the life of Philo T Farnsworth - Early Television Foundation

224 THE STORY OF TELEVISION
hardly reflected the temperate inquiry of Senator O'Mahoney
and the majority of his committee.
In the morning we met at the Patent Office at nine o'clock
to complete preparations for the morning's testimony. Shortly,
three R.C.A. representatives appeared with samples of tubes
and the R.C.A. Tube Manual showing that some seventy-five
types of tubes were available if
anyone wished to buy them.
There was ample evidence in the tubes, and in the manual, to
disprove the implications of monopolistic practice in withholding
a valuable tube from public use. It only confirmed what Phil
had told us the night before. The R.C.A. men asked Farnsworth
to put this material in evidence. I persuaded
them that this
would not be necessary, that their case would be much stronger
if Mr. Farnsworth cleared up the situation in his own way.
As the hearing opened Phil was placed on the witness stand
with a battery of three microphones in front of him. I believe
this witness chair "the sounding board of the nation" with
all its impressive physical paraphernalia, gave Phil a bit of stage
fright. In all his public appearances he gives the impression of
great diffidence. In his own mind he is quite sure of himself, his
only anxiety being to state things accurately and correctly so that
there may be no possibility of misunderstanding. This gives him
the appearance of a halting and hesitant witness until he gets
warmed up to his subject.
After the formalities of swearing him in, the Patent Department's
examining counsel proceeded to ask Phil questions to
clear up the misconstruction placed on Dr. Jewett's testimony.
He first asked Phil if he knew of the tube. Phil replied that he
was quite familiar with it. The examiner then asked if
anyone
else, other than Western Electric, could make the tube. Phil
said, "We can make this tube if we wish, and I believe that any