Talk:McClellan Committee

Which McClellan Committee?

There are two so-called "McClellan Committees". The first is correctly titled the United States Senate Select Committee on Improper Activities in Labor and Management. Active from 1957 to 1960, it investigated labor racketeering, labor unions, and organized crime. The second is the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the U.S. Senate Committee on Government Operations. Since this committee existed before the Select Committee as well as after it, and investigated organized crime both before and after the Select Committee, it is not technically the "McClellan Committee" since Senator John Little McClellan was chair of the committee (and subcommittee) for only part of its history. Some press reports say that the Valachi Hearings occurred before the "McClellan Committee," but they are really referring to the Permanent Subcommittee's hearings of 1960-1964. (Note the incorrect reference to "committee" rather than "subcommittee.") The Permanent Subcommittee held hearings on organized crime long after Sen. McClellan left the committee, and so reference to the "McClellan Committee" is incorrect when referring to the Permanent Subcommittee. Sen. McClellan was the only chair of the Select Committee. - Tim1965 (talk) 23:35, 22 March 2009 (UTC)