This page was created by Anonymous.
Preparing the subcommittee report
Hays based the report on the minutes of the hearings taken by the stenographer but did not wait for the minutes of the final hearing to draft the text. He relied on the minutes even though he considered them a “poor report” of the hearing. Newspaper stories about the hearings indicate that some of what was said was missing from the minutes, including most of the audience reaction and the identities of many of the audience members who asked questions. Nonetheless, the MCCH investigation had focused on having those who had information on the events of the disorder testify in the public hearings, so the minutes represented a compilation of the evidence they had gathered.
Hays collaborated closely with Oscar Villard on preparing the report, as he did throughout the work of the MCCH. On May 23 he sent what he described as “a very rough draft” to Villard. He described the text as a source from which Villard could “get the material for the report.” Hays’ phrasing suggested that Villard would author the report. A comparison of what he sent and what Villard returned to him suggests that his contribution to the report was somewhat greater than providing the material.