Evening star., 1950-04-02
McCorthy's Charges
Express Public View
Writer Believes People
Agree With Senotor
By fronk R. Kent

1t is contended that while Senator Nc
Carthy has offered no real proof OF either
his blanket or specific charges Of Com
muniSt Saturation in the State Depart
ment nevertheless he is strongly sup
ported by the public generally through
out the country.
This is the more significant as ths
great bulk Of press and radio commenta-
tors and columnists have been vehe-
mently critical. not TO say denunciatory.
OF Senator Mccarthy from the start, He
has been denounced-and with consider
able truth-as reckless and irresponsible:
as having. without justification. assailed
the character of eminent Americans.
such as DR.. Owen baltimore. DR.. Philip
Jessup, Mrs. Dorothy Kenyon and others:
as having damaged the prestige of his
country abroad in time OF acute crisis:
as having inspired an attack upon Sec
retary Of State Acheson we'll calculated
to weaken our foreign policy. deeply
disturbing our Allies as well as hearten-
ing our potential enemy.
A storm of almost unprecedented vio-
lence has descended upon Mr.. McCarthys
head. Not since 1917 when the late
Senator Robert M La Toilette opposed
our entry into World War I. has any
member of Congress been as severely
eXcoriated A good deal of this has been
deserved How, then. in the absence Of
any genuine confirming evidence. is the
public support for Senator Mccarthy
to be accounted for? Internationally
analyzing the situation. detached men.
most of whom feel that the forced resig-
nation of Mr.. AcheSon would be calam-
ity, give what seems the only adequate
answer: Briefly it is this-a majority
of the people believe land believed before
Mr.. Mccarthy raised his voicel that
there is something rotten in the State
Department.
The contention is that this belief is
justified. Three years ago. it is pointed
out. when Whitaker Chambers first told
his fantastic story before the Un-Ameri-
can Activities Committee naming Alger
Hiss and others. the committee was
violently assailed. President Truman
called the whole thing red herring"
The State Department rushed valisntly
to Mr.. Hiss defense and many con-
spicuous friends warmly espoused his
cause. The liberal commentators who
now denounce Mr.. Mccarthy were even
more denunciatory then of Mr.. Hiss ac-
cusers. In the end, one of the men named
by Mr. Chambers committed suicide by
jumping out window. Another
Julian Wadleigh-confessed under oath.
claiming immunity because his traitor
Gus acts were more than 10 years old.
And, Mr.. Hiss after two concededly fair
trials, was convicted. Considering these
facts, it is not surprising that Mr.. Ache
sons two unfortunate Hiss statements
should have been miSconStrued by the
public generally as another defense Of
Mr. Hiss-and should be resented.
While this feeling was still intense.
Senator Mccarthy burst forth with his
charges. 1t is hardly strange that part
of the public was not too much i'm
pressed with the denunciation and de-
nials-nor stopped to consider that Mr..
Mccarthy had extremely little with
which to back up his sensational ale
cations. The denunciations and denials
could not fail to have familiar ring.
In the midst of all this their confusion
was increased and their resentment en-
hanced by the statement of Deputy
Undersecretary Of State Puerifoy that
the department had dismissed nearly
100 homosexual State Department en-
ployes as bad security risks"
Revelation of this situation, which had
not been charged by Senator Mccarthy.
came as a shock. Not much has been
made of it In the press, but politicians
generally agree that their constituents
have been more revolted at this volun-
tary disclosure than by anything else.
How, they ask did there come to be so
many of these unfortunate individuals
in the employ of the Government and
why is the concentration so heavy in
the State Department? And how many
more of them are there besides those
enumerated by Mr.. Puerifoy? There
seem no adequate answers to these ques-
tionS, but considering everything. 1t Is
not surprising that regardless OF his
recklessness and responsibility. Senator
Mccarthy should have large and SYM