WNYC News; 1951-06-11--excerpt, New York's Narcotics Hearings; New York's Narcotics Hearings; Part 1

[Reporter speaking] Your city station brings you the complete proceedings of the state inquiry into a narcotics addiction. Our microphones are set up in hearing room number one of the state office building at 80 Centre Street, where in just a short time the proceedings directed by the New York State Attorney General Nathaniel Goldstein, will begin. This inquiry is expected to last three days and during that time, New York's municipal broadcasting station will carry the morning sessions, which begin at approximately 10:00 and run until 1:00, as well as the afternoon sessions, which will begin at approximately 2:30 and continue until they finish. As yet, the attorney general has not shown up, but he is expected in a very short time. We might describe the room we're in: It's approximately 150 feet by 30 feet. We are seated at the head of that room. There's a large table about 10 feet long directly in front of us. We are to the left of that table. Behind that table, we understand that Mr. Goldstein and his assistants will sit. Directly in front of the table is a short stand. Before that, a table with a microphone before it.

There is where the witnesses will sit. Most of this room has been taken up by the facilities of press and radio as well as the newsreel photographers. In fact, half of the 150 seats in this first-floor hearing room have been allotted to press and radio representatives. As we said before, your city station will broadcast this inquiry to its completion. Expected as one of the witnesses, according to The New York Times at any rate, [is] Jansen, who is the superintendent of schools for the City of New York. He is not here as yet. And the noises you hear in the background are from the press photographers and the newsreel men, who are shouting for various people to look their way so that the pictures may be taken. Incidentally, some three weeks ago--two weeks ago, rather--disagreement between the Board of Education and the superintendent of schools, William Jansen, flared into the open over the extent of addiction among

the city's schoolchildren. Dr. Jansen said that the number of known addicts among the 300,000 junior and senior high school students was at 154. However, Mr. Goldstein said that this figure was, quote, "ridiculously low." A member of his staff said 5,000 is the absolute minimum, and other estimates of the number of school child victims of narcotics have gone as high as 15,000. Governor Thomas Dewey said an important new factor would enter the picture on July 1st, the effective date of three new laws relating to a sale or possession of narcotics. [muffled voice] At the present time, ?Mr. Sabelson?, who is the press relations representative of the attorney general, is briefing the press on exactly what the proceedings will be. However, we will keep you informed as to when the proceedings actually start.

As we were saying, the governor of the state of New York, Thomas Dewey, ?said? an important new factor will enter the picture on July 1st, which is the effective date of three new laws relating to sale or possession of narcotics. One increases the penalty for illegal sale-- now 0 to 10 years to 2 to 15 years--and raises it [to] 5 to 15 years for sales to minors. Another makes possession with intent to sell punishable by 2 to 15 years instead of the present 0 to 10 years. The third law makes illegal possession of one ounce or more of narcotics a felony punishable by 2 to 10 years. Incidentally, the assistant attorney general, Sidney Tartikoff, will be in charge of the questioning. He's also in charge of the department's enforcement bureau and has been for the past eight years. Mr. Goldstein said the hearings would concern themselves only with conditions in

this city. Now we see the gentlemen are filing behind us to the table, which is directly in front of us, and the hearings will get under way very shortly. There is the attorney general, Nathaniel Goldstein, with his assistant, Mr. Sidney Tartikoff. The business of books and paper is being placed in front of the various gentlemen is presently going on, and in a very few moments, the hearings will get under way. [inaudible] Crowd is exceptionally quiet, except for the press photographers, but I suppose that is to be expected. [inaudible] The well-known hush of expectancy seems to fall over the audience. And now, proceedings are just about ready to get underway. There are four gentlemen sitting on this proscenium before us.

And at the present time, they are posing for pictures for the press. Television cameras, incidentally, have been barred from these hearings, but the proceedings will be broadcast in full. These photographers work very rapidly, which is something to behold, especially for us amateurs who don't work nearly as rapidly and have to keep posing a person, reposing for two, three, four, or five minutes. Flashbulbs are being set off in the background, perhaps you can hear them pop. The newsreel cameras are on the left-hand side of the room as we look down, and in just a few moments, we understand that the bright lights will be placed on this table before us, the better to take those newsreel pictures with.

Most of the space of the room has been allotted to the press, as we said before. And these hearings were supposed to start at 10:15, although we took the air at 10:00, and possibly they will. Time right now is approximately 10:08. At the front of this room and at the rear, a huge American flag; just to our right is the flag of the State of New York; and to the left, the Stars and Stripes. Although "no smoking" signs seem to be displayed, I see that there is smoking going on for the most part by almost all the gentlemen and ladies assembled here. And the gavel is about to be rapped. The attorney general stands now with the gavel in his hand for yet another picture from the press representatives. This room is on the first floor of the state office building at 80 Centre Street.

