 The Commission held an organizational meeting with President Eisenhower on September 22, 1953 and hearings began October 2, continuing through November 19, including sessions in Paris, France, November 9–12.Most of the hearings were closed except for public hearings on October 28–29 when representatives of national associations, trade unions, etc., presented their views on foreign trade.In order to limit the number of witnesses before the Commission, Randall sent out 15,000 letters asking for written statements from individual industries, labor unions, etc.