Evening star., 1947-06-09
Ferguson Sees Move
To End FBI Control
by Attorney General
By J. A. O'Leory

A suggestion that the Federal
Bureau of Investigation be taken
from under the Attorney General
may grow out of Senate hearings
on last years Kansas City pri-
maries, Senator Ferguson, Re-
publican, of Michigan indicated
today.
THAT thought is in the minds of
many people" the Senator said
THE question is whether the FB1
should be under the political head
of the Justice Departmental Cab
met head-and that is one of the
questions involved here"
Senator Ferguson is chairman of
Judiciary subcommittee which is
to meet later in the week to consider
his recommendation for Senate
passage of a resolution authorizing
q full scale inquiry to find out how
far the Justice Department went. or
failed to go, in running down COM
plants of irregularity in the Kan
sas City primaries last August.
If the subcommittee approves, the
entire Senate Judiciary Committee
will take up the resolution a week
from today.
KEN Expects Inquiry.
Senator KEN, Republican. of Mis-
souri,, author of the resolution for
full investigation. took the floor in
the Senate this afternoon to express
confidence such an inquiry will be
forthcoming.
"The charges made against the
Attorney General are of grave char
acter," Senator KEN said. "The
Attorney General and the members
of his staff should be given ample
opportunity to explain fully why the
investigation which the Federal Bu-
reau of Investigation was authorized
to make was restricted to interviews
with only six witnesses; why under
date of January 6, 1947, the Depart
ment of Justice advised the FBI that
we are closing our file and inform
ing you that no further investigation
is desired and why on February 10,
1947, the Attorney General advised
the junior Senator from Missouri
tKeml, who had made an official
inquiry, the Federal Bureau of In
vestigation at my instance conducted
a full investigation into the charges
of fraud in this primary.
McCarran Disagrees on Probe.
Meanwhile, Senators Ferguson and
McCarran, Democrat, of Nevada. dis
agreed over the need for any further
Senate investigation.
Commenting on preliminary tes-
timony taken by the subcommittee
last week, Senator McCarran said
that "up to the present nothing
that has come out constitutes a
basis for believing that a violation
of Federal statutes has taken
place"
ANY further action by the Senate
judiciary Committee now would be
most fragrant waste of public
money, as it is admitted the FB1
is making a full investigation, y
Senator McCarran continued.
Senator Ferguson's reply was:
This is an investigation of the At
torney Generals Office. and am
not willing to let the ATTORNEY
Generals office investigate itself"
Cites ]. Edgar Hoover Testimony.
Senator Ferguson said the sug-
gestion that the FBI be made a
separate agency grows out of testi-
mony last week that there are four
or five types of cases which the
FBI investigates only on instruc-
tions from the Attorney Generals
Office. FBI Director ]. Edgar
Hoover told the subcommittee that
this rule covers cases involving
antitrust laws, labor. civil rights
and election complaints. United
States Attorney Sam Wear of Mis-
souri, testified 1t also applies to ex-
traditions under the Flight law"
Senator Ferguson said that an
other reason for Recommending q
| full Senate investigation of the
Kansas City complaints is to deter
mine whether new laws regulating
/ primaries are needed.
The subcommittee was given testi-
mony last week concerning written
documents showing that FBI Agen,
Dwight Brantley in Kansas City die
not regard the inquiry he was di-
rected to make last fall as a full
investigation by FBI agents.
/ The Department of Justice re-
Gently launched new inquiry after
some of the Kansas City ballots dis
appeared from an Election Commits.
sion safe in that city.