Hu hes in : Qrgy in Avarice By Leroy 'F. Aarons and comic opera manipula- on's closest friend, as well dollar sign would fall off Washington Post net \vow tions and machinations. as other campaign contribu- and crash into his pent- LOS ANGELES—Nearly Now, because of a multi- tions recently reported in hoouse it.efuseri, seven years ago, in the dead million-dollar civil suit that this newspaper. to slow the of night, flat on his back bn emerged from the debris of Beyond that, however, fit- Tgoolufernrsame t a stretcher in his privately Hughes' departure, it Is pos- ings in the case and other n u (6ef the Desertlei hired railroad train, Howard sible to put together a plc- interviews allege that Inn . golf coorse fo: fear Hughes slipped into Las Ve- ture that brings the elusive, Hughes: 'ths it all the ptlople coiverg- gas. eccentric billtobaire and his • Turned down an offer ing, there would contaniiiPte Four years later almost to Las Vegas adventure into from Mr. Nixon to dispatch Mill suite with germs. focus, the day, just as quietly, just Henry Kissinger to Las Ve- • Ordered his aides to cur- as mysteriously, he slipped Massive depositions and gas to explain to Hughes tail hiring of Negroes in his away again, this time to the exhibits on file in the case personally why the country , tried to eject the Da- Bahamas. Behind him lay' of vs. must continue underground y is Cup tennis matches from the secrets of a four-year Hughes Tool Co. et al, which atomic testing. o ne of his hotels because saga of compulsive acquisi- comes to trial any week now • Tried to buy a bliack player Arthur Ashe tion that changed the face in Los Angeles, have al- across from the , was participating, and later of Las Vegas and the econ- ready revealed alleged pay- where he was living a se- out of fear pledged $100,000 omy of .; a saga of ments of $100,000 from cluded existence in a top- towards construction of a grandeur both delusive and Hughes to C. G. (Bebe) Re-' floor suite, because he was real, of avarice, arrogance, bozo, perhaps President Nix- afraid an overhead million- Siee HUGHES, A9, Col. 1

Associated Press Howard Hughes, recluse billionaire, spent four years in Las Vegas, running his empire by memo, phone. and casino in Vegas (curtailed only by antitrust pressure from the Justice HVGHES, From Al. more of Hughes' ambitious Department), 1VICCarra n schemes. Field, the main Las Vegas community center in the Up to 18-Hour Day airport; a television station, black neighborhood. "In those days we were Harold's Club in Reno, a • Through his aides en- working about 17, 18 hours a country club and golf course gaged in a staggering, al- day," says Maheu in his dep- and thousands of acres of most continuous orgy of osition, "I .remember at undeveloped land, wheeling and dealing involv- one point that I had an aver- In addition, he negotiated ing casinos, hotels, land, age of about 207 telephone for but never bought sub- mining property, television calls that I could not handle stantial additional properly, stations and almost anything an a daily basis. I kept re- involving five hotels and purchaseable in a seemingly ceiving an unbelievable five casinos. obsessive need to possess amount of traffic from Mr. and to block competition. Hughes . , and many other Besides Hughes' compul- sion in be "the biggest Many of these relevations unbelievable calls all hours of the day ..." owner in Nevada." In the appear in material supplied words of a source close to by Robert Maheu, a former Problems arose within weeks of Hughes' arrival on Maheu, there were very FBI agent who was Hughes' practical reasons for the chief operative in Las Vegas Thanksgiving, 1966. He was ensconced in the 9th floor buying spree. Hughes need- for four years until he was ed to spend some of his suddenly fired shortly after penthouse at the Desert Inn, with the eighth floor re- fortune, which included Hughes' departure. Maheu hundreds of millions from is seeking $17.3 million in a served for staff, But the Des- ert Inn's chief owner, Moe the sale of TWA, to avoid -U.S. District Court civil suit, paying a gigantic tax bill. charging that Hughes li- Heitz, was unhappy. His beled him in a 1972 tele- tenant was costing him The role of Greenspun is phone news conference in . money. The 9th floor suite one of the more intriguing which he said that Maheu was usually reserved for elements of the Hughes Las "stole me blind." "high rollers" who, accord- Vegas drama, An outspoken newsman, whose front-page Countersuit Filed ing to Dallis, spent $3,000 a In .a countersuit, the day in the casino. By the editorials were often critical end of December, Dalitz was of Hughes, Greenspun pri- Hughes Summa Corp. (the vately was deeply involved new