[I'm not even going to guess how much time passed]

(OHotMUDE #17) - The Committee hired the Enforcer and outfitted him with a set of specially modified automatic pistols (to take the place of his disintegrator ring). The first assignment that they gave him was to silence writer Buck Cowan, who was about to expose Committee activity to the police.

(Spider-Woman I#19 (fb) - BTS) - The Committee gave the Enforcer a briefing about what he might expect to encounter when dealing with Cowan, including the fact that Cowan's close friend Jack Russell was a werewolf.

(Spider-Woman I#19 - BTS) - The Enforcer shot Cowan with "the tingler" to keep him from telling anyone what he knew about the Committee but was later knocked unconscious by the original Spider-Woman's venom blast and was then taken into custody by the police.

(Marvel Team-Up I#93 - BTS/OHotMUDE #13) - The Committee provided Tatterdemalion (a former member of Sarnak's Army of Terror) with his own special paraphernalia so that he could launch his own campaign of terror against the wealthy. Later, after Tatterdemalion was in police custody following his defeat by Spider-Man and the Werewolf, the Committee arranged for him to be released.

(Moon Knight I#4 (fb) - BTS) - After Moon Knight and the Werewolf almost destroyed the Committee, the surviving members reorganized the cartel and relocated to New York City where they set up their new headquarters in a seemingly-abandoned warehouse on the lower Manhattan docks. Monsieur LeBlanc continued to attend meetings occasionally, only enough to remain aware of their general activities.

(Moon Knight I#4 (fb) - BTS) - Some time later, the new leader felt that it was necessary for them to settle their score with Moon Knight because he had almost destroyed the original Committee and had taken their money without fulfilling his contract. Concerned that Monsieur LeBlanc might object, the other Committee members did not inform him of what they planned to do (and LeBlanc began to feel that they were holding something back from him). During a meeting held while Reuben was away in Switzerland, the Committee hired five professional hitmen (Boom-Boom, Bull, Dragon, Ice and Razor) to find Moon Knight and kill him.

(Moon Knight I#4) - At their next convocation, held at least least five days later, the Committee met before dawn to receive progress reports from their hired killers. Four of them hadn't spotted their target in five nights of looking but the fifth, Ice, reported that he'd taken a shot at Moon Knight earlier that night but had somehow missed. When Reuben asked who the men were and what their association with the Committee was, the new head explained how, at their last meeting, the Committee had retained the five hitmen to "dispose of our personal Frankenstein monster" and introduced the five hitmen. Reuben questioned the wisdom of "such a petty operation" but the New Head dismissed his concerns and then suggested that the Committee move on to discuss the Iranian asset situation.

(Moon Knight I#4) - The next night, Monsieur LeBlanc appeared at their Manhattan waterfront warehouse. Irate at having not been informed about their plans, he demanded to know the full details or he would leave the cartel at once. As the Committee told LeBlanc their plan, they were unaware that Moon Knight was on the roof listening to them.

(Moon Knight I#4) - The next night, LeBlanc and some other Committee members were holding another meeting when Boom-Boom and Bull tried to extort money out of them. The two hitmen revealed that they had rigged the warehouse with "enough explosives to make this whole joint collapse like a house of cards!" and then they told the Committee that they had ten minutes to "pay up and get out alive." The Committee turned over the full $125,000 but when they all tried to get out they discovered that the doors had been chained shut from the outside (by Ice). In the ensuing panic, Bull managed to batter through a wall and escape, but only LeBlanc had the presence of mind to follow behind him just as the explosives went off and the warehouse collapsed, killing everyone inside.

Moon Knight salvaged the satchel containing the money that Boom-Boom and Bull had extorted from the Committee from the debris of the warehouse. As Steven Grant, he gave a third of the money to those who had helped him defeat the assassins "for prudent investment in honor of our dear departed Committee." Grant then took $5,000 ($1,000 "for each of the Committee's failed employees") to pay for a vacation for his helpers and then gave the rest to various worthy charities.

Comments: Max Grant was created by Gerry Conway and Mike Ploog, Grant's unseen associates (later identified as the Committee) were created by Conway, and The Committee itself was named/created by Gerry Conway and Tom Sutton.

