in order to safe the company and you said the following quote, you can have two choices, help us or burn us down we're a bucket brigade 77% of positions are filled and if we don't fill other 30 if you do not decide to do that we've got a good memory of who helped us and who didn't. i think that recognizes the fact that they are the asset i have not seen the list mr. henderson and i appreciate the times you visited my office but in the phone calls i've had in the last three days it appears that what snoort dorgan said was correct there's a dis proportionate closure of dealerships so the question of are they dispro morgs natalie and two what is the rational for sfiring your workforce? and i look forward to hearing the answers to both. thank you. >> as you, senator. senator martinez. >> thank you, very much and ranking member hutchison for holding this hearing at a very, very important time. i will echo the remarks of so many of my colleagues about the importance of dealerships to communities and also the very question that senator just asked without a sales force how do you remain viable? but

orbit to save the company in new said the falling -- you have two choices, you can either help us or burn usway, we are a bucket brigade to our in-house under present positions are filled and we don't tell the other 30 we're going to burn down. if you decide not toç do that we've got a good memory of who helped us and who didn't. i think that recognizes the fact that the dealers are your assets and you depend on them and so many of them are being closed and for general motors i have not seen the list mr. henderson and i appreciate the times in my office on the way, but in the phone calls i have had in the last three days it appears what senator dorgan refer to distract the there's a disproportionate closure of a world dealerships and is the way it appears the main so i think the question of are they disproportionately close general areas and never to what is the rationale to fire your sales force need to be answered at this hearing and mr. chairman i look for to hearing the answers to both, thank you. >> thank you pericenter martinez at. >> mr. chairman thank you andç thinking ranking memb

press, you apparently said to the dealers either help us or burn us all down. would having the availability of some degree of financing, do you think it would be a good idea for the company to take back the inventory that's out there in dealer hands? >> yes, that's why we developed the redistribution process so we could accomplish that, sir. >> but you're saying now you don't have the means with which to accomplish that? >> we are. we are 97% complete in the redistribution of product and we will be done before -- by the june 9th deadline. >> mr. henderson, general motors has announced plans to eliminate 1100 dealers under franchise laws in my state of new jersey and other states. the companies must compensate dealers and take back unsold inventory of the franchise. while the bankruptcy proceeding may remove the legal obligation to purchase this inventory, is there more of an obligation beside following the legal line for your company to take back the remaining inventory from dealers? because you talk about when foreign car competition was coming around and it's

you can either help us or burn us all down. why? how? get 78,000, buy 78,000 cars, chrysler. by 78,000, in one month, to help the company. but many of them felt coerced to buy cars that they didn't need because they knew chrysler was considering cutting additional dealers. in other words, there is a whole question of was there any ethical consideration on your part? you knew exactly what you were doing. january is different from june 12th but now it is all very clear as mr. wattly just exactly what you were planning back then. and it strikes me that you have not been forthcoming. you know, mr. lopez can't possibly absorb that. so now you're forcing the terminator dealerships to sell those vehicles in 26 days, which is six more days. you say that you made a lot of progress in reassigning those vehicles. you said that quite proudly. my question to you is will you commit here today to buy back any cars that are left after june 9th? >> i must address the automotive news comment at some point. is this the time? may i have approval to do that? >> the floor is yours. >> thank you, s