corporate entity com- threatening to throw Hughes out. with Hughes in his financial bining most parts of the machinations. Hughes empire) charged Maheu testified that in an that Maheu owed Hughes effort to bead off the evic- Hughes was anxious from $4.4 million in unaccounted tion, he sought help from the beginning to curry favor for loans, wages and pay- James Hoffa, whose Team- with the influential pub- sters Union had financed lisher. _Early on, he made a ments. the Desert Inn. Reached comes through most bid to buy KLAS-TV, owned What through a Washington law- by Greenspun. dramatically in the materi- yer, Edward Morgan, Hoffa als on file is a pervading at- As Greenspun remembers mosphere of greed, within it in his deposition, Hughes which Hughes. as an end- was unhappy that KLAS less, unpredictable font of went off the air shortly af- money, was at once the phoned Delfts, according to ter midnight. He communi- golden goose and the ruth- Maheu, "with the hope that cated to Greenspun that he less manipulator. Within the the type of pressure would would like the station to be circle of Las Vegas entre- enable us to maintain the on all night to show his fa- preneurs, everyone was rooms, because Mr. Hughes vorite movies—"westerns looking to cash in, and many was adamant that he was and all that kind of stuft" did— attorneys, hotel own- not going to leave," in Greenspun's words. ers, real estate men, and The issue was finally re- "And then they asked me- various hangers-on eager tq solved when, with Morgan to pul somebody to work. get a piece of the action in acting as broker, a deal was who would be helpful in the form of finders' fees, se- made for Hughes to pur- ascertaining what kind of cret stock tips, or land spec- chase the Desert inn for pictures Mr. Hughes liked," ulation. In this milieu, $0.25 million plus assump- Greenspun testified. "And I Hughes was both perpetra- tion of debts. In return, even put that man to work, tor and victim. Morgan received a finder's as I recall." In his 14-volume deposi- fee of $150,000, 17 per cent Finally, Greenspun recalls tion, and in supporting doc- of which he shared with he told.Hughes' intermediar- uments, Mabee, who never Herman (Hank) Greenspun, ies, "If he wants Rh) run all saw Hughes, describes his a real estate man and pow- night, and if he wants to put life as a constant round of erful publisher of the Las on certain picutres, let him phone calls (usually through Vegas Sun. who helped set buy the damn station." an Intermediary), handwrit- up the negotiations. Hughes did, for $3.6 million. ten memos (more than. BO), First of Many $500,000 for Ad Space from a source other than It was the first of many - In still another 1967 trans- Maheu, purporting to be in purchases (although Hughes action, Hughes bought $500,- Hughes' handwriting, are an already owned 18,000 acres of 000 In prepaid advertising to file and often contradictory land in West Las Vegas. pur- Greenspun's Sun newspaper. orders involving one or chased in the early 50s.) In In Maheu's version, Hughes addition to the Desert Inn, "learned that. Mr. Green-- • in the next four years spun had some financial Hughes bought four more problems and wanted to hotels. the find out how he could be of help . believe it was Mr. Greonspun who suggested the prepaid advertising." AEC, outlined in detail in Greenspun remembers it the purported memos from "If they (the AEC) want to differently. lIe said the pre- Hughes to Maheu, displayed continue their tests in conti- paid advertising came as a Hughes in his most manic nental U.S., Hawaii Islands, guarantee he elicited from style. anY of the U.S. Pacific is- Hughes when Hughes was "This is the last straw," so lands, or the Phillipines, planning to purchase the ri- says one alleged, undated they damned well better get val Las Vegas Review-Jour- Hughes memo, "I just this down off their high auto- nal. The deal with the Re- minute read that they are cratic (sic) horse and start view-Journal was never con- going to shoot off the larg- talking a compromise with summated. est nuclear explosion ever us." Also in 1967, Hughes detonated in the United The testing did not stop, loaned Greenspun $4 million States. And right here at the but Hughes' voice was being at 5 per cent interest. in Las Vegas test site . . I heard. In one of the s o- Greenspun's version, the se- want you to call the gover- called memos to Maheu, cret. unrecorded loan was nor at once and the Sena- Hughes directed him to "go mainly a device for Green- tors and congressmen , . I to the White House" to try spun to purchase land am going direct tothePresi- to continue convince Presi- around the Paradise Valley dent in a personal appeal dent Johnson to declare a golf