Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1948-08-18
Thomas Committee
Blamed by Wallace
For Death Of White

Henry A. Wallace, Progressive
Party presidential candidate,
blames the House Committee on
Un-American Activities for the
death Of Harry Dexter White,
former Assistant Secretary of
the Treasury who faced the
committee the day before he was
stricken with a heart attack.
Mr.. Wallace issued a statement in
New York describing Mr.. White,
who died Monday, as "a victim of
the un-American Thomas commit
tee."
Similar charges came from Frank
Coe, who succeeded Mr.. White as di-
rector of the Treasury Department s
Division of Monetary Research and,
like Mr. White, was accused of being
q member of a wartime espionage
ring of Government employees. Also
like Mr.. White, Mr.. Coe denied the
charge.
a National Loss Seen.
THE Nation has lost great man,
one of the most creative economists
OF our time-a person who spent his
life trying to make the world a
better place." Mr.. Coe said.
I'm my opinion, Harry White did
not die-he was killed. He was
killed slowly and cruelty by in
sidious SANDER, ceaseless investiga-
ton, and finally, when his strength
was gone, by public scandal"
Mr.. Wallace declared:
"In 1947, Mr.. White resigned from
Government service because OF i'll
health. But his many years of de-
voted duty and his bad heart did
not stop the Thomas committee
from putting him through a Cruel
ling, witch hunting 72-pege cross
examination only four days ago.
Thomas Seen Unsympathetic.
when Mr.. White privately ex-
planned to Chairman Thomas that
his bad heart could not stand too
much strain without rest periods,
Mr.. Thomas showed no concern"
Mr.. Wallace charged that Mr..
Thomas instead, made side jokes
concerning the witness condition"
In Ftzwilliam, N. H., DR.. George
s. Emerson said heart attack, suf-
fered Saturday, only few hours
after Mr.. Whites return from Wash
ington, caused his death. Funeral
services will be conducted in Bos-
ton tomorrow by Rabbi Irving Man
dell OF Temple Israel.
Mr.. White faced the committee
for more than 80 minutes last Fri
day. At the start of the question
ing, Mr.. Thomas, referring to note
sent him by Mr.. White, said he
would not be on the stand long
enough to need rest periods.
Note on Illness Read.
Mr.. White answered committee
members questions calmly and with
occasional flashes of a wit that sent
ripples of laughter through the au-
dience and finally resulted in a
demand from Mr.. Thomas that Mr..
White leave out the side remarks
and that the audience stop ap-
plauding him.
Only twice did Mr.. White show
any signs of anger at the commit
tees methods. When Mr.. Thomas
read aloud the note from Mr.. White,
in which the witness said he was
recovering from a severe heart at
tack, Mr.. White said he did not
mean the note to be made public.
Later, when the committee was
openly critical of Mr.. Whites state
ments that he had asked Treasury
loyalty official to look into the
charges made against Nathan
Gregory Silvermaster, Mr.. White
told the committee with some heat:
II would do a lot for my friends
and that was the least any decent
human being would do for man
he believed was innocent"
Answered All Questions.
Silvermaster has been accused by
Miss Elizabeth T. Bentley, an
avowed former spy, of being the
head Of a wartime espionage ring
of Government employees.
When the committee pointed out
that Silvermaster and other wit
nesses refused to answer the COM
mittees questions on constitutional
grounds, Mr.. White replied:
apparently they had advice OF
counsel. I suppose it depends on
the counsel they had. I do my own
thinking.
His own thinking led him to an
swer every question the committee
asked him. His fat denials of the
charges made against him, he said
were based on the principles by
which he lived-principles which
make it impossible for me to ever
do disloyal act or anything against
the interests of our country"