Evening star., 1947-06-24
House Group BuI!ied
Wines sses, Court Told
In Anii-Fascisf Trial
By NewboId Noyes, il.

By Newbold Noyes. il.
A defense cottention that the
House COMMITTEES on Un-American
Activities bullies liberals but Is q
courteous host to efascist" witnesses
was made in the mass contempt of
Congress trial Of 16 leaders of the
Joint Anti-Fascist Refugee Com
mittee today
o. John Rogge, chief defense coun-
Esel, was given bis first chance to
convey to the court-but not to the
Ejury-the defendants objections to
procedures of the House committee
Absent. as well as the jury, was
Representative Wood, Democrat, OF
Georgia, former chairman OF the
House committee, as the defense
lawyer told District Court Justice
Richmond B. Keech what questions
he would like to ask Mr.. Wood II
allowed to do so, and what he
| thought Mr.. Wood would answer.
The Government contends that
DR.. Edward K. Barsky and his asso-
ciates on the Anti Fascist Commit
tees Governing Board last year con-
spired to withhold, and did withhold
lrecords of their organization from
the House committee.
Smith and Pelley Mentioned.
Mr.. Rogge brought out that. at a
hearing April 4, 1916, the House
group threatened one of the Anti
Fascist Committee defendants with
loss of citizenship and told another
he was rubbing his nose right up
against the gates of the penitentiary
here"
He then proposed to ask Mr.. Wood
whether if it is not true that the
House committee treats witnesses
who are opposed to our democratic
system" with a different sort of
courtesy. Mr.. Rogge mentioned the
names of Gerald L. X. Smith and
William D. Pelly in this connection.
"I would ask the witness whether
it is not true that Gerald Smith was
permitted to state at a hearing that
President Roosevelt and. his admin
istration were both Fascist and
Communist " = and that Mr.. Wood
told him the chair expresses ap-
probation for your testimony" Mr..
Rogge said.
Assistant United States Attorney
Charles D. Murray said the Gov
ernment would object to such a
question. Justice Keech said he
would sustain the objection.
All Objections Sustained.
Among other questions Mr.. Rogge
said he would like to ask were:
Whether the House committee re-
Gently decided, after celebrating
10 minutes, that no Fascists in this
country need investigating, and
whether the former counsel Of the
committee had stated in a letter in
January, 1946, that this country Is
not democracy, but republic.
The former counsel. Ernie Adam
son, was present in the courtroom.
He was the target Of many OF MIR.
Rogge's questions.
The defense counsel said he
wanted to ask also whether Mr.
Adamson had threatened Drew
Pearson, news commentator, with
investigation because he ended one
of his radio broadcasts with the
words Make democracy work" He
also proposed to inquire whether
Mr.. Adamson, for the House COM
mittee, had caused two liberal radio
commentators to be discharged.
Mr.. Murray indicated his objection
to each of these questions on the
grounds none was relevant In the
trial. All the Governments objec-
tions were sustained.
Cross ss-examination Resumed.
Mr.. Rogge told the court he was
trying to show that the true pur-
poses of the House committee are
not the legislative purposes for
which 1t was created, and that 1t
has been acting unconstitutionally
The jury returned after Mr.. Rogge
had exhausted his theoretical line
of questioning at II am. and the
defense counsel then resumed his
cross examination of Mr.. Wood IN
milder and more formal terms.
Mr.. Rogge questioned Mr.. Wood
on why the house committee had
subpoenaed all members of the Anti
Fascist groups Executive Board ex-
cept John I. McManus, president OF
the Newspaper Guild Oh New YORK
and a vice president of the American
Newspaper Guild. The defense
brought out that the House COM
mittee had been informed OF Mr..
McManus board membership several
days before the hearing on April 4,
1946, which was ATTENDED by other
board members.
Mr.. Wood said the committee had
not realized Mr.. McManus belonged
to the anti-Fascist group until 1t was
too late to do anything about 1t.
Mr.. Murray said earlier that the
Government hopes to rest its case
today. He had expressed the same
nope yesterday but was disappointed
when the trial begged down during
Mr.. Rogge's cross examination OF
Mr.. Wood. O..
The Georgian took the stand in
midafternoon. The prosecution had
lust nnished reading to the jury
the record of testimony given by
the defendants before the House
Committee on February 13 and
April 4, 1946.
The record, introduced in evil
dence after lengthy legal dispute,