Evening star., 1950-05-07
Remington Disputes
Testimony That He
Was Communist
BY The Asseeiafsd Press

mony Of two admitted former
Communist who said the Com
merce Department economist was
a party member in 1861.
Mr.. Remington's attorney. Jo-
seph L. Rauh, jr., did most of the
talking at hurriedly called news
Mr.. Remington nodded
assent to what Mr.. Rauh said.
In addition to pointing to what
he called many discrepancies" in
the testimony Of Kenneth Nc
Connell and Howard Allen Bridg-
man. Mr.. Rauh accused Chairman
Wood of the House Committee
on Un-American Activities Of:
/. Prejudging the Remington
case.
2. Trying to trap him into silence
on what Mr.. Mcconnell and Mr..
Bridgman told the committee in
session. (Only part of
their testimony has been made
public.)
Miss Bentley Testifies.
While the news conference was
going on in a downtown hotel, the
committee on Un-American Activi-
ties was hearing Miss Elizabeth
Bentley behind closed doors in con-
nection with it's current investiga-
ton into Mr.. Remington's loyalty.
Miss Bentley. admitted former
courier for a Russian spy ring,
told Senate investigators in 1948
that Mr.. Remington gave her war
production secrets which went to
Moscow.
Mr.. Remington was suspended
on the basis of her testimony. He
went back to work in the Com
Department after the 10y
atty Review Board cleared him.
Mr.. Wood gave reporters no in
formation as to the nature of Miss
Bentley's testimony today. He
merely acknowledged that she
appeared in connection with the
Remington case.
Mr.. Remington, 80, has re-
peatedly denied that he gave Miss
Bentley any secret information
and that he ever was member of
the Communist Party.
Says Case Was Prejudged.
Mr.. Rauh said Mr.. Wood pre-
judged the case when he wrote
Seth w. Richardson, chairman
Of the Loyalty Review Board, sug-
gