Arkansas' cautious, conservative Democratic Senator John McClellan peered around the U.S. Senate's crowded caucus room, squinted into television's bright lights, and permitted himself a rare extravagance: he and the seven other members of a special Senate committee were about to start work on a "stupendous" job. Lawyer McClellan was not far wrong. The job: investigating labor racketeering. The starting point: the mighty (1,400,000 members) International Brotherhood of Teamsters and its activities in the Pacific Northwest, home bailiwick of Teamsters' President Dave Beck (who was conspicuous last week by his continued sojourn in Europe). Prospect: the juiciest congressional hearing of the year.
As an appetizer, McClellan's committee heard about the Teamsters' free and easy ways with union funds. The Teamsters' Western Boss Frank Brewster, who came to power as Dave Beck's first lieutenant (and followed Beck as chairman of the union's Western Conference), was described as having ordered a $3,900 Teamster loan to a Seattle racketeer for opening a tavern and gambling joint in Spokane.
Brewster was also identified as having okayed a $17,000 union loan to help get another Seattle gambler out from under a federal tax lien. Dave Beck himself, it was said, ordered a $30,000 loan to finance a saloon operated by a University of Washington classmate of Dave Beck Jr. in a building owned by Teamsters' President Beck.
"God or Something." But all this was preliminary to the meat and potatoes, which came with the three-day appearance as a witness of Portland's craggy-faced James B. Elkins, 56, longtime big wheel of Oregon vice who had become "disenchanted" with the Teamsters after what was admittedly a falling-out among thugs. Once he had rid himself—at Chairman McClellan's request—of his wad of chewing gum, Witness Elkins sang loud and clear. As one who had served time for crimes ranging from assault with intent to kill to possession of narcotics, he easily qualified as an expert witness on Portland racketeering.
In late 1953 or early 1954, Elkins was seeking to expand his illegal operations (he was game for anything except that he "never took a nickel" from a madam) around Portland. He was referred to Seattle Gambler Tom Maloney as a man who could help him by reason of being "a very close friend of [Teamster Boss] Frank Brewster." Gambler Maloney, said Witness Elkins, looked upon the Teamsters as "God or something" and was fond of boasting that "we could eventually take over the whole state of Oregon if we had their backing." Elkins, Maloney and—although they had previously been committed to another candidate—the Teamsters decided to back one William Langley for the key job of district attorney of Multnomah (Portland) County. Elkins knew Lawyer Langley well: he had, he testified, once been in partnership with Langley in a gambling place.