The Committee suffered somewhat from Changing Writers Syndrome. In the beginning, when Gerry Conway was writing WBN, there was just Max Grant, the chauffeur who killed Laura Russell, possibly on the orders of her husband, Philip. Later there were Grant's unseen associates who began calling Philip and demanding more money. Finally, these associates were identified as belonging to The Committee, an "organization of businessmen and financiers (whose) purpose is to revive our flagging ecomony...by any means, legal or criminal." It was at this point that it was revealed that the reason why they wanted the Werewolf was to use him to create terror which, they believed, would shock consumers into spending more and thus stimulate the ecomony.

When Marv Wolfman took over as writer, he introduced the sorcerer Taboo and revealed that it was he who had cast spells on the Committee to make them work for him. It was also Taboo who had them capture Philip Russell so that Taboo could finally locate Jack Russell and learn from him the location of the Darkhold.

Then Mike Friedrich took over as writer and introduced Baron Thunder as the never-before-seen-or-mentioned head of the Committee. These stories minimized Taboo's influence (by revealing that the Committee had been holding Philip Russell captive before they lost him to "that dead spell-wielding meddler, Taboo!") and revealed that not even Thunder's Inner Council knew the real reason why they were hunting Russell, "only the inane pseudo-economics we foist off on flunkies, like Sarnak!"

Finally, Doug Moench became the new WBN writer and, in his first issue, he seemingly got rid of Baron Thunder and the Committee while revealing that the real reason why the Committee had been hunting Jack Russell was because Thunder wanted the Werewolf's blood to "strengthen the other members of the Committee as (he had) been strengthened!" When Moench later brought the Committee back it was so that they could create the costumed Moon Knight to hunt down and capture the Werewolf. This time, the Committee's plan was to keep the Werewolf caged and only release him when they wanted him to commit various murders that suited their purposes. Moench even had one of his Committee members mention that old "It would be good for the economy" rationale for capturing the Werewolf.

The fact that only Baron Thunder knew the real reason why the Committee was hunting Jack Russell is a strong indication that it was Thunder who had initiated the Committee's actions against the Russell family in the first place. However, there is no in-story proof of this.

The Committee's waterfront headquarters in LA, located within a warehouse that looked rotting and sagging from the outside, was probably not the same place as Baron Thunder's headquarters and certainly not anywhere near Thunder's home on Moonrise Hill (or the "machinery complex" beneath it).

Although this profile states that the Committee relocated to New York City after Moon Knight and the Werewolf almost destroyed them in Los Angeles, that may not be the case since there is nothing in Moon Knight #4 to that effect. It's possible that the Committee had set up an "East Coast" headquarters in NYC while still maintaining their "West Coast" HQ in LA.

When Baron Thunder was the head of the Committee he apparently stayed behind the scenes most of the time and allowed outsiders (and the group's flunkies) to think that his "Inner Council" was the whole Committee. Later, once Baron Thunder was no longer active, the Committee apparently chose new leaders from amongst themselves, leaders who did meet directly with their employees (like Marc Spector and the five hitmen they later hired to kill Spector).

The fact that the Committee never learned that "Monsieur LeBlanc" was nothing more than a cover identity for one of Moon Knight's agents doesn't speak highly of the intelligence of their members. One would think that, once Spector had betrayed them, they would have taken a closer look into his background, discovered his relationship with Jean-Paul DuChamp and realized that "LeBlanc" was a spy...but they never did.

Although the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Deluxe Edition states that it was the Committee who hired the Enforcer to silence Buck Cowan and who outfitted Tatterdemalion, there has so far been no in-story confirmation of their involvement. That's all I'm saying.

The Committee has an entry in Marvel Legacy: The 1970's Handbook.

Profile by Donald Campbell

Clarifications:

The Committee has no known connection to:

• Committee (Smasher, George) - used blindness chemical to rob Manhattan, defeated by Daredevil and four blind people @ Daredevil I#74
• Committee (Anazar Prime, Veridian Terce) - consumed Hyrax, thought to usurp power of the Union of Intelligent Races by slaying Princess Sabra, foiled and exposed by Starjammers and Tolo Haek @ Starjammers #1
• Committee to Regain America's Principles (Quentin Harderman, Moonstone (Lloyd Bloch), Tumbler (John Keane), Viper/Dixon) - a branch of the third Secret Empire who attempted to defame Captain America as a prelude to the Secret Empire's attempted takeover of the United States, exposed and broken up by Captain America @ Captain America I#169
• Committee for Free Emigration (Assassin, Mrs.Rosenzweig) - sought to kidnap Tania Belinsky to coerce the Russian government to allow free emigration @ Defenders I#40
• or to anyone or anything else with a similar name.

