Evening star., 1948-05-29
Voice Hearing DUE
TO Resume 'Tuesday;;izE
Wider Probe Sought :
By ChoImers IA. Roberts

Wl0ef PIODe NugW~
By ChoImers IA. Roberts
Congress today tuned out its
Voice of America broadcast In:
vestigation for the holiday week
end but the inquiry is due back
on the air with increased volume
Tuesday. az,
Representative Chenoweth, the
Colorado Republican who heads the
House Expenditures Subcommittee
which held day-long hearing yes.
terday, said he wants to know all
about other "Voice" broadcasts, In
cluding those beamed to the Soviet,
Union.
The House inquiry and COM
panion Senate investigation due to
start next week are aimed at placing
the blame for SpaniSh-language
broadcasts to Latin America which
have brought cries Of slander, libel
and sabotage from members OF both
houses. ~.
Both the State Department, which
has overall control Of the Voice
programs as an arm of American
foreign policy. and the National
Broadcasting Co., which handled the
disputed scripts under a contract
with the State Department, yes.
terday took part of the blame.
Other Probes Not Public. *,
The State Department Is conducts
ing its own investigation as is this
White House, but both are behind
closed doors in contrast to the open
congressional hearings. ~,
Mr.. Chenoweth, at the close OF
yesterdays hearing, told reporters
that we're going to look into this
whole picture. We know what hap
pened In broadcasts to South
America and some of us are hopping.
mad about the ridicule heaped on
the United States. -
I'VE want to find out what the
State Department is sending out to-
other countries, particularly Russia
and her satellites" :.
Earlier he had said that tha
House unit was concerned only ever
the contract broadcasts but, since
the Russian broadcasts are handled
directly by the State Department.
the inquiry apparently will be ex.-
panded into a full-scale investiga.
fino, nf fho UNipa
The chairman has been a long,
time foe of the whole Voice setup.
and yesterday he repeatedly s'lg-.
gested that the Government get
out" of the broadcasting business or
at least large part of it.
Borgia May Testify. -,
One witness expected to appear
on Tuesday is Rene Borgia, the.
script writer who turned out th6
programs which brought on tina
congressional storm He was fired
by NBC after Representative Taber.
Republican, Of New York protested
about a broadcast last March. Yes-,
terday Mr.. Borgia put the blame on
NBC "for everything"
NBC's general counsel. Charles r.
Denny, former chairman of the
Federal Communications Commits
sion, told the House committee he ;
telt that NBC and the State De-
partment "are in this thing to-
gether" and the broadcasting con.-
Germ cant duck responsibility
In New York, the Associated Press
reported that Mr.. Borgia said he
had been asked if he would appear
at the hearings and he had replied
that he would. "a. r
Mr. Borgia and his superior while.
he was handling the scripts, Alberto"
Gandero. were blamed by Mr.. Denny.
for passing the scripts of Mr.. Gam
dero, Mr.. Denny's said: =;
He shouldn't have done it. 1 don't
know why he did it. But he was our
"a
Mr.. Gandero is now in Cuba BUT
Mr.. Chenoweth indicated he, too,:
may be asked to take the witness
stand later on in the inquiry.
Deny Sabotage" Inference.
Although Mr.. Chenoweth suggest
ed time and again yesterday that 1t
to him there was delib-
crate attempt at sabotage" on
somebody's part, both Mr.. Denny
and George " Allen, assistant See-7
retary Of State in charge of the
Voice OF America, denied there wasr
any evidence to support such con-
tention.
Mr.. Denny also cautioned the
committee against Mr.. Chenowethse s.
suggestion that the Voice programs
be halted, even temporarily.
He said that the programs CAM
not be stopped "even for 80 days or
we'll loose the frequencies" to for-"
eign broadcasters. He said there is
mo practical way to stop and re-
build" the program, that the re-
building must go on while the
broadcasting continues. y =
Check on Scripts Hampered. -.
DR.. Denny also told the commit,
tee that the impression at NBC"
was that the State Department was
spot checking at least some of the
Latin American broadcasts beamed
south by the chain and therefore,
NBC itself did not have a further
check on the scripts. j.
Both Mr.. Allen and his assistant.
Charles w. Thayer, said, however, !.
that congressional restrictions writ
ten into the Voice appropriation bill:
last year made it impossible for the
to check every script. ,
They said that the State Depart.
ment had to choose between cutting
down on broadcasts to critical :
areas" such as the Soviet Union, its :
satellites and China and Korea, o1s
of cutting down on Its check OF
scripts beamed to Latin America
and other areas.
The latter choice was made, thus
leading to situation in which only
MICS supervisor, Mr.. Gandero, did
any checking of the actual scripts,
U. S. Will Grant Visa 1.
To Polish Newspopermnn