Evening star., 1944-03-01

then using every David Lawrence.
influence, including that of the
President, to prevent Congress from
getting the facts through an inquiry
voted by the majority of the House.
Through a strictly partisan line
up, the House committee has begun
to whitewash the FEC. The COM
mittee was formed originally with
two Republicans and an anti
administration Democrat Now,
however, the administration has
forced the resignation of the chair
man and the counsel, and the three
Democrats have refused to go ahead
with a thorough inquiry. The two
Republicans have reported the facts
to the House, where majority can
order a new inquiry, provided the
Speaker in appointing another
chairman does not follow the White
House wishes and squelch the in
Quiry once more.
Administration Assailed.
1t may be that all the executive
agencies will not be thoroughly in
vestigated and the public interest
pursued until Republican House
has been elected. Certainly the
administrations course is playing
into the hands of those who will
insist that the only way to get back
to constitutional government and
rid the Congress of executive dicta-
ton is to elect Republican House.
If that's what the Democrats in
Congress want, they will, of course,
60 along with the policy of breaking
down Investigations. Usually, when
there is no wrong-doing, investiga-
tions are welcomed and fall of their
own weight. Where there is some
thing to hide, Investigations are
baked and this appears to have
been the case with the FEC inquiry.
The President has ordered his
aides not to testify in the FEC in
curry on certain matters which it
is argued are of military impor-
tance, but the refusal of the FEC to
head the wishes of the joint chiefs
of staffs-the letters have been
Observation-Disclosures that the mill
tary reason is just cloak for in
competence in the FEC.
When the Executive arbitrarily Or
derS paid officials of the Govern
ment not to pay attention to re-
quests for information by executive
agencies, it is inevitable that cases
for contempt will arise or that the
rannrocc will +o 1F
appropriations of agencies whose
personnel refuse to disclose to the
peoples legislature the facts about
the peoples business
An unfortunate controversy has
arisen coincidentlly on the Senate
side Of the Capitol One of the
Presidents assistants is refusing to
disclose to a Senate agricultural COM
mittee some facts it desires. OBJ
viously the Justice Department. as
counsel for the White House, has
advised Mr.. Daniels not to testify.
Theory Called New.
Certainly Congress has no right
to ask for the details of personal
conversations between the Presi-
dent and his aides, but any time any
letter or document goes into the
public records ordering the re-
moval Of any employe or directing
any employe Or agency to take any
action, especially if it is not con-
nected with war operations, such
information is logically within the
domain of Congress to elicit.
The theory that the official acts
of the personnel of the White House
are immune from congressional in
qulry is a new one. The House Com
mlttee investigating executive agen-
cles, which has as its chairman
Representative Smith, Democrat, of
Virginia found the White House
sensitive to its inquiries for in
formation and refused to open the
files of the Office of Economic Sta
blllzer or director of mobilization
to the House Committee. 1t would
be comparatively simple excuse
for President to offer if he sud-
denly decided to say that members
of his cabinet we're members of the
White House staff or if all the new
agencies of Government were part
Of the executive office. This is the
way Congress could be prevented
from finding out the facts in be-
half of the people 1t is a matter
of grave doubt whether Congress is
going to let the executive branch of
the Government cloak its acts in Sc
crecy and refuse to account to the
peoples representatives on matters
of public concern wholly unrelated
to war operations.