Evening star., 1950-11-14
Regular Senate Unit
To Probe Subversives
Favored by Ferguson
BY The Asseeiatsd Press

by the Assoeioted Press
Senator Ferguson, Republican,
Of Michigan, proposed today that
the Senate Judiciary Committee
take over investigation Of un-
American activities as a regular
part of its job.
/ He noted that a judiciary sub
committee on immigration, head
ed by Senator McCarran, Demo-
crat, Of Nevada, already has done
some work in this field and said
1t is equipped to 90 into 1t on q
full-scale basis.
In effect, Senator Ferguson pro-
posed that the subcommittee be-
come Senate counterpart of the
House Committee on Un-Ameri-
can Activities. Some other Re-
publicanS have talked about set
ting up such q group in the next
Congress.
Republican victories in last
weeks elections gave fresh impetus
to the idea. Some Republican, VIM
ners have claimed that q factor in
their success was campaign claim
that Dem ocrats whitewashed
charges by Senator Mccarthy, Re-
publican. Of Wisconsin of Com
munist infiltration of the State
Department.
falls %nu E,,Vs n~.L~
Senator Ferguson said he long
has felt the Senate should give
more attention to the whole field
of un-American activities.
tits job that needs to be
done and the Judiciary Commit
tee can do it," he told q reporter.
Among other things, he said,
"the public is entitled to an in
vestigation of this whole question
of Communist inf1ltration into the
Government and will not be sat
isfied until it has been done. and
neither will l."
Senator Ferguson said he saw no
particular need to create a special
Senate committee to handle the
job since the judiciary group has
ample authority to 60 ahead.
Senator Mccarthy has suggested
the job might well be handled by,
an expenditures subcommittee
headed by Senator Hoey, Demo-
crat. of North Carolina. Senator
Mccarthy is a member of it.
Security Law Probe Sought.
Senator Ferguson said that
when Congress returns later this
month he will press the judiciary
Committee to make a prompt in
quiry into administration of the
new internal security law.
Much of the act, passed over
President Truman's veto, was
fashioned by the judiciary's i'm
subcommittee. Senator
Ferguson was one of the authors
of its provisions requiring the
registration of Communist and
Communist-front organizations. |
He said he expected other
members Of the committee to 20
along with his demand for an Inn.
mediate investigation Of whether
q deliberate attempt was being
made to sabotage the law.
Representative Heating, Repub-
lican, of New York, accusing the
administration Of undermining"
the law yesterday made q similar
demand for an investigation. Mr..
Heating said In q letter to Secre.
tary of State Acheson that the
department. apparently sought to
undermine the law by maladmin-
istration. The State Department
had no immediate comment. /
Senator Ferguson accused the
Justice Department Of delaying
action to force the registration of
the Communist Party and Of front
groups. He also complained of un-
necessary confusion in handling
the laws immigration provisions,
as did Mr.. Keating.
Under the act, Communist and
Communist front organizations
were required to register within
80 days, but none has done so.
The next step is for the Attorney
General to certify to the new SUBJ
versive Activities Control Board
the organizations which he thinks
are required to register.
His citation may be contested
at a public hearing before the
board and any board ruling may
be appealed to the courts.
Senator Ferguson called It in
excusable that the Justice De-
partment has not cited the Com
Party nor a single front |
organization for failure to register.
The board, whose five members
were recently named by President
Truman, only yesterday found Of
fees in the Reconstruction Fl
nance Corp. Building. 1t plans /
to move in Monday and set UP q
staff.