Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1948-08-06
Continued From First Page

could not give the committee the
information it wanted on William
w. Remington, suspended Com.
merce Departmenteexport official.
The committee wanted Mr.. CLARK
to furnish it with any letters, memo.
randa or other written notice which
the Justice Department might have
given to other governmental agen.
cies or individuals about Mr.. Rem.
ington after Miss Elizabeth T. Bent.
ley, avowed former espionage agent
told the FBI about him in the fal
of 1915.
Miss Bentley, in testimony before
the Senate group, accused Mr.. Rem
ington of giving her war secret!
while she was a Communist agent.
In its letter to the Attorney Gen
eral, the committee said that ono,
it is able to determine what, if any
notice was given by the Justice De
partment to other agencies abou
Mr.. Remington, I'VE will then be il
a position to inquire as to who wa
responsible for allowing Remington
to hold three important jobs of /,
highly confidential nature at tn
same time you were conducting al
investigation of espionage agains
him"
Referred to White House.
Mr.. Clark, in his reply, said tina
on the basis of President Truman
directive, II must respectfully de
cline to respond to the request con
tanned in your letter, and I hav,
referred it to the Office of the Presi
dent for such reply as may be in tn
public interest under the circum
stances"
Mr.. Clark's refusal set off hoot
OF statements from committe,
members, most of them directed a
President Truman.
y. Senator Ferguson declared tina
if President Truman was correc
when he told a press conference
that a New York grand jury ant
the FBI had all the facts which
Miss Bentley presented to the
committee, Senator Ferguson want
ed to know why the New Yorl
grand jury was not asked to max
presentment advising the peopl
Of all the facts it had learned.
The subcommittee chairman, F.,
former one-man grand jury him
self, said that under the common
law grand juries can make public
facts while not issuing an indict
ment against specific individuals.
Basis of Dismissal.
Further attacking the charge tina
if the grand jury had found any
thing criminal, it would have in.
dicted, Senator Ferguson declared
THE committee doesn't believ.
the loyalty program was set up or
the basis that person had to b.
guilty of a crime and convicted O.
a crime or that before he could be
dismissed from the Government 6
grand jury had to issue an indict-
ment.
"Disloyalty doesn't necessarily
mean a person must be presently
guilty of a criminal act under the
law.
Senator O'Conor, Democrat, OF
Maryland made the same point
when he declared that evidence
which might bear on persons re-
and desirability to hold a
Federal job may not be sufficient
for an indictment.
The Democratic committee men,
Der said he was convinced that the
Senate group was not attempting
ito smear anyone or disclose names
to the detriment Of
individuals" He described it as g
fact finding rather than fault.
finding inquiry"
Information Shut OFF.
In his announcement that the
open sessions were at an end, Sen.
ator Ferguson said the public ses.
sions were halted because lit is i'm.
possible for the committee to OBJ.
tain information from the executive
files"
That doesn't mean the committee
has decided it will quit" Senator
Ferguson said. THE committee will
go into executive sessions to gel
this information. 1t will endeavor ir
any legal way to get it."
Explaining that what the commit
tee was trying to do was find ou
how the loyalty program is work
ing, Senator Ferguson declared:
We have appropriated $11, 000, 00l
to operate the program, and tht
people, through Congress, are deniet
any information whatever abou
the operation of the program"
Senator Bricker. Republican, o
Ohio charged that the Govern
ment is acting in the dark and il
secrecy" and that the American
people are very much dissatisfied
at the refusal of Government de
partments to provide the committe
with the information 1t wants.
Thye Voices Indignation.
Senator Thye, Republican, o
Minnesota, declared that Congress
cannot appropriate funds and thel
be denied information about HOY
those funds are used. He said h
did not intend to "sit back and per
NIT those files to be indefinitel,
closed to the committee"
Senator Ferguson said there /
now specific statute on the book
which provides for the delivery o
files to the Executive Expenditure
Committee or its subcommittee, o
which his group is one.
In the short session, he declared
it is impossible to take any steps OF
the question Of the right Of Con
gress to get at the records, but "thi
whole question must be taken +
Congress.
Contempt action, he explaine'
later to reporters, can be referred +
the Attorney General for action o
can be taken up on the Senate dool
y