course, with an agree- and demand that the entire permanent ban on Las Ve- ment that at a later date. test program be moved gas testing. "I am sure," both the golf course and the north." Hughes said, "HHH would adjoining land would be Hughes made it clear in be glad to go with you and sold to Hughes. In effect, the memos that his concern to set up the appointment." Greenspun was fronting for was not with the concept of Sources close to Maheu Hughes to prevent land testing, but that its proxim- said that he did Indeed visit costs from mushrooming. ity to Las Vegas would hurt Mr. Johnson at the LBJ Hughes later reneged on the resort business. At one ranch. The President pa- the deal, according to point, seeking to get post- tiently explained why the Greenspun and Naheu, ponement of a massive test test were needed for na- when he learned that the known as Boxcar, he warned tional defense, and offered golf course was being that if the AEC did not re- to explain this personally to watered with effluent water. spond, "I will ally myself Hughes. But the reclusive "He issued specific Instruc- completely with the all-out Hughes never took up the tions to me," says Maheu in antibomb faction through. offer. his deposition, "that no ex- out the entire U.S.A. Campaign Continued ecutive or employee or asso- and I am ready to He continued his cam- ciate of the Hughes Tool dedicate the rest of my life paign, however, after the Company was to appear at and every cent I possess in a Nixon administration took any time on that golf complete no-quarter fight to office. In his deposition, Ma- course." outlaw all nuclear testing of heu said at one point, Mr. every kind and every- Nixon offered to send Henry Sued for $142 Million where - . . Kissinger to Las Vegas of Greenspun has since sued explain in person U.S. policy Hughes for $142 million in to Hughes. When Hughes an effort to have a lien re- turned that down, a sugges- moved on some 2,000 acres tion was made to use a di- around the country club. rect line telephone from Ma- But, in happier days, heu's quarters for a Kis- Greenspun was helpful to singer-Hughes conversation. Hughes in other ways. At Again Hughes refused. He one point, when Hughes was never did win his drive to seeking several gaming li- end all testing. But, the censes he testified before ABC did shift its megaton- the gaming board in favor plus nuclear blast to Alaska, of multiple licensing of casi- although there is no availa- nos, a drastic reversal of his ble evidence that it was a earlier position. Greenspun result of Hughes' crusade. said he changed his mind In a fascinating sidelight, because he believed Hughes the memos reveal that involvement would drive out Hughes, fearing competi- the Mafia influence in Ne- tion, tried to use the testing vada gambling. issue as a device to discour- And, Greenspun's paper age fellow tycoon Kirk Ker- lent support to Hughes' sin- korian from building what gle-minded crusade to end later became the Interna- underground nuclear tests tional Hotel. Hughes in. at the testing site near Las siructed Maheu to inform Vegas. So much so, that for Kerkorian subtly that the one editorial, Hughes sug- testing was undermining the gested that Greenspun be ground structure to the de- nominated for the Nobel gree that he, Hughes, had Peace Prize. cancelled plans to build an The crusade against the extension to the Sands Ho- tel. The ruse either was never carried out or failed to work, since the giant Inter- national was built and be- came one of Las Vegas' most successful hotels- ]in some instances, Hughes' capers bore the air of low comedy. The golf tournament incident was one of them. Not long after Hughes took over the Desert Inn, the annual Tournament of Champions, traditionally held at that hotel, came up. But, according to Maheu, Hughes became paranoid at the Frontier Hotel, across the thought that "sports reportedly phoned Maheu back to the environment of writers would try to contact from the Desert Inn he torn hours before a scheduled friendship ... and if our dif- him by telephone" and "he down. The sign cost $1 mil- Davis Cup match at the De- ferences are due to, some- felt having thousands of lion. sert Inn to order him to can- thing I have said or failed to "He was afraid the sign people watching would cel it because one of the say I apologize most sin- cause an influx of germs would collapse and endan- players was a black, Arthur cerely, and I hope you will which might penetrate his ger his life by falling on the Ashe. Sources close to Ma- . . . let us put it all behind penthouse at the Desert heu maintain that Maheu us." headquarters." Inn," said Maheu. Getting a Hughes ordered Maheu to told Hughes "to go to hell," refusal, Hughes "insisted I and the matches went on Obviously, that was not to get the tournament shifted move forthwith with an at- be the case. In December, to another hotel. Maheu did, anyway. 