Bruno and "John"

Two thugs sent by the Committee to kidnap Philip Russell. When they arrived at the Russell home in Westwood and Philip answered the door, "John" confirmed his identity and stated that the Committee had sent them because his account was well past due. When Philip protested, "John" said "We know what you told our employers, Mr. Russell. This is what our employers tell you" just as Bruno knocked Philip out with a single punch. Bruno then picked Philip up and he and "John" left to bring their captive to the Committee.

Bruno was the tall, strong and silent thug and "John" was the shorter thug who wore sunglasses and did the talking for them both. Since Bruno never spoke, his companion's name was never mentioned so I called him "John" because I thought he looked sort of like one of the Blues Brothers and John Belushi was shorter than Dan Ackroyd.

--Werewolf by Night I#10

Carruthers

Carruthers was the Committee member who brought the masked Sarnak to one of the monthly meetings of the Committee, introduced him to the other members and revealed that he had volunteered to aid them by using his control whistle to create an Army of Fear. Carruthers had dossiers on Jack and Lissa Russell (which indicated that they were werewolves) given to Sarnak and then revealed that it would be his job to capture them and use them to create terror. When Sarnak asked why they wanted him to create terror, the Committee told him that they believed that consumers were not buying because they were too secure and that creating terror would shock consumers back into an awareness of their immediate interests (i.e. a climate of fear would stimulate the economy).

--Werewolf by Night I#10 (fb)

"Fatso"

A member of the Committee who appeared to have become the leader following the death/disappearance of Baron Thunder. His real name was never revealed so Moon Knight called him "Mister Anonymous-Leader Lard-Butt Number One."

(Werewolf by Night I#32 (fb)) - At their warehouse, the Committee conducted a job interview with Mark Spector during which the leader ("Fatso") read out some interesting items from their dossier on him. "Fatso" offered Spector ten thousand dollars to wear the Moon Knight costume they gave him and to use its weapons and his own skills to capture and deliver to them a werewolf named Jack Russell.

(Werewolf by Night I#33) - Following Moon Knight's early morning arrival at their headquarters with his three captives, the Committee stalled the whole day away with "some top secret meeting" and didn't meet with Spector until minutes before the full moon was to rise. "Fatso" then revealed that the Committee had decided that they wouldn't be paying Spector until they had proof that the unconscious kid he'd brought them was actually a werewolf. When Jack revived and demanded to know what the Committee wanted a werewolf for anyway, "Fatso" revealed that they planned to keep him as a pet, one whom they would release occasionally in the hopes that he would commit various murders for their own private purposes. When the moon rose and Jack transformed into the Werewolf, "Fatso" was one of the "disgustingly happy" observers. "Fatso" then congratulated Spector and offered him his money. When Lissa condemned Spector for what he'd done, "Fatso" told him not to listen to her but Spector, who had been impressed by the humanity Jack had demonstrated and respected the fact that he fought to be free, took the money but then revealed how disgusted he was with the "slimy slugs" who made up the Committee and freed the Werewolf from his cage. With the Werewolf loose and Moon Knight turned against them, those Committee members carrying guns pulled them out and began shooting. Possibly paralyzed by fear, "Fatso" didn't try to flee until after the rest of the Committee had already run away or been defeated. Moon Knight easily captured "Mister Anonymous-Leader Lard-Butt Number One" and kicked him into the Werewolf who slashed him across his face so that "Fatso hit the floor like rubberized Jello, and (then) the quivering stopped" and "nothing in the place moved."

--Werewolf by Night I#32 (32 (fb), 33)

Frank and Harry

Two thugs sent by the Committee to bring Jack Russell to them. They got into Jack's apartment at Colden House while Jack was swimming in the pool and confronted him later when he returned to get dressed. Jack tried to fight back by attacking Harry who told Frank that they'd "got a live one" but Frank quickly used his gun to knock Jack out. When Frank told Harry to tie and gag Jack and that they would wait there in the apartment until dark, Harry reminded him that the Committee had ordered them to bring Jack to them "right away" but Frank refused to take anybody outside during daylight so they waited there until dark.
   That night, Frank and Harry put the bound Jack in the back seat of their car and began driving to where they were to bring their captive. While still in the city, Frank and Harry looked in the rear view mirror to check on their captive and were surprised to find themselves facing an unbound Werewolf. The shock caused Frank to lose control of the car which began skidding wildly, careening into building after building before lurching to a sudden and deadly stop which (apparently) killed both Frank and Harry (the Werewolf had jumped out before the final, fatal impact).

