Milford chronicle., 1949-02-04
WHAT IT MEANS:
Congressional Committee
Power

WASHINGTON - A lot of people
are boiling mad at the tactics of the
House UnAmerican Activities Com !
mittee and are clamOring for con-
trolls over all congressional COM
mittees. Senator Scott W. Lucas
D.-Ill.) and Rep. Helen Gahagan
Douglas (D.-Calif.) are sponsoring
bills to compel congressional COM
mittees to follow certain rules and
regulations.
The case of DR.. E. U. Condor
aroused so much indignation among
scientists and other leaders that a
national campaign was organized.
The UnAmerican Activities Com
mittee had said DR.. Condor, nuclear
physicist and director of the Ma
tiOnal Bureau of Standards, was the
weakest lin kin the security of our
atomic energy program. Although
DR.. Condor asked the committee for
an opportunity to make a public de-
NAL under oath, the committee has
never given him opportunity to
testify in his own behalf.
Congressional committees also
have been accused of admitting
hearsay evidence, not letting an ag-
grieved person CrOss-examine wit
nesses, harrassing witnesses with
unfair questions, and issuing state
ments in advance of hearings giving
distorted view.
/ Neither a court nor a grand jury
could get away with such proceed
ures, but the Supreme Court has up
held what is called the principle OF
free congressional inquiry"
] Congressional committees are moi
required to operate under any rules
except those they themselves estab-
lish. It's explained this way by Will
liam P. Rogers, chief counsel of the
investigating subcommittee of the
Senate Expenditures Committee:
The business OF a grand jury or I
court is with one crime. All peril
nent facts can be examined within
a limited time, even allowing for al
the delays the law allows.
But a congressional committee
can cover almost as wide an area a
ii wishes. A dozen damaging accu
satiOns might be heard in a day.
If all persons concerned cOult
stop the hearings for CrOss-eXamin
= Gtion and statements and for argu
! ments about the admissibility o
evidence, the work of the cOmmitte
, could be logged down for months o
: years. congressman have man
y other things to do besides atten
+ committee hearings. The whole leg
. islative process would be ham
strung.
n Rogers and others, however, be
) lieve there is no good reason VIII
o witnesses before congressional CON
mittees should not receive fai
treatment. The way to do it, he say
is for the committee to discipline il
n self. His own committee, he say
q for a long period has followed thi
! procedure:
, l. Thorough investigation by th
staff without publicity before heal
- ings are held. 2. Private or execl
tive sessions before public hearing
There the charges are heard and Il
witnesses present their side. 3.
charges seem unfounded, there is I
: public hearing and no publicity.
If the charges are subsequent
made in a public hearing, the a
cused is given the right to cOnfrO
his accuser, to contest the chaTg
and to submit written questions
the chairman to be asked adver
witnesses.
A code Of fair procedure also
being considered by at least tv
members Of the House UnAmerici
Activities Committee, Reps. Karl
Mundt IRIS. d. and Richard
Nixon (R.-CalO. They have annOu
ced that they hope to include such
code in the committees final repC
of the session.
Senator Carl A. Hatch (D.-N. n
once made this comment:
: "Tt is nv considered opinion til
nroper conduct and procedure ny
congressional committee deDends
| q large evtont uPOn the persOnnel
7 tho cOTrrrittee-fhat is. the indivi
5 raj memhnrs-apd nsnaciallv un
= tho cho 'rna7. A chairmo7 IF CO
p r-oe esinral committee who is ~
Of broad pv Derience. understand
2 and a Fundamental knowledge a
= reCnact for the rights Of witness
and nroner confines nf nr limitotiC
S mon committee powers. will I
l,~.,a 70 ~ ri~n''p1 s"riNc1 ~ imDC
ed by rules and regulations.