The Nome nugget., 1942-05-22
Dies Committee Under New Fire
ACCUSATIONS AGAINST WALLACE'S STAFF
 MAY RESULT IN SHARP CURTAILMENT
Probe Methods Disliked

WASHINGTON - The special House Committee on Un-American ActiVitieS-knoWn to the nation and far beyond the Dies Commttee-is marking time, al- most broke and under new, savage fire, waiting some what apprehensiVey for another refng of its repeat edly repleniShed coferS
 It is in the doghouse It's release and the extent to which it may function in future unless moods and trends change materially likely will be conditioned be haVior from now on. The code which the commit tee expected to be called upon to follow has been laid down by of its members, Representative Jerry VoorhiS of California It is that the seVen-mem- Der Investigating body function such
 The House apparently thought, until told different ly that that had been what going all along. In stead the committee pictured from within as hay ing developed from the Investigating panel which for months and even years held public hearings, with thodoX witnesses and gallery, into coistered head quarters research laboratory, making and publishing accusations against individuals and groups without even calling the committee, such into consultation
 Representatives Shocked
 No general storm broke loose until Representative Dies of Texas the chairman, wrote Vice President Wal lace, accusing thrtyve officials and employees of the Board of Economic Warfare the unit which is plan ming for postwar security and which is headed by MT. Wallace of communistc leanings and activities The resulting publicity carried to highs by the Dies disclosure that of the accused the author of books nudism and had illustrated his books profusey.
 When MT. Voorhs advised the House that no com-
 
 ceded the writing and release of the BEW charges the members appeared to be shocked by that than they the nudist books, which attained wide circulation and scrutiny the floor debate ragged. Dies committee meetings have been few during the last two years public hearings fewer The Communist party of the United States of America did much to halt them when party officials under subpoena opened up concerted campaign of defiance Refusals to answer questions to identify records brought citations for contempt indictments and some convictions.
 Spread of Defiance
 The campaign of defiance kept up, and spread to other organizations The future of the Dies committee appeared to be of running from court prosecut- ing witnesses.
 Earlier complaints against the Dies committee were against it's seemingly endless schedules of hearings particularly against the open-door policy regarding the admisSibty of evidence preferred by volunteer complaining witnesses. Now of the principal paints is that fl seeks to convict without hearing Another is that it continues relentless war upon the Communists and their sympathizers, though the USSR hard-fghtng ally and does not throw it's whole weight into exposures of the activities of agents and sympathizers of Germany, Italy and Japan.
 Recent publications of its Voluminous report Jap espionage and ffth-coumn activities in this country failed to appease critics of the Dies committee They only called it "old stuff but set out to prove that the material long had been available to the public without resort to investigation. MT. Dies retorted that, even though the disclosures may not have been to many, the material product of the research division was "educational."
 Feud With Administration
 At least, he reported to the House. it of sufficient interest the intelligence branchs of armed ser vices that they dashed to committee headquarters to phOtostlt committee exhibits All this, the chairman committee insists, would have been sprung upon the public like bonbshell months before Pearl Harbor had it been for White House and State and Justice Departments objections to the holding of public hear ngs scheduled for last September About fifty witness es were awaiting call to Washington he said.
 The executive department objections. 1t since has been stated vigorously, were to the projected public hearlL l.s insis1