Evening star., 1948-04-21
Hoffman Pursues Quiz
Next Week on Army S.
'Pro-Union' Pamphlet

Army information chiefs will be
called back on the carpet before a
House subcommittee next week to
explain why q version Of the union
labor situation which they issued to
the armed forces appeared to be
slanted in favor Of union chiefs.
Members Of Congress seemed to
be hot ON the trail Of Communist
In the writing department, until
they learned that the controversial
ARMED Forces Talk No. 220" pam
phlet was q "joint" affair that came
out bearing only . faint resem-
blance to what the original author
had set down.
How he had rewritten his story
four times and seen 1t edited, re-
vised, checked and double-checked
with the aid Of the Labor Depart
ment and the Army was related to
the committee by Sidney Levy,
labor reporter for the New York
journal of Commerce.
Enlisted In Infantry.
Mr.. Levy enlisted in the infantry
ut the beginning OF the last war
and later was transferred to the
publications and information Sec
ton Of the Army. He asked that
his recent writings against Com
munist penetration of American
labor movements be put into the
record in view Of certain statements
by committee members rejecting on
the loyalty of the man who wrote"
the pamphlet.
Chairman Hoffman, Republican,
Of Michigan, told fellow members OF
his Executive Expenditures Sub
committee that he and $50 other
members Of Congress had been at
tackled in the book Under Cover"
allegedly written by man whose
veracity had been disproved in
court.
The Representative admittedly
was very unhappy over the fact that
some Of the questioned books had
been purchased with taxpayers
money during the war for distribu-
ton to libraries Of the armed forces.
THE Army helps distribute such
propaganda" Mr.. Hoffman de-
clared, "and some Of the people
who write the stuff they print are
on the wrong side Of the fence" +"
do you have anybody In mind,
sir?" an Army spokesman asked.
Writer Produced.
Yes" exclaimed Mr.. HOFFMAN,
"the man who wrote the Junk In
that labor pamphlet"
Hes right here" the Army man
said. Mr.. Levy then took the stand.
At the request Of the committee,
he stated his military background
and later training and experience
as a labor reporter.
Before Mr.. Levy was called to
the stand, Mr.. Hoffman demanded
OF Brig. Gen. C. T. Lanham, chief
Of the Army's troop information
division, the answer TO this ques-
ton:
"I assume that II Congress cuts
OH funds to stop this propaganda,
you will accept that?" I.
The general replied In the AZ
frmative. He added, however. that
the Army is doing its best to give
both sides Of any picture and that
he feels this effort is educational
and cannot be classed as propa-
ganda.
He stoutly defended the efforts
OF his editors to dress up their
weekly information sheets with
humorous cartoons and illustrations.
Says Writings Altered.
When he took the stand, Mr..
Levy explained he had accepted
q Job from the Army to write an
account of labor unionism in the
United States.
st wrote four drafts at the In
struction Of my superiors, and
these drafts in turn were rewritten
and altered by persons unknown
to me-"
Mr.. Levy got back an opinion
from the Labor Department after
his writings had been submitted, he
said, that he was stressing the man