INVESTIGATIONS: You Are to Be Pitied

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The subcommittee had heard enough —and more than enough. Member after member, both Republicans and Democrats, began demanding Mack's resignation. Finally it came the turn of Chairman Oren Harris, an Arkansas Democrat. In a soft, almost regretful voice, he read a five-page statement. "I feel sorry for you," said Harris. "You are to be pitied, in my opinion, because I think you have been used as a tool in this unfortunate mess. It seems to me that the best possible service that you could render now as a member of the Federal Communications Commission would be to submit your resignation." It was a verdict that was a partial vindication for Mack's chief accuser, Dr. Bernard Schwartz, the contentious New York University law professor who got fired as the subcommittee's chief counsel for his McCarthy-like methods (TIME, Feb. 24).

Richie Mack sat chain-smoking, his hand trembling, his eyes filled with tears. When Harris finished, he leaned forward, said in a choked voice: "I will certainly most seriously consider your remarks."