Evening star., 1938-10-26
(Tert OF Presidents Statement,
Page A-5.)
BY the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
Chairman Dies of the House Com
mittee on Un-American Activities said
today that cabinet members had aided
in "well-planned campaign of mis-
representation, ridicule and sarcasm,
which he said was conducted by per-
kons who hoped to discredit the in
quiry.
The committee was rebuked by Pres
ident Roosevelt yesterday for letting
itself be used in an unfair and un-
American attempt to influence an cleo
tion.' Mr.. Roosevelt referred to testi-
mony critical of Gov Frank Murphy
OF Michigan.
Representative Dies at the opening
OF today's committee hearing read a
formal statement of reply.
1t said that when the campaign of
criticism against the committee had
failed and "recoiled upon the heads
OF those who conceived and engi-
neered it." the next move was to
exert every conceivable pressure to
stlf1e this investigation" He added !:
When this likewise failed, as a last
desperate move, the President was in
duced to permit the prestige of his
great office to be used for the purpose
OF discrediting the investigation.
That the President has been
wholly misinformed is obvious from
his statement. Of course, the Presi-
|dent did not hear the testimony and
has not read the record. He is evil
IDENTIFY relying upon reports that have
reached him from prejudiced sources. ="
ITO Continue to Do Duty"
The committee chairman had said
earlier that he would continue to do
his duty undeterred and unafraid."
What specifically aroused Mr.
Roosevelt's displeasure was the COM
mittee's permitting testimony from a
Michigan Republican that Gov.
= Murphy was guilty of reasonable ac-
ton for not handling a sit-doWn strike
at Flint last year more vigorously.
election campaign.
Representative Dies contended the
President was misinformed when he
stated the committee had made no
effort to get at the truth and also
when he said the committee did not
call for facts to support mere personal
opinion.
The chairman suggested that if Mr..
Roosevelt doubted that the commit
tees evidence would be acceptable in
a court, the Chief Executive could ap-
point an experienced lawyer who
would serve with one appointed by
Mr.. Dies and third selected by these
two. to examine the evidence and re-
port to the country whether it was
competent and admissible.
Shirley Temple Incident.
Referring to the fact that the name
Of Shirley Temple, child movie star,
had been brought into the inquiry and
the incident later had stirred up dis
paragement, Mr.. Dies asserted:
The Shirley Temple fabrication
was conceived by certain radical writ
ers whose sympathies for Soviet Russia
are matters of common knowledge
Immediately, and as if by pre-arrange-
ment, Secretary Perkins and Secre-
tary Ickes repeated this crude and silly
fabrication, thus hoping to lend the
color Of truth and respectability.
Even the President was induced to
refer to the Shirley Temple fabrication
In one of his press conferences"
In the Shirley Temple incident a
witness listed her as among motion
picture stars who unwittingly had
been used as "stooges' for radical
movements.
After Chairman Dies had read his
statement, he let Harper Knowles and
Ray Nimmo. representing the Radical
Research Committee of the California
(See UN-AMERICAN, Page A-3)