--Werewolf by Night I#12 (fb)

 Jonathan

The helicopter pilot who flew Topaz as she followed Jack Russell to his hideaway on the southern tip of the Verdugo Mountains, Jonathan may have been an agent of the Committee who had been coerced into working for Taboo by a spell cast by the sorcerer (OR he may just have been hired by Taboo). Although it wasn't shown, it was presumably Jonathan who piloted the helicopter that carried the unconscious Werewolf from the mountains to Taboo's mosque.

--Werewolf by Night I#13 (fb)

"Monsieur LeBlanc"

Supposedly a millionaire French industrialist who became a member of the original Committee, "LeBlanc" was actually Jean-Paul "Frenchie" DuChamp, a former mercenary who was a friend of Marc Spector and who aided him in his then-new career as the costumed crime-fighter Moon Knight. Soon after Spector first became Moon Knight, DuChamp learned of a group of international financiers called the Committee who were "up to devilment" and told Spector about them. When they decided to ivestigate, DuChamp infiltrated the Committee by posing as "LeBlanc." Soon learning that the Committee was planning on hiring an agent to capture a certain Werewolf (Jack Russell) so that they could use the creature for their own purposes, "LeBlanc" suggested that a mercenary he knew named Marc Spector might take the job if he were provided with anonymity and suitable weapons. LeBlanc then provided the Committe with a costume that he claimed he had devised himself and told them that his creation would be called Moon Knight. LeBlanc then put the Committee in touch with Spector but did not attend the meeting himself because he claimed that he did not want Spector to know that he was behind it.

In actuality, DuChamp couldn't attend that meeting because he was secretly helping Moon Knight with his mission. He piloted the helicopter from which Moon Knight pursued the fleeing Jack, then went to Topaz's apartment, burst in through the window and held the two occupants (Lissa Russell and Topaz) at gunpoint. Unable to determine which of them was Lissa, DuChamp kidnapped them both, tied them up and took them aboard the helicopter. He later helped Moon Knight (carrying the unconscious Werewolf) escape from the police and then transported Moon Knight and all three captives to the Committee's headquarters (where, presumably, he was careful not to be seen).

After the Committee was reorganized, "LeBlanc" attended meetings occasionally, only enough to remain aware of their general activities, and he eventually got the feeling that they were holding something back. After a professional sniper tried to kill Moon Knight, Spector suspected that the Committee might be responsible so "LeBlanc" went to the next Committee meeting at their Manhattan waterfront warehouse and pretended to be angry that he had not been informed of their plans for Spector/Moon Knight. "LeBlanc" demanded to know the full details or he would leave the cartel. The Committee then told him their plan, unaware that Moon Knight was on the roof listening to them.
   The next night, "LeBlanc" was at another Committee meeting when two of their hired hitmen tried to exhort money out of them by revealing that they had rigged the warehouse with enough explosives to make it collapse. When it was discovered that one of the other assassins had double-crossed the others by chaining all the doors shut, "LeBlanc" was the only one who followed Bull when he battered through the wall, escaping just before the explosives went off and collapsed the entire building, killing everyone still inside.

--Werewolf by Night I#32 (Moon Knight I#4 (fb), WBN #32-33)

Max Grant

A large muscular man who was employed as a chauffeur by Philip Russell who had been forced to hire him by the Committee as part of their blackmail. Knowing that Philip couldn't fire him, Grant enjoyed treating Philip's wife, Laura, like dirt. When Philip decided to stop paying the blackmail, Grant sabotaged the brakes on Laura's car, causing her to be severely injured in an accident later that night. The next day, Grant phoned Philip and demanded that he bring the money he owed ($10,000) to a warehouse on South Street. Laura Russell died later that day. That night, as Grant approached the warehouse, he was attacked by someone whom he thought was wearing a fright mask (but who was actually Jack Russell in his form as the Werewolf). After a brief battle, Grant quickly gained the advantage and began to strangle the Werewolf. However, as the Werewolf broke his grip, Grant realized that his foe's bestial face wasn't a mask after all and that he was fighting a werewolf. Shocked, Grant tried to flee but was quickly caught by the Werewolf who then strangled him to death.

