Evening star., 1943-07-05
Fly Says Cox Seeks
To Kill FEC With Aid
OF Radio Monopoly
BY the Associated Press.


BY the Associated Press.
The Cox Committee investigating
the Federal Communications Com
mission was charged by FEC Chair
man James L. Fly today with hav-
ing coined forces with the radio
monopoly and Wall Street interests
on the one hand and the military on
the other" to wreck the commits
sion"
In a five-page statement defend
ing the FEC, Mr.. Fly called for a
halt to this sort of harassing and
unfair tactics" after charging the
House committee headed by Repre-
sentative Cox, Democrat, of Georgia
with conducting star-chamber pro-
ceedings. illegally issuing subpoenas,
"badgering" commission employees
and stirring up vicious rumors and
gossip" to destroy the commission.
The half hundred charges made
against FEC and Mr.. Fly by the
committee last week were de-
nounced by the commission chair
man as "the so vicious conclusions
it (the committee) is going to ar
rive at come hell or high water"
Mr.. Fly said Representative Cox
had defended the commission land
condemned the radio monopoly on
the floor of the House three years
ago, but later called for an in
vestigation of the FEC, to which the
House acceded.
Cox Immediately joined forces
with the radio monopoly and Wall
Street interests on the one hand
and the military on the other, all
moving in for the KILL" Mr.. Fly
asserted.
The aim has obviously been to
wreck the commission, the only
agency representing the public in
this important field, to set up
monopolistic control by commercial
interests and to establish actual and
coercive surveillance of the Ma
tions most significant mechanism
Of free speech
ANoHSS Va SAhoi 6Sos
The committee opened it's inves-
tigation Friday and more than so
charges were leveled against the
FEC and Chairman Fly by Eugene
L. Carey, committee counsel. The
charges. made in a written state
ment put into the record by Mr.
Carey, ranged from accusations of
general incompetency by the COM
mission to actual endangering of
the Nations safety.
Representative Cox has announced
the first phase of the inquiry would
be devoted to opera tions of the FEC
radio intelligence program and its
value or lack of value to the armed
services.
Mr.. Carey. formerly of New York
City included in documents put into
the record recommendation from
the joint chiefs of staff that the
President halt all military and
quasi-military radio intelligence &C
tivities of the FEC.
ALREADY Cox's Wall Street
mouthpiece, Mr.. Fly asserted, has
declared the intention of destroying
the highly valuable war work of the
commission-particularly that part
which has made it literally impossi-
BILE for single enemy transmitter
in this country to communicate with
our enemies abroad.
That is the inexorable fact-and
1t is the simple result of the ex-
pertness. loyalty and devotion of the
men who for "a hours every day are
patrolling the radio ether"
Says Vicious Processes Are Used.
The time has come for the pub
lie to know not merely what the Cox
committee has concluded to con-
clude,' Mr.. Fly said. but also some
of the vicious processes employed
which further reveal what the Cox
committee is up to.
"To take but few of the many
examples: the long continued con-
duct of star-chamber proceedings
where witnesses were required to
appear privately before the commit
tees lawyers.
The illegal issuance of subpoe-
mas requiring appearances before
|committee) staff members-and on
certain occasions in the Wall Street
Offices of lawyer who is contrib
uting his services to the cause at
81 per year.
Constant efforts, by badgering
commission employees and other wit
nesses and by circularizing radio
stations for complaints, to stir ur.
destructive criticism of the commits
sion.
Seizure of a truckload of ire
placeable commission files without
opportunity for properly listing or
copying them to assure against loss
or interference with the essential
functions of the commission.
widespread efforts by stirring up
vicious rumors and gossip to destroy
the reputation and standing of the
commission, its individual commits
sioners and staff members.
The foregoing are but a few of
the examples which demonstrate the
character and motivation of the
Cox Committee. 1 cannot but feel
that this sort of harassing and un-
fair tactics ought to stop"