Evening star., 1948-08-23
Congressional Probes
Held Needed 10 Catch
Those Who Dodge Law
Belief Innocent Persons
Are Injured Is Refuted;
Spy Hearings Cited
By David Laicrence

By David Laurence
President Truman, for political
reasons, is trying to discredit the
work of congressional investigating
committees. Yet when he was the
head Of such committee, he did
not fail to use his committee po-
sition to get headlines for himself.
AS result of the publicity he re-
ceived as head Of the Truman COM
mittee, he got the nomination that
led to the presidency.
The investigating committee as
an institution is coming in for a
good deal of attack from "left
wingers" and "parlor pinks" as well
as from many other persons who
hold no such theological views but
have been misled into thinking that
the methods of these committees
are improper.
The investigating committee Is
not hedged in by the rules Of a
trial court and hence its powers
are more likely to reach persons
who otherwise can escape punish
ment through technicalities.
President Truman boasts that Of
the persons accused all now are
outside the Government, but he
does not say how many were quiet
ly asked to leave and what they
did to bring about such action. Nor
does he disclose that if it were not
for the prodding by the House COM
mittee, very few of those dismissed
would have been let out.
Are Innocent Persons Smeared?
The most oft-heard cry Is that
innocent" persons are smeared by
the committee. But how many of
those smeared are really limo
cent?" Many Of them will not an
sWer questions put to them by the
committee. taking refuge in the
technical excuse that to answer
might "incriminate" them. Why
would any innocent person really
hesitate to avoW his innocence or
answer any question put to him,
such as whether he had ever met
particular persons and what his
relations with such persons had
been?
The laws against espionage are SO
hedged about with technicalities
that disloyalty and subversive ac-
tivities can exist inside the Govern
ment and yet it would be difficult to
get conviction because of the
necessity always of proving willful-
ness or intent. Nor should the laws
be changed necessarily to make it
easier on that point. 1t is much
more in the public interest to SUBJ
ject suspected persons to the light
OF pitilesS publicity.
Years ago magazines and news.
papers did the crusading that is
done today by Congressional COM
mittees. But the libel laws have
been interpreted in such way thai
to call man Communist in print
may in some States subject a pub
lication to libel suit. When the
charge is made by congressional
committee at hearing, however
this and other proceedings may be
printed without fear of law suits.
Hence the initiative in exposing
evil and wrongdoing must come
from congressional committees es-
pecially in those instances of dis
loyalty where the laws are so
broadly drawn that prosecutions
cannot be sustained.
FBI Is Discounted.
1t may be argued that the Fed
eral Bureau of Investigation can
do the investigating. But, surpris-
ing as it may be to the general
public, the evidence gathered by
the FBI does not necessarily lead
to prosecutions. The Attorney Gen
eral. political officer appointed
by political President, can decide
what evidence shall be submitted
and who shall or shall not be prose-
cuted.
If that means of suppressing the
truth is not effective and a con-
gressional committee nevertheless
learns the facts, such committee
is stymied in getting records from
the President or the Justice De-
partment or any other agencies of
the executive branch of the Gov
ernment Supreme Court decisions
indicate that the executive can with
hold such information. which means
that congressional committees are
more than ever needed to ferret
out the truth and expose it to view
The American people can be be-
trayed. just as the French people
were betrayed before 1889. by a
fifth column" Then. as now, the
idea of disloyalty was laughed off
and ridiculed But such tactics will
not dissuade the members of Con-
gress who are active in the current
widespread suspicion that fellow
travellers" and Communist-minde
persons have infiltrated high places
The only cure is to expose all
this. and no amount of clamor about
smearlng some of the innocent per-
sons will swerve the committees
from their work. Sometimes in the
pursuit of the guilty some innocent
persons get hurt. but truly innocent
persons can always be cleared by
the committee and by the press.
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