Evening star., 1950-07-26
Mccarthy Has Failed
To Prove Charges,
Morse Declares

Senator Morse, Republican, of
Oregon said today Senator Nc
Carthy, Republican, of Wisconsin,
SO far has failed to prove his
charges that Communists have in
f1ltrated the State Department.
He expressed these views to re-
porters after playing a leading
part in identifying the "Mr. X
of the State Department accused
by Senator Mccarthy of being a
Communist as Edward G. Pos
MAX. 39-year- Moscow born
economist.
Mr.. Posniak called Senator Nc
Carthy'S charges vicious and
hbelous" and added:
The charge that I am, or ever
was, a Communist is completely
and utterly false"
Parents Fled Revolution.
He said he left Russia at the
age of s because of the Commu-
mist revolution from which my
parents were refugees"
Senator Morse, often at odds
with the majority of Senate Re-
publicanS, declined to say whether
he thinks the Mccarthy charges
are "a fraud and a hoax" as Demo-
cratic members of a Senate For
eign Relations subcommittee con-
eluded after a lengthy investiga-
tion. But he added:
II am still waiting for proof of
the charges"
He noted that minority report
by Senator Lodge, Republican, of
Massachusetts,, called the investi-
cation superficial and inconclusive
and that Senator Lodge also said
in certain specific cases no proof
to support the Mccarthy charges
had been produced.
THE Lodge report" Senator
Morse declared, leads me to
believe that Senator Mccarthy
has not substantiated his charges"
FBI Report Quoted.
Senator Mccarthy told the
Senate yesterday he had "air-
tight proof that a State De-
partment official he described
only as MIR. x" was a Communist.
He submitted purported loyalty
file on the man that quoted an
FBI report as saying an under
cover agent had named him and
his wife as Communists.
Senator Mcmahon, Democrat,
of Connecticut, member of the
inquiry committee, then announced
he had learned the identity of the
man and produced 81 afhdavits
he had obtained from him attest
ing to his loyalty. Still without
identifying the man, he said one
of the affidavits was signed by
Senator Morse in October, 1913.
Thereupon Senator Morse said
that since his name had been
brought into the matter he would
name the man by reading the
affidavit. The affidavit said Sen
ator Morse knew Mr.. Posniak from
1886 to 1888 when he worked in
the Justice Department.
Vouched for Loyalty.
The Oregon Senator said the
affidavit vouched for Mr.. Posniak's
loyalty then and added he had
not seen him since 1888. At that
time, Senator Morse continued,
MIR. Posniak gave no indication he
had any sympathy for COM
muniSm. 1t would be "a great
surprise to me, 1.-THE Senator said,
If Mr.. Posniak subsequently de-
veloped such sympathy.
In his statement Mr.. Posniak
pointed out that the State De-
partment Loyalty Board com
pletely cleared me of all charges
as long ago as December, 1s4S."
This was after the date of the
FBI report read to the Senate by
Senator Mccarthy.
Mr.. Posniak is employed in the
State Department. Eastern Eu-
ropean branch at salary of
about $4,000 a year.
M e a awhile, Representative
Velde, Republican, of Illinois said
he would ask the House Commit
tee on Un-American Activities to
investigate the Posniak case as
Senator Mccarthy has requested.
Mr.. Velde. member of the COM
mittee, added he will ask that
Mr.. Posniak be summoned to
testify.