Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1948-08-06
Truman Seen Advised
Badly in Statement
On Red Herring
CoIIed Form Of Apology
For Communist Activity
Within Government
Bv David Laurence

WITHIN government
By David Laurence
President Truman seems to bt
getting the worst kind of politica
advice-or else he is ignoring gooe
advice and going of on his own
The statement that the White
House considers the congressional
inquiry into Communist activity
to be a "red herring" is a form Of
apology for Communist activity thai
will not sit well with the voters.
The statement, moreover, that thu
President will continue to refuse Il
divulge the records in his executiv,
agencies pertaining to the loyalt!
of persons publicly accused of dis
loyalty will not sit well with tn,
voters either.
= Resented by People.
There is one thing that the peopl,
as whole resent-and that's an!
effort at suppression of evidence O
what Is going on inside their owr
Government.
The possibility that someone who
is innocent might be accused is small
potatoes compared with the larger
public interest, which Is whethel
the President and his cabinet of.
ficers and their subordinates arr
sufficiently vigilant in protecting thu
security of the United States.
Anyone who is innocent anc
wrongly accused can be given his
chance to refute charges. But il
the President, with all his power
hides the evidence, then suspicion
is compounded with suspicion ano
the people are led to believe that
high crimes and misdemeanors are
being committed behind the scenes
with ofncial protection.
There comes q time when q PreSi-
dent who is running for ONCE must
forget politics and do what the
people Of all parties want done in an
investigation on loyalty and security
namely, have all the facts pro-
duced.
Pulled q "Boner."
Mr.. Truman certainly pulled a
"boner" when after several days
Of headlines from self-confesseo
spies he brushed 1t all OF as just
an attempt by Republicans to diver
attention from legislation for price
control.
Mr.. Truman takes unto himself
full responsibility for ignoring what
the Communists and alleged Com.
munists have done as revealed BY
the two congressional committees
He says in a public statement:
mo information has been dis.
closed in the past few days by
congressional committees that ha.
not long been known to the FBI.
But will the President say frank,
1y that the FBI knows only what
has been testified before the com.
mittees and nothing else? Will HI
permit the FBI to open its file.
conf1dentially to members Of thu
congressional committee? Will h,
rescind his gag order which pre-
vents the FBI from doing any.
thing about the evidence 1t ha!
collected and keeps the FBI ever
from discussing 1t with any mem.
bers Of Congress?
Grand Jury Brought in.
These are the pertinent questions
that need answering along with
another vital point. Mr.. Truman
now has brought the Federal grand
jury into the matter. He says:
The Federal grand jury found
this information insufficient to jus.
tify indictment of the Federal EN-.
ployes involved"
Will the President reveal what
recommendations, If any, were
made by attorneys Of the Govern.
ment' as they appeared before thu
grand jury and what facts or evi.
dence was submitted? It is vel
known that, as 4 rule, grand jurie.
take their cue from prosecuting
attorneys Of the Justice Depart.
ment. One press dispatch says, fol
instance, that the department.
representative felt that, because i
couldn't be proved that the infor.
nation actually got to Russia
there was no real proof that coule
be used to secure q conviction. NJ
such solicitude was shown before
indicting several leading business.
men of America in recent years or
criminal charges under the anti.
trust laws.
Goes Step Further.
The congressional committees, Il
might be thought, could investigate
what did happen in the Justice
Department but the President car
forbid the department to answer s
congressional committees questions
Mr.. Truman has just reiterated hi
decree that no information from
the loyalty records Of Government
departments may be furnished tt
Congress. He goes . step further
He adds:
The public hearings now under
way are serving no useful pur-
pose. On the contrary, they are
doing irreparable harm to certain
persons, seriously impairing the
morale of Federal employees. and
undermining public confidence In
the Government"
The American people will have
to Judge whether any useful pur-
pose is served by ferreting out dis.
LOYALTY in the Government anC
whether the vast number Of Fed.
eral employees can possibly be dis.
turbed by the revelation that &
few among them have been ques.
toned as to loyalty. What is be.
ing undermined is not public con.
fidence in the Government" bu
public confidence in the efficienc,
and competence of the Truman ad
ministration.
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