Evening star., 1950-12-09
Mrs. Rosenberg Face;
|Ex-Communist Again
Al Senate Hearing
BY The Assoeiotsd Press

BY the Assoeiatsd Press
There will be more testimony
next week in a Senate investiga-
ton of charges that Mrs. Anna
M. Rosenberg once attended Com
munist meetings.
The hearings reached a dra-
matte peak late yesterday when
the woman appointed by Presi-
dent Truman as Assistant Secre-
tary of Defense met one of her
accusers-a former Communist
in q face-to-face dispute.
The encounter took place at a
closed-door session of the Senate
Armed Services Committee. Sen
ator Russell, Democrat, of Georgia
acting chairman, told reporters
about it after Mrs. Rosenberg had
given them her version of what
happened.
The committee has been taking
testimony behind closed doors
from witnesses who contend Mrs
Rosenberg was active in subversive
groups some Is years ago.
Ex-Communist Makes Charge.
Mrs. Rosenberg previously had
denied all such charges. And the
committee last week unanimously
recommended Senate conflrma-
ton of her appointment to the
high Pentagon post.
For hours Ralph De Sola, who
said he was a Communist Party
member in 1934-37, contended
that he knew Mrs. Rosenberg and
had seen her at Communist meet
ings in New York City.
Without being seen by re-
porters. who had spent nearly
eight hours standing in corridors
outside the committee room, Mrs.
Rosenberg had entered through
back door off another corridor
Inside. Senator Russell said.
Mr.. De Sola stood at one end of
long table and repeated his
identification of Mrs. Rosenberg
as the woman he had seen at the
New York meetings.
Mrs. Rosenberg jumped to her
feet and heatedly disputed this
contention.
Then she stepped outside to tell
surprised newsmen that Mr.. De
Sola persisted in saying he had
seen me at those meetings"
Her Hardest Ordeal.
II told him I'd never seen him
in my life before" she said, her
voice rising. 1--WE never been so
mad in my life"
TITS the hardest ordeal I've
ever gone through in my life.
never believed that any one who
has lived the kind of way I have
would ever face a thing like this
to be called this by a man who
has been a Communist"
Mrs. Rosenberg started to give
her personal opinion of Mr.. De
Sola> Then she turned to Felix
Larkin. Defense Department
counsel, and asked:
Felix. is that all right?"
Mr.. Larkin advised her not to
make the statement.
Mrs. Rosenberg has been work.
ing at the Defense Department Job
for almost a month. pending SEN
ate confirmation of the appoint
ment.
Senator Russell said there "was
a direct conflict between the two"
principals in the conflicting testi-
mony and that Mr.. De Sola would
be asked to return next week.
More Witnesses to Be Heard.
This does not rule out the pos
sibility of mistaken identity" he
added. Mrs. Rosenberg has argued
that the charges refer to anothe,
Anna Rosenberg. a writer, who
she said. had been cited by the
House Un-American Activities
Committee as member of a sub.
versive group.
Senator Russell said the hear.
ings must continue to hear addi
tlonal witnesses who have beer
subpoenaed or have asked to tes
tify. They will be resumed Mon
day at 10 am.
If any person wants the com
mittee to go into this thoroughly
it ought to be Mrs. Rosenberg,
Senator Russell said. He empha
sized that continuance of tn,
hearings was not to be assessed
as an indication that the com
mittee had evaluated the testi
mony.
Mrs. Rosenberg told reporter
She was grateful to the committee
They spent the whole day tryins
to clear me-" she added.
Earlier in the day Senator Cain
Republican. of Washington dis,
closed that he and Senator Hunt
Democrat, of Wyoming had ex.
amined complete FBI reports" or
Mrs RoSenhero Ntbor Copo+or,