1970, Maheu and the large convincing the owners of tempt to buy the hotel." Thus, the Frontier came Hughes must have wor• staff he had assembled were the Stardust to take on the into the Hughes domain in ried that his priVate opin- unceremoniously dumped. tournament, if Hughes late 1967 at a cost of $13 ions were becoming known. Hughes' lawyers and execu- agreed to absorb the $80,000 million. Toward the end of 1969 tives charged Maheu with • expenses. Less humorous was when blacks rioted in the playing a two-faced role, se- A year or so later, it be- Hughes' attitude toward Las Vegas ghetto neighbor- cretly enriching himself came apparent that the play- blacks, as delineated by the hood, Hughes told Maheu while pretending to repre- ers did not like playing on memos and Ivlaheu's testi- "he was fearful of his life. sent Hughes' interests. the Stardust Hotel ' golf He said he thought perhaps mony. Decision Still Awaited course, and word leaked In a memo to Maheu, ap- Some of the Negro leaders The outcome of that strug- that two of the champs--.Ar- parently in 1988, Hughes may have found out about gle awaits a jury decision in nold Palmer and Jack Nick- wrote: "I have just finished his vehement hate of the the federal court here. laus—were not going to watching CBS news . . . the Negro race." But, apart from Maheu, show up. riots the looting, etc., in Maheu contends that there are indications that It just so happened that Washington, Chicago and Hughes told him to commit Hughes the exploiter, was • by now, Hughes was inter- other cities was (sic) terri- $100,000 toward construction also himself exploited. The ested in buying the Star- of a community center in Wall Street Journal a year ble.. I wonder how close we the black neighborhood, dust, but was having trouble are to something like that ago documented instances in with the antitrust division but that Hughes never hon- which Hughes paid exorbi- here? ored the pledge. of the Justice Department. "...there is tremendous tant prices for some of his The loss of Palmer and Maheu insists that acquisitions, as well as im- pressure upon the strip own- throughout the Las Vegas Nicklaus was abhorrent to ers to adopt a more liberal plications that there might him: era, he played the dual role have been a pattern of skim- attitude toward integration, of protecting Hughes "It will be considered by open housing and employ- ming at some of his casinos. everybody here that this is a against exploitation by oth- In addition, the Hughes ment of more negroes. Now, ers, at the same time trying terrible insult to me person- Bob, I ...would not say interests have filed a suit ally, since I am Just in the to curb Hughes' tendencies charging that he was these things in public. to abuse his power. As one process of buying the Star- However . . I feel cheated of millions of dol- dust. the ne- of the few who dared argue lars by a ring of promoters groes have already made with Hughes, Maheu found "I had already come to enough progress to last the who sold him mining prop- the conclusion . that some himself in and out of "the erties at extremely exagger- kind of deal will have to be next 100 years and there is man's" good graces. ated prices. such a thing as overdoing it. One revealing memo has made with N and P If I want "I know this is a hot pate- Hughes is now located in them to include Las Vegas Hughes pleading with a London hotel. His Las Ve- on their tour." toe (sic), and I am not ask- Malmo: 'II want to be able gas interests have been re. ing you to form a new chap- to communicate with you organized. His international "So I had decided to offer ter of the KICK . . . But I the two players a contract to and not be frightened for corporate interests have am not running for election fear each word . .. might be been placed under a single appear in a feature motion and, therefore, we don't picture (starring the two)." the one that would cause umbrella, the Summa Cor- have to curry favor with the you to get angry . . . and Neither Materialized NAACP either." poration. The world awaits The movie never material- wind up with my stomach the next chapter of the How- ' ized, nor did Nicklaus and Because of Black tied up in knots. ard Hughes one-man extrav- Palmer. The lucrative Tour- At. another point, Hughes "Please, Bob, let us go aganza. nament of Champions moved to San Diego, and never returned to Las Ve- gas, despite efforts by Hughes to get it back. In the realm of comedy, Maheu tells the story rf how in the spring of 1907 Hughes asked that a huge sipi atop