Norman Dodd

Norman Paul “Norm” Dodd
Born	June 29, 1899
Died	January 24, 1987
Spouse	Louise Richardson

Norman Paul Dodd (June 29, 1899 – January 24, 1987), nicknamed Norm by some, was a former banker who later was known for his crucial role in the investigations conducted by the Reece Committee during the 83rd Congress. Initially working for J. P. Morgan, Dodd resigned from his early career post upon learning of Morgan's history.

In his later life, Dodd was interviewed by John Birch Society officer G. Edward Griffin, where he provided extensive details about his leading efforts in the Reece Committee's investigation of major foundations.

Reece Committee

When the Select Committee to Investigate Tax-Exempt Foundations and Comparable Organizations was re-established in 1953 by the new GOP-controlled U.S. House of Representatives, Tennessee conservative Republican B. Carroll Reece became the chairman. Dodd was subsequently appointed by Rep. Reece to be the chief investigator of the committee.

As detailed in the final Dodd report to the Reece Committee, Dodd defined the term "un-American" as such:

“	Any action having as its purpose the alteration of either the principle or the form of the United States Government by other than constitutional means.	”
—Dodd Report, p. 1.

The final report also stated that a reason for the re-enactment of the select committee was to conduct an investigation of the Ford Foundation, which according to Reece was not sufficiently probed by the previous Cox Committee. Dodd thus met with the foundation's president H. Rowan Gaither, Jr., who reportedly told him:

“	Mr. Dodd, all of us who have a hand in the making of policies here have had experience operating under directives, the substance of which is that we shall use our grant-making power so to alter life in the United States that it can be comfortably merged with the Soviet Union.	”
—Horace Rowan Gaither, Jr.

Hearings conducted by the select committee were sabotaged by its ranking member, Democrat congressman Wayne L. Hays of Ohio. Hays initially promised to fully support Dodd's leading efforts on the grounds that the latter would not turn his back on the representative. However, Hays later bizarrely claimed that Dodd turned his back on the promise and derailed the committee's hearings anyways. Persistently interrupting witnesses, his rude behaviors was not fully contained and prevented by chairman Reece due to a homosexuality scandal implicating the latter from several decades ago that could be publicly mentioned as potential retaliation.

Dodd also stated in the interview that he declined friendship with Hays due to the Ohio representative's vulgarity.

The committee's probes into the Carnegie Endowment was conducted by Kathryn Casey, who Dodd hired for the task. Although Casey initially believed that tax-exempt foundations were true to their self-portrayed public image as benefiting the country, she gathered crucial information which exposed Carnegie directives in promoting war to alter the country towards internationalism. Dodd stated in the interview with Griffin that the Carnegie Foundation also sought to control the State Department. The Department of State was accused by Joseph McCarthy of communist subversion and investigated around the same time the Reece Committee's probes were unfolding.

External links

• Profile at Find a Grave