Evening star., 1949-03-09
Press, Radio Handling
OF Red Issue Debated
By Protestant Group
By cospor Nunnes
Stor Stoff Correspondent

radio commentators were at
tackled and defended today as be-
ing leading contributors to tht
present "hysteria" over commu.
nism and the threat of war be-
tween Russia and the United
States.
The f1areup took place this
morning at one section OF the
four-day meeting of the Nationa
Study Conference on the Churches
and World Order.
More than 400 delegates repre-.
senting 81 Protestant denomina-
tions and allied religious bodies
are here for the meeting sponsored
by the Department of Interna.
tional Justice and Good Will OF
the Federal Council of Churches
OF Christ in America. The confer
ence opened yesterday and will
close Friday.
The Rev. Paul N. Carnes OF
youngstown, Ohio. opened the at
tack on the press and radio COM
mentators.
Pennsylvania Defends Press.
I'VE must condemn the general
tendency of newspaper editors
and many radio commentators to
add to the widespread hysteria re-
sarding communism and other So
cial issues" he declared.
Defense of the newspapers and
commentators was voiced by. the
Rev. DIR. James Wagner OF Lam
caster. Pa.
IT suggest that the heads Of the
wire services and leading editors
and commentators meet with the
heads of Protestant bodies so they
may learn where the Protestant
churches stand on these ques-
tions," he said. Let us make our
position clear before we voice our
opposition to the way the press
handles this matter"
The question OF communism
dominated the discussion in the
section on the Church and Europe,
presided over by Methodist Bishop
g. Bromley Oman of New York.
Action taken by the section will
be referred to a committee draw
ing up the message to be sub
mitted Friday to the conference as
Q whole for approval.
Backs Federal Loyalty Program.
Support of the Government in
taking steps to eliminate employees
whose loyalty was in question was
voted by the section, which at the
same time condemned methods
used by the former House Un-
American Activities Committee" in
smearing innocent persons
through the use of the principle
Of guilt by association" as doing
much to create "hysteria in the
public minds"
This hysteria is dangerous to
American institutions and an
obstacle to the sobriety and pa
tience necessary in our foreign
policy" the section statement said.
A preventive war against Russia
was labeled as 80 evil that 1t can
never be considered as possible
policy" the group also declared.
Washington Delegates.
Washington delegates present
include DR.. Frederick E. Reissig,
executive secretary of the Wash
ington Federation Of Churches;
A. Stauffer Curry, Church OF the
Brethren; DR.. j. M. Dawson,
Northern Baptist Convention;
the Rev. e. D. Dick Of Takoma
Park, Md. Seventh-Day Advent
ist; the Rev. Garland E. Hopkins.
Methodist Church; the Rev. w.
II. Ernagin, National Baptist
Convention; the Rev. Thomas
Keehn, Congregational-C al-Christian
Church; the Rev. A. V. Olson,
seventh-Day Adventist; Mrs. Lii
liam Watford, Northern Baptist
Convention. and E. Raymond
Wilson. Religious Society OF
. 4S4ASASs
Bishop Oman yesterday called
on President Truman to seek
q reappointment with the So
viets by sending 40 representa-
tives from each of the major
fields Of our national life to confer
with leaders in Russia" and to in
vite that country to send a SINH
lar mission here. The missions,
he said, would not be "to negotiate
agreements or to enter political
discussion but to become ac-
uuainted and to return and tell
the people what they found"
If Prime Minister Stain should
refuse such an exchange, no
harm would be done, Bishop
Oman insisted. "The United
States could give worldwide pub
licity to its plan, and this know
ledge would seep down into the
villages of India and of China,
everywhere, and the comman man
would learn something of our
real desires, of our lack Of fear"
Sayre Is Speaker.
Support of the United Nations
rather than an effort to form a
world government is the only prac-
tical course to be pursued now,
Francis B. Sayre, United States
representative in the trusteeship
council of the United Nations,
asserted yesterday.
Not only would the Soviet bloc
remain out of world government
but "neighboring or small coun-
tries, fearing to join bloc against
which the strong and active hos
tility of the Soviet government
would be directed" would prob
ably form a third independent
group, the speaker said.
I'm other words" he continued,
"the supplanting of the United
Nations by a world government
organization at the present juno
ture of affairs would seem almost
certain to divide the world even
further and deprive us of those
valuable contacts with the Soviet
Union and the satellite states
y