Evening star., 1948-08-12
fBI Wasn't Advised
On Evidence Given 10
Spy-Case Grand Jury
house Probers May Ask
Why Because Of Few
Indictments Returned
Bv David Laurence


BY David Laurence
Members of Congress familiar with
the espionage investigation have
learned that the FBI was not ad-
vised as to what evidence was pre-
sented to the special grand jury in
New York.
This is an extraordinary proceed
ure in a case of this magnitude.
Failure to tell the FBI just what
was pieced together has stimulated
members of Congress to pursue the
matter in future hearings Of the
investigating committees.
President Truman on August S
stated that mo information has
been disclosed in the past few days
by congressional committees that
has not long been known to the
FBI. The Federal grand jury found
this information insufficient to JUS
tify indictment of the Federal en-
ployes involved
Puts Onus on FBI.
This puts the FBI in the position
Of not having gathered sufficient
evidence to warrant a prosecution
when certain members of Congress
are satisfied that there are particu-
lar phases of the matter that might
we'll have led to indictments of per-
sons involved.
Members of one of the congress
sional committees especially are in
terested now in the fact that Vim
cent Quinn, assistant attorney gen.
eraI who presented the evidence to
the grand jury in New York. has
resigned to accept the Democratic
nomination for Congress in the 5th
New York district.
A prominent member of one of
the committees said today that this
means that the administration evi-
IDENTIFY has no intention of recon-
vening the special grand jury this
year and also that Mr.. Quinn is now
free to testify as to the nature OF
the evidence presented.
There is a tendency among COM
mittee members to absolve Mr..
Quinn personally of any RESPONSE
bility for the way in which the
evidence was presented, it being
argued that he followed strictly the
instructions given him by his SUI
periors in the Justice Department.
Inasmuch as the President refuses
to allow either the Attorney General
or any of his assistants to testify
and also forbids the FBI to give any
information to the congressional
committees, it is possible for the
truth to be hidden from the public.
If President can consider the
FBI to be his private agency and
not responsible to the public at
all, and if the FB1 itself is kept
from knowing how the cases 1t
worked up are presented to the
jury, it is possible for laxity in ad-
ministration to result in the escape
of guilty persons from prosecution.
Just why the FBI has been de-
prived of knowledge of what eW-
dence was presented to the grand
jury has not been explained. On
Capitol Hill there is much specula-
ton as to the reasons why the Tru-
man administration has adopted
this course.
One member of the investigating
committee said that former Assist
ant Attorney General Quinn need
not disclose what was said before
the grand jury, but he could prop
erly describe the evidence SUBJ
mitted and at least tell Congress
in what respect the laws were in
adequate to obtain indictments.
He also said that the FBI could
be helpful to a congressional COM
mittee without ir any way disclos-
Ing or endangering sources of in
formation, and that this was an
excuse that would not stand up.
Easy to Resolve Doubts.
It is reported that one stumbling
block toward getting indictments
is the necessity to prove that the
giving of information to another
government was "willful" act.
Anybody with Communist leaning
can easily resolve doubts in favor
of giving information. Strangely
enough, in the last few days, the
giving of information to Russian
agents during wartime has been
ridiculed in the public prints as
just one of those things done
naturally for an ally. This implies
a grave misunderstanding of the
esponsibilities Of public officials.
No Government official has the
right to give out confidential in
formation to anybody who asks for
it. no matter what the relations
between Our Government and the
foreign government may be.
The proper places for transmits
sion Of information from govern
ment to government were desig-
mated during the war in the mis-
sions which contacted higher off,
cials of the Government Subordi-
mates were not permitted to give
out any information unless author
tied. 1t is a weak defense. there
fore, to cry out that Russia was ar
ally.
The inside story OF Russian
American relations during the war
will some day be told, ard ought to
be revealed. For 1t shows that,
while the American Government
gave UP information rather freely,
the Russians were secretive and for
a long time denied the War De-
partment even the right to send
observers to see how the Russians
we're handling the attack, and de-
fense against German divisions
something that was important for
our military leaders to know before
the Normandy invasion.
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