Evening star., 1950-06-22
Contempt Breakdown
Faces 40 Witnesses
In House Red Probe
By Robert K. Welsh

The House Committee on Un-
American Activities today aimed
a contempt Of Congress breakdown
against more than 40 witnesses
who have baked at answering
questions about Communist opera
tions.
Its "exasperating" experience
yesterday with two reluctant wit
nesses caused a sudden speedur
Of such moves, members disclosed
At least one of them, Philip
Bart, general manager of the Com
munist newspaper. the Daily
Worker. probably" will be in
cluded in numerous contempt cita-
ton requests that the committee
expects soon to forward to the
House, officials added.
The case of the other, Marcel
Scherer. former left-wing union
organizer. will be considered at a
closed session tomorrow. Several
members, however, commented
that Scherer, despite his refusal
to answer about IS questions, i'm
pressed them more favorably than
Bart did.
big Names" May Be Listed.
Representative Walter, Demo-
crat, of Pennsylvania and other
committee sources indicated that
''big Names" such as DR.. Joseph
w. Weinberg and Steve Nelson,
might be among those listed in
contempt action proposals.
But they said they are particu-
larly interested in upholding "the
general principle" that the COM
mittee has firm legal right to
ask witnesses about Communist
Affiliations or activities. Each case
is being studied on its merits and
will be presented separately to
the House, II contempt proceed
ings are recommended, they
added.
Bart. Scherer and many others.
including 80 witnesses who refused
to answer subcommittee questions
at hearings in Hawaii last April,
relied mainly on a constitutional
claim of possible self f-incrimina-
ton.
The committee voted yesterday
to start contempt proceedings
against the SO, many of them
members of Harry Bridges CIO
international Longshoremen's and
Warehousemen's Union.
May Cite More Than 65.
There is possibility that the
committees drive for contempt
citations might take in more than
IS. inclding the 80 in Hawaii.
Representative Velde, Repub-
lican. of Illinois said that during
the last year and a half almost
30 witnesses defled the commit
tee by refusing to discuss political
Affiliations or Communist activi-
ties.
Among those he said should be
cited for contempt was DIR. Frank
Oppenheimer, who testified last
June that he had belonged to the
Communist Party. but had quit
1t before working on the wartime
atomic bomb project. DR.. Open
heimef. brother of DR.. ]. Robert
Oppenheimer. famous atomic
scientist. would not answer further
questions along that line.
Bart. earlier in the day, refused
to answer when asked whether he
used passport under that name,
whether he had recruited Amer
leans for the Lenin Institute in
Moscow. and whether he had ever
visited Russia or any other for
eign country after coming to the
United States as boy from Po-
land. He even refused to tell his
original name or the name of his
father. He denied, however, that
he ever "miSuSed" a passport.
Talks of Present Work.
In contrast to the tumultuous
session at which Bart and his law
yer, Abraham Unger of New York
City, exchanged heated remarks
with committee members, the late
afternoon hearing for Scherer was
one of the most serene in COM
mittee history.
Scherer. accompanied by his at
torney. Emanuel Bloch of New
York City, quietly refused to an
swer a considerably larger num-
ber Of questions than Bart did.
He talked freely of his present
voluntary work for the New
York Labor Conference for Peace.
He invited committee members to
sign petition sponsored by that
organization to "avoid the horrors
of atomic war"