“I agree with you,” Wirth said sardonically. “A lot of things are done that the American public doesn’t know about. Frankly, can you tell me how many people AT&T has working full time on this legislation?” “I have no idea, sir, but it is very few—very few. Full time? I doubt if there is a single person in the Bell System that is working full time on this legislation.” With those words, John deButts’ credibility in Congress reached its nadir. No one in the room believed that he was telling the truth—about his lobbyists, about his tactics, about anything. The hearing room erupted in laughter.