--Marvel Spotlight I#2

Hicks

A member of the Committee who was present when the caged Jack Russell turned into the Werewolf before their eyes. Once Moon Knight had released the Werewolf and other Committee members had drawn their guns, Hicks protested that he was just a businessman who didn't even carry a gun and that "You guys dragged me into this werewolf deal because you said it would be good for the ecomony." Since he wasn't armed, Hicks was almost certainly one of those Committee members who ran away from the fight.

--Werewolf by Night I#33

Professor Mako

A member of the Committee who apparently had some scientific training, Professor Mako secured Philip Russell head to foot to their nerve-impulse charger so that some of his fellow Committee members could interrogate Philip about his step-son Jack's whereabouts. Mako operated the controls of the machine to regulate the amount of current that they used in torturing Philip.

--Werewolf by Night I#11 (11, 12 - BTS)

"New Head" of the Committee

A balding man with a fringe of white hair and a pudgy throat, he became the new head of the Committee after the original group was almost destroyed by Moon Knight. Feeling that the new Committee owed it to their predecessor's honor to settle the score with their rogue creation, he convinced the Committee to hire five hitmen to hunt down and kill Moon Knight. At their next meeting, when Reuben asked who the hitmen were, the "New Head" explained the situation and intoduced the five hitmen. When Reuben continued to qusetion the wisdom of such a petty operation, the "New Head" dismissed his concerns and suggested that the Committee move on to discuss the Iranian asset situation.

The "New Head" may or may not have been present at the next Committee meeting when an irate Monsieur LebBlanc demanded to know the full details of the Committee's plan to kill Moon Knight. The "New Head" also may or may not have been in the Committee's Lower Manhattan headquarters when explosives set by one of their hit-men as part of an extortion attempt went off and collapsed the building, killing everyone inside.

It was implied (but not explicitly stated) that the "New Head" was a surviving member of the original Committee and that that was why he was so intent on having Moon Knight killed.

--Moon Knight I#4

Reuben

A member who was "playing games with the Swiss gnomes" when the Committee hired the five hitmen to kill Moon Knight, Reuben was quite surprised when he returned to Manhattan and found his group associating with hitmen. After the New Head of the Committee filled him in on what they had done and why, Reuben respectfully questioned the wisdom of "such a petty operation" but his concerns were dismissed by the leader.

Reuben may or may not have been present at the next Committee meeting when an irate Monsieur LebBlanc demanded to know the full details of the Committee's plan to kill Moon Knight. Reuben also may or may not have been in the Committee's Lower Manhattan headquarters when explosives set by one of their hitmen as part of an extortion attempt went off and collapsed the building, killing everyone inside.

It was implied (but not explicitly stated) that Reuben might have been a surviving member of the original Committee.

--Moon Knight I#4

"Shaved Head"

A member of the Inner Council of the Committee who apparently shaved his head. His real name was never revealed.

(Werewolf by Night I#11) - "Shaved Head" conducted the interrogation of Philip Russell, offering to forego his debt to them if Philip would turn over to them his son, Jack. When Philip refused, "Shaved Head" had Professor Mako "convince him" by turning up the current of their nerve impulse-charger.

(Werewolf by Night I#12) - The next day, when, after repeated shockings, Philip was still refusing to tell them how to find Jack, "Shaved Head" stated that then he must die and ordered Professor Mako to set the machine on high so that they could watch Philip's face "as every nerve cell in his body begins to slowly explode." Hearing this, Philip finally cracked and agreed to help them as long as they didn't use the machine again.

(Werewolf by Night I#17) - "Shaved Head" received Tri-Delta-Five's radioed report that Jack Russell was in his step-father's home. He ordered Tri-Delta-Five to maintain constant surveillance and told him thatn his bonus was being dispatched immediately to him. He and "Turtle Neck" then went to report this to Baron Thunder but the Baron had already montiored the transmission. When he mentioned that their experts had lost Phillip Russell, Thunder discounted that, saying that their original purpose remained the same. After "Turtle Neck" asked about the real reason why the Committee had been hunting Russell, Baron Thunder dealt with their doubts by summoning his personal creation, the giant android he called the Behemoth, which grabbed the two men up off the floor while Thunder asked if they would prefer to be dashed to the floor. Not surprisingly, "Turtle Neck" quickly assured the Baron that they would never doubt his judgement.

(Werewolf by Night I#17) - "Shaved Head" may have been present when "Turtle Neck" reported to Baron Thunder that the regenerators were functioning perfectly (on repairing the Behemoth).