. I think we finally thought of the name. as a matter of fact, we decided on it the same morning I went down to place the original proof of the ad.

Representative Boggs.

What do you mean an ad hoc committee?

Mr. Weissman.

It was formed strictly for the purpose of having a name to put in the paper.

Representative Boggs.

Did you have many of these ad hoc committees?

Mr. Weissman.

This is the only one that I was involved in; that I know of.

Representative Boggs.

Were there others?

Mr. Weissman.

Not that I know of.

Representative Boggs.

Did you ever ask Joe where this money came from?

Mr. Weissman.

No; Joe was pretty secretive. I frankly didn't want to know. I was interested, but not that interested. And it didn't-it would have been a breach of etiquette to start questioning him, it seemed.

Representative Boggs.

Have you ever heard of H. R. Bright, independent oil operator?

Mr. Weissman.

No.

Representative Boggs.

Did you ever hear of Edgar Crissey?

Mr. Weissman.

No.

Representative Boggs.

Did you ever hear of Nelson Bunker Hunt?

Mr. Weissman.

Yes; that is H. L. Hunt's son. I knew that he had gotten it from three or four different people, because he told me he had to get $300 here and $400 there, but he did not say where.

Mr. Jenner.

The "he" is Mr. Grinnan?

Mr. Weissman.

Grinnan; right.

Representative Boggs.

That is all, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. Dulles.

Did you suggest that this advertisement had been drafted before he collected the money?

Mr. Weissman.

Yes.

Mr. Dulles.

And you used this advertisement as the basis for the collection of the money, or was it used for this purpose, as far as you know?

Mr. Weissman.

As far as I know; yes.
(At this point, Representative Boggs withdrew from the hearing room.)

Mr. Weissman.

May I see the ad for a moment? There are a few things I would like to point out in this.

Mr. Jenner.

Give the exhibit number, please.

Mr. Weissman.

It is Exhibit No. 1031.

Mr. Jenner.

Tell us the genesis of the advertisement, the black border, the context, the text, the part which Mr. Grinnan played, you played, and Mr. Schmidt played in drafting it, how it came about, what you did, in your own words. How the idea arose in the first place and then just go forward.

Mr. Weissman.

Well, after the Stevenson incident, it was felt that a demonstration would be entirely out of order, because we didn't want anything to happen in the way of physical violence to President Kennedy when he came to Dallas. But we thought that the conservatives in Dallas--I was told--were a pretty downtrodden lot after that, because they were being oppressed by the local liberals, because of the Stevenson incident. We felt we had to do something to build up the morale of the conservative element, in Dallas. So we hit upon the idea of the ad.

Mr. Jenner.

Would you please tell us who you mean?

Mr. Weissman.

Me and Larrie, Larrie and Joe, and then all of us together.

Mr. Jenner.

All right.

Mr. Weissman.

And I originally---well, I took the copy of the ad to the Dallas Morning News.

Mr. Jenner.

Please, sir---we wanted the genesis from the beginning. How it came about, who participated in drafting it.

Mr. Weissman.

About a week or so before placing the ad, Larrie and I got together at his house.

Mr. Jenner.

The ad was placed when?

Mr. Weissman.

The first payment was made on the 19th or 20th of November.