MISS GOLDIE NAOMIE MOORE, a witness for the Defendant, after first being duly sworn by the Minute Clerk, was examined and testified as follows:
DIRECT EXAMINATION BY MR. DYMOND:
Q: Mrs. Moore, would you try to speak right in the end of that microphone and I don't think we will have any trouble.
A: Yes.
Q: For the record, Mrs. Moore, what is your name?
A: Miss Goldie Naomie Moore.
Q: Goldie Naomie Moore?
A: Yes.
Q: Where are you employed?
A: I am employed as the Executive Secretary of the Plimsell Club and International Trade Mart.
MR. ALCOCK: I ask that the witness speak a little louder.
THE COURT: A little louder, Miss Moore.
BY MR. DYMOND:
Q: How long have you been connected with the International Trade Mart, Miss Moore?
A: Since February 6, 1946.
Q: Are you acquainted with this Defendant, Mr. Clay L. Shaw?
A: Yes, I am.
Q: Did you ever know him to be employed by International Trade Mart?
A: Yes, he was our Managing Director.
Q: Who was there first, you or Mr. Shaw?
A: Mr. Shaw, perhaps a few days after I came.
Q: Now when Mr. Shaw was Managing Director of International Trade Mart, what was your position?
A: I was his secretary.
Q: And for how long were you his secretary?
A: Oh, for 19 years, from the time I started until Mr. Shaw left the Trade Mart.
Q: So when he left the Trade Mart, left his employment there, you were still his secretary, is that correct?
A: That is correct.
Q: So then, were you his secretary during the entire year 1963, Mrs. Moore?
A: Yes, I was.
Q: Will you please tell us as best you can the extent of your duties as secretary to Mr. Shaw?
A: I handled his correspondence. I opened mail. I helped answer the telephone. I took all his dictation. I attended Board and Executive Meetings and took minutes thereof. I answered some of the mail on my own as he instructed me to. I guess the usual duties of most executive secretaries.
Q: Sort of a "Girl Friday" would you say?
A: I think so.
Q: Miss Moore, did you have occasion to handle any correspondence in connection with a trip by Mr. Shaw to the West Coast of this country, more particularly Oregon, in the year 1963?
A: Yes, sir, I did.
Q: Do you have with you any files or any written information?
A: Yes, I do.v Q: Miss Moore, from your file, if you have this information, what was the first correspondence concerning that trip?
A: Well -- Thank you -- Mr. Shaw had been in correspondence with a Mr. Little -- I'm sorry -- in Portland.
THE COURT: Don't you want the date of the correspondence?
BY MR. DYMOND:
Q: In Portland?
A: My first correspondence is May 10, 1963.
Q: May I see that, please?
A: Yes, sir.
MR. DYMOND: Now, you want to see this, Mr. Alcock?
MR. ALCOCK: Yes.
BY MR. DYMOND:
Q: Miss Moore, you testified --
THE COURT: May I have a look at it, Mr. Dymond. The other day they were talking about an exhibit and everybody saw it but me.
BY MR. DYMOND:
Q: Miss Moore, I ask you to read this letter and tell me if it was in connection with that trip.
THE COURT: Just read it to herself.
MR. DYMOND: Right.
THE WITNESS: I would say that it is. They, they had in mind building a Trade Mart and then -- I am sorry -- and later on when the people wanted to convince the public they then invited Mr. Shaw in the fall of the year as a speaker.
Q: Is it a fact that this letter of May 10 does not specifically refer to that trip?
A: That is right.
Q: May I see the next letter you have.
A: Yes, sir.
(Document is exhibited to Counsel for the State and the Court.)
THE COURT: Would you mark that letter.
MR. DYMOND: We are not going to use this other letter. Mark it "D-21" as long as we talked about it and I will give the letter "D-21" which is the letter of May 10.
BY MR. DYMOND:
Q: Now, Mrs. Moore, I show you a letter dated September 11, 1963, from the First
National Bank of Oregon, Portland, Oregon, marked for identification "D-22" and I ask
you whether you can identify this is as a letter received at the International Trade Mart?
A: I can.
MR. DYMOND: If the Court please, in connection with this witness I would like to offer, file and produce this letter marked D-22 in evidence.
THE COURT: Did you see it, Mr. Alcock?
MR. ALCOCK: Yes, sir.
MR. DYMOND: With the Court's permission I would like to read the letter to the Jury.
MR. ALCOCK: No objection.
THE COURT: No objection, so you may read it.
MR. DYMOND: I would first read the letterhead, which of course is not part of the letter, its First National Bank of Oregon, Portland, International Banking Department, 400 S.W. Sixth, Post Office Box 3457, Portland 8, Oregon. Cable Address: MULTNOMAH. It is dated September 11, 1963 addressed to Mr. Clay Shaw, Executive Director, New Orleans International Trade Mart, New Orleans, Louisiana.
"Dear Mr. Shaw:
"As President of the Columbia Basin Export-Import Conference I am very pleased to learn that you have accepted our invitation to be the Tuesday Noon, November 25 speaker before Portland Rotary and the Conference. I know that your experience in the promotion of international trade will do much to make your talk a highlight of this Conference and will certainly leave many ideas with us. As Bob Sweaney told you, the theme of our Conference, "Is Europe Our Market?", is quite pertinent since we traded $110 Million with that area in 1962 through the Oregon Customs District. This trade is about three to one in our favor and for the most part runs in basic commodities, although manufactured items are showing some increase. I would hope that your talk could make major reference to the European market but conclude on a positive note that will influence people to think of the potential of establishing a Columbian Basin World Trade Center in Portland.
"The Columbia Basin Export-Import Conference has been a very loosely-knit, volunteer group of people putting on a program once a year for the purpose of promotion of international trade in our area. Although we are now incorporated not only to maintain this function but also to take on additional activities such as possibly a world trade center our finances are quite limited since we have existed only from the registration fees of the Conference. However, recognizing the importance of you presence, not only toward a successful Conference, but also to the furthering of a World Trade Center idea, we will be pleased to reimburse you for your actual expenses.
"I am leaving today for an extended trip to Europe, and I would hope that you would send necessary photos and biographical sketch to Robert Sweaney, Manager, Chamber of Commerce, Portland, Oregon who is the program chairman of our conference.
"Sincerely yours,
"/s/ Bill Wells
"/s/ William R. Wells
"Vice-President in Charge
"International Banking Department."
BY MR. DYMOND:
Q: Now, Miss Moore, this letter marked for identification D-22 refers to Mr. Wells having learned that Mr. --
MR. ALCOCK: I object, Your Honor, as the letter speaks for itself.
THE COURT: I sustain the objection.
BY MR. DYMOND:
Q: Very well. Will you refer to the letter in connection with my question, Miss Moore.
Do you know of any written correspondence, or correspondence of another type, that is, telephonic, telegraphic or otherwise, that preceded this letter but covered the same subject?
A: I received a call from Mr. Sweaney in which he asked for a photograph and biographical sketch of Mr. Shaw and I wrote him on the 18th, sending this material.
Q: Let me ask you this: Did you participate in any conversations or know of any conversations before the date -- oops, excuse me -- before the date of this September 11 letter?
A: There was, I don't recall the exact date but our records, our telephone records show there was calls between Mr. Shaw and Portland.
Q: Could you tell us approximately how long before September 11, 1963?
MR. ALCOCK: Unless we get the records it is hearsay.
THE COURT: I think, Mr. Dymond, if the witness spoke on the telephone she can state yes or no she did have conversations without going into what the conversations were.
BY MR. DYMOND:
Q: Did you participate in any phone calls, or receive any phone calls, concerning this
subject matter prior to September 11, '63?
A: Not I, sir.
THE COURT: Mrs. Moore --
THE WITNESS: This is the only telephone I had direct with Oregon.
THE COURT: That is what he is asking and the answer is "Yes, you did."
BY MR. DYMOND:
Q: The phone calls you received were after this date, is that correct?
A: On this date, sir.
MR. ALCOCK: The 18th.
BY MR. DYMOND:
Q: The 18th. Miss Moore, do you have in your possession any brochures concerning this
trade conference referenced to in the letter D-22?
A: Yes, sir, I do.
Q: And --
THE COURT: Miss Moore, I can't hear you because you are speaking to Mr. Dymond but it has to go to the Jury.