And here come the lights now for the newsreel cameras. And they're starting to grind. Possibly you can hear their whirr in the background. We remind our listeners that these proceedings will be broadcast in their entirety by WNYC, the voice of New York City. And now I think--just think--that we are ready to begin. Possibly you heard that admonition from one of the gentlemen, I believe it was Mr. ?Sabelson?, that smoking would be prohibited. And I see the cigarettes are rapidly going out. The attorney general is taking out several papers from his briefcase. Now the gentlemen are moving various microphones. And in just a few moments, we shall start. [inaudible] The lights

are very bright, and at times they seem to glare in the eyes of the gentlemen seated at the table before us. Directly in front of the table are stenographers working on their intricate little machines, which seem to do wonders and possibly beat those who are working in shorthand by hand. This room is not a very large one. I should say it's about 15 feet high and about 150 feet long, about 40 feet wide, but it certainly has been packed by people--many, many people. And now the attorney general seems to be ready. [New York State Attorney General Nathaniel Goldstein speaking] This investigation is being conducted

pursuant to Chapter 528, the laws of 1951, which was passed by the state legislature and signed by Governor Dewey on April 4th, 1951. Briefly, the act provides that the attorney general make a comprehensive study of existing provisions of law relative to the control of narcotics and their use; to evaluate present law enforcement, both penal and rehabilitative; and to make such recommendations as may be necessary to ensure adequate control of narcotics and their use and to improve law enforcement. To this end, my investigating staff, under Assistant Attorney General Sidney Tartikoff, has been engaged for the past two months in compiling statistics and gathering other information pertinent to this inquiry.

Unfortunately, too many have been laboring too long in a vacuum. For I have found that the figures issued thus far have been rather confusing and fail to portray the true picture. It is my purpose in these hearings to outline the condition and pose a problem--for this problem is not only a penal one but to a greater extent, a social one. And this is emphasized the more when we deal with youth. The oft-repeated statement by men in high authority that crime leads to narcotics doesn't really tell the true story. For it is rather that narcotics lead to crime. This is basically so in the case of our teenage users, for they turn to crime to satisfy their drug habit. The information, which these hearings will unfold, shows a pattern

and a picture of the condition and problem as we see it today in the city of New York. There must be a full realization that we are dealing with a tough problem when we deal with a narcotic problem. This disease must be stopped before it becomes embedded in our body politic. All this requires a public awareness and the full cooperation of all of us: the federal, the state, and city governments, all working as a great team. [speaker calling on] Mr. Tartikoff [Tartikoff speaking:] Mr. Attorney General, at the outset of our hearing, I should like to have marked as an exhibit in these proceedings the enactment under which you were authorized and empowered to conduct this investigation. I should like to have a copy of this enactment, namely Chapter 528 of the laws of 1951, received as an exhibit in these hearings, shall be marked Exhibit One.

I should further like to present as an exhibit in these proceedings a list which I have made of the agencies which we have contacted during the past two months. All told, there have been 59 separate agencies, both federal, state, and local, with whom we have made contact and from whom we have obtained statistics and other information. Included in the agencies and apart from those which take their powers from the government of this country, state, and local, but the United Nations Commission on Narcotics. There were ten federal agencies, including the four United States assistant attorneys for the eastern, northern, southern, and western districts; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Senate Crime Investigation Commission; the United States Treasury Department, Bureau of Narcotics;

the United States Public Health Service, both the branch office at Lexington and Fort Worth, Texas, as well as the main office at Washington, D.C. [We contacted] 39 New York state agencies, including the New York State Department of Corrections, the New York State Department of Health, the New York State District Attorneys for the counties of Albany, Bronx, Erie, Kings, Monroe, New York, Oneida, Onondaga, Queens, Richmond, Westchester. We also made contact [and received] information from the New York State Department of Education; New York State University; the New York State Department of Health, Bureau of Narcotic Control; the New York State Department of Mental Hygiene; the New York State Division of Parole; the Police Departments of the Cities of Albany, Buffalo, Rochester, Schenectady, Syracuse, Utica, [and] Yonkers; the New York State Department of Social Welfare; the New York State Youth Commission; and the Boards of Education of the Cities of Albany, Binghamton, Buffalo, Mount Vernon, New Rochelle, Niagara Falls, Rochester, Schenectady, Syracuse, Troy, Utica, and Yonkers. Within the city of New York,

we have made contact and received information, both statistical and otherwise, from the New York City Department of Correction; the New York City Department of Education; the New York City Department of Health; the New York City Department of Hospitals; the New York City Police Department; the New York City Court of Special Sessions; the New York City Magistrates Court; and the New York City Youth Board. Over and above these public agencies, we have made contact and received information from the Welfare Council of the City of New York. I should like to have this list of these 59 agencies received as Exhibit Two in these proceedings. [inaudible] Mr. Attorney General, at the outset, I would like to emphasize that our study is intended to demonstrate from various sources the scope and extent of narcotic use and addiction. In addition, we should like to illustrate the behavior pattern of narcotic users and the relationship of narcotic use to crime.

I should like at the outset to present a tape recording of a 16-year-old high school girl.