Evening star., 1948-04-19
Thomas Unit Hearings.
Scored by IS Teachers
From 27Law Schools


Forty-five teachers In ~ Amer
ican law schools today assailed
the procedures of the House I'm
American Activities Committee
and its practice of proclaiming
In advance of hearings the guilt
of those whom the committee
has accused.
The educators statement, released
here by the American Civil Liberties
Union, 4607 Connecticut avenue
NV, was issued in connection with
the forthcoming hearings for DR.. Ed
ward U. Condor, director Of the
Bureau of Standards. The commit
tee has accused DR.. Condor Of being |
the weakest link" in the Nations
atomic secret security.
The hearing for DR.. Condor, orig
inally set for today, has been in
definitely postponed.
The educators urged the commit
Zee to adopt procedures that would
afford DR.. Condor fair hearing
when he appears before 1t.
They suggested six proposals rs
necessary safeguards" for those
whom the committee accuses.
Letter Sent to Thomas.
In . letter addressed to Chairman
Thomas of the House committee,
the educators said the Condor case
furnishes an occasion to reconsider
the committees procedural methods
with q view to minimizing the pos
slbility of injustice now and in the
future"
In discussing the committees
practice of making "proclamations
of guilt" prior to its hearings, the
letter stated that "a hearing which
occurs after the conclusions have al
ready been stated may degenerate
into a mere effort to sustain the
findings and, thus, may lose its basic
means of learning the facts"
The teachers six proposals were:
Opportunity should be given an
accused person to answer the
charges against him.
He should be permitted to call
witnesses in his own behalf and
make q statement In his own de-
fense.
Should Have Counsel.
A person under the committees
scrutiny should be fully appraised
of the matters into which the COM
mittee proposes to inquire and the
committee should identify the wit
nesses on whose testimony 1t has
relied and whom 1t intends to pro-
duce at the hearing.
A defendant before the commit
tee, should be allowed to have the
advice and assistance of counsel.
II testimony adverse to an in
dividuals character or reputation
Is to be relied on or published by
the committee, the person who gives
that testimony should be available
for reasonably limited cross-exam-
tnation.
Conclusions which the committee
may draw should be based on the
material presented at hearing and
not on undisclosed material in the
committees files.
Teachers Are Listed.
The teachers and the universities
where they serve on law school
faculties follow:
Prof. Albert r. Beisel, jr, Boston
University; Prof. Jacob H. Beuscher,
University Of Wisconsin; Dean
Frederick K. Beutel, University Of
Nebraska; Prof. Arthur L. Brown,
Boston College; Prof. Clark Byse,
University of Pennsylvania; Prof.
Willard B. Cowles, University OF
Nebraska; Prof. Kenneth c. Davis,
University OF Texas: Prof. E. Mer-
rick Dodd, Harvard University; Prof.
Edgar NJ. Durfee, University. of
Michigan; Prof. Ralph F. Fuchs,
Indiana University; Dean Bernard
G. Gavit, Indiana University; Prot.
Walter Gellhorn, Columbia Univer-
sity and Prof. George w. Goble
University Of Illinois. /
Dean Erwin N. Griswold, Harvard
University; Dean Earl G. Harrison,
University OF Pennsylvania; Prof.
Harold c. Havighurst, Northwest
ern University; Prof. ]. Willard
Hurst, University Of Wisconsin;
Prof. Jacob d. Hyman. University
of Buffalo; Prof. Louis L. Jaffe,
University. Of Buffalo; Prof. Flem-
ing James, jr., Yale: Dean WILDER
G. Katz, University of Chicago;
Dean w. Page Keeton, University
OF Oklahoma; Prof. Frank r. Ken
nedy, University OF Iowa; Dean
Mason Ladd, University Of Iowa;
Prof. Thomas r. Lambert, jr., Bos-
ton University; Prof. Elvin r. Latty
Duke University; Prof. Karl N.
Llewellyn. Columbia University.
Prof. Douglas B. Maggs, Duke
University; Prof. Robert E. Math-
ews, Ohio State University; Prof.
Myres s. McDougal, Yale; Prof.
Maurice H. Merrill. University OF
Oklahoma; Prof. William Robert
Ming, jr., University of Chicago;
Prof. Clarence Morris, University
of Texas; Prof. Nathaniel L. Ma
thanson, Northwestern University;
Prof. George E. Palmer, University
Of Michigan: Prof. Max Radin,
University of California; Prof.
Horace E. Read. University of Min
nesota; Prof. Kenneth r. Redden,
University of Virginia; Prof. Stefan
A. Riesenfeld, University of Min
nesota: Prof. Russell NJ Sullivan,
University of Illinois, Prof. Arthur
e. Sutherland, jr., Cornell; Prof.
Lowell Turrentine. Stanford Uni
versity; Prof. Lewis Tyree, Rutgers
University; Prof. M. T. Van Hecke,
University Of North Carolina, and