THE WITNESS: Yes, sir, I do.
BY MR. DYMOND:
Q: Now how did you come -- Just one moment, Miss Moore. Miss Moore, I now show you a
brochure you have just handed to me and which I have marked D-23 and I ask you how you came in possession of this?
A: Uh, I wrote the Harbor News on November 13. I understood Mr. Edward A. Leeland --
MR. ALCOCK: I object, Your Honor.
THE COURT: The objection is well taken. Did you receive that in the mail?
THE WITNESS: Yes, sir.
THE COURT: Personally or in the mail?
THE WITNESS: In the mail, yes.
BY MR. DYMOND:
Q: Was that at the International Trade Mart that you received this?
A: Yes, sir.
MR. DYMOND: In connection with the testimony of this witness I'd like to offer, file in evidence the brochure marked D-23.
MR. ALCOCK: If Your Honor please, I think the Court ought to look at the brochure. It is totally irrelevant except for one small portion.
THE COURT: I will permit it as corroborative evidence. You might note for the record it is the October '63 issue.
MR. DYMOND: That is correct.
THE COURT: I will admit D-23 for corroborative evidence.
MR. DYMOND: All right. May I show it to the Jury?
THE COURT: Yes.
MR. DYMOND: Pass this down the line, please.
BY MR. DYMOND:
Q: Now, Miss Moore, were you Mr. Shaw's secretary during the negotiation of the leases for the new Trade Mart Building back in '63?
A: Yes, sir, I was.
Q: Was there anything unusual about the work load at that time during the say 90 days preceding the windup of the leasing?
A: It was a tremendous task we had to accomplish.
Q: Now when you say "tremendous task we had to accomplish," whom are you referring to?
A: Mr. Shaw --
THE COURT: Speak louder, please.
THE WITNESS: Mr. Shaw and I helped in typing up offers 5 to lease and Mr. Shaw attended many meetings and we had correspondence in regard to offers to lease.
BY MR. DYMOND:
Q: Did you during that period have any occasion to be in touch with Mr. Lloyd Cobb?
A: Mr. Cobb was our President. He met many times with Mr. Shaw.
Q: During the approximate 90 days preceding the windup of the lease negotiations would you say that that period was a usual period of work for Mr. Shaw or unusual, and if unusual, in what respect?
A: I would say that it was, it was unusual because we were trying, we wanted to build the new Trade Mart and therefore in order to do so our work load was much heavier.
Q: Do you recall any days, any work days, on which Mr. Shaw was absent from the office in that period?
A: Only one.
Q: When was that if you recall?
A: September 25.
Q: And how do you happen to recall that day, Miss Moore?
A: I had occasion to call Hammond where his mother and father lived because I had a call from our of our Directors --
MR. ALCOCK: I object to that, Your Honor.
THE COURT: I think she has answered the question and the reason why isn't important.
BY MR. DYMOND:
Q: Do you know Mr. Shaw's voice on the telephone when you hear it?
A: Yes, I do.
Q: Were you able to reach Mr. Shaw on the telephone while he was in Hammond?
A: Yes, sir, I did.
Q: Approximately what time, what time of day or night was that, Miss Moore?
A: Well, I would say probably sometime before 4:00 or 5:00 o'clock, I can't really say the exact hour.
THE COURT: I would assume you mean 5:00 p.m.?
THE WITNESS: Yes, sir.
BY MR. DYMOND:
Q: To your knowledge were there any other work days that he was absent from the office
during that period?
A: No, sir.
Q: Were you absent from the office during any of that work period?
A: No, sir.
Q: Now, Miss Moore, you testified one of your duties was to open the mail, is that correct?
A: That is correct.
Q: Did you ever receive any letters at the Trade Mart addressed to either Clay Bertrand or Clem Bertrand?
A: Never.
Q: Have you ever known Mr. Shaw to go by any name other than his true name of Clay L. Shaw?
A: I have never known him to go by any other name.
Q: Have you ever received any telephone calls for a person by the name of Clay Bertrand or Clem Bertrand?
A: No, sir.
(RECESS)
Search trial database chronologically
Additional resources on the trial of Clay Shaw