Evening star., 1950-06-29
Probe Of Firing
Due on Teacher
Linked 10 Reds
Montgomery Boord
Muy Air HinekIey
Case on July IT
By |. Edgar Primo


of Education is expected to con.
duct q thorough airing of the case
Of q Montgomery Blair High
School teacher, who was fired after
Elizabeth T. Bentley named him
as a one-time member of the
Communist Party underground.
II. Stanley Stine, a board men,
Der, indicated this to The Star and
added that a discussion of the en-
tire matter of loyalty checks IL
likely at the boards next meeting
July II.
He said he was shocked" to
hear of the case, first brought to
his attention by a reporter for this
newspaper.
The teacher involved is William
w. Hinckley, 40, who had taught
English at Montgomery Blair for
three years. He was fired last
Friday, after school officials were
informed by o. Bowie Duckett,
special assistant State attorney
general, of the closed-door testi-
mony of Miss Bentley and Mr..
Hinckley before the House Com
mittee on Un-American Activities
on May 6 and June 8 respectively.
Law Violation Checked.
Miss Bentley is a self-confessed
former Soviet espionage courier,
whose disclosures have set off sew
eral congressional investigations in
the last two years.
Mr.. Duckett said he is studying
the committee testimony for pos
sible violation of the Maryland
Ober law. This controversial
statute, which faces a referendum
in November, requires that all
State and county employees sign
an AFFIDAVIT stating they are not
members Of a subversiye organiza-
ton.
Miss Bentley made the follow
ing statement under oath to the
committee:
II signed Bill Hinckley's party
card, and he Immediately went
underground. He was attached to
Gilbert Green "a top Communist
oficiaD, who had been indicted"
When Mr.. Hinckley took the
stand he refused to say whether
he was or had been a Communist,
or whether he knew Miss Bentley,
on grounds Of possible self -incrim-
tnation.
Ousted Without Explanation.
Reached today by telephone on
his farm near Germantown, Nd,
MIR. Hinckley said:
ITS all so stupid. Obviously
I'm not a Red"
He gave as his reference his
pupils and their parents. He de-
clared he was given no reason
for his custer and declined to dis
cuSs the case further.
DR.. Edwin Broome, county SUI
perintendent of shcools and the
man who fired Mr.. Hinckley, gave
this account Of the case: .
Il was summoned before Mr..
Duckett last Friday and read the
committee testimony. It came as
q total surprise to me, because Mr..
Hinckley had been a very good
teacher. I went home and i'm
mediately called Mr.. Hinckley and
told him he was fired. When he
asked why, I told him no reason
was necessary because he was an
employe in temporary status"
DR.. Broome then declared: "I
could never employ a teacher who
wouldn't say what he is"
Had Good References.
The superintendent said that
Mr.. Hinckley had good references
from the American Red Cross,
the United States Commissioner
of Education and Montgomery
Junior College in Bethesda, all
former employers of the ouSted
teacher.
Meanwhile. Franklin P. Miles,
Chevy Chase attorney, declared he
would appear before the County
School Board on July II and de-
mand that it launch a full-scale
loyalty investigation of all school
employees.
Mr.. Miles, in 1947, charged
county school officials with allow
ing certain textbooks to be used
in the school system, which con-
stituted the teaching of subversive
doctrines. An inquiry by State
authorities refuted the charges.
PTA Stands AloOf..
1.-THE Hinckley case has demon
strated that Maryland's Ober Law
apparently is inadequate" he
snapped.
On the other hand, Frank Nc
Naughton, president of the Mont
gomery Blair High School PTA
said his group "is not involving
itself in the case"
The House committee YESTERDAY
released a portion of Miss Bent.
ley's testimony and all of Mr.
Hinckley's.
After MIR. Hinckley testified hi
had signed an affldavit under the
Ober law denying membership in q
subversive organization. Commit.
tee Counsel Frank Tavennel
asked:
Were you a. member of the
Communist Party at the time you
signed that affidavit or its equiva.
lent?"
The witness refused to answer
again on the ground that II
might tend to incriminate me-"
crisfieId Plans Celebration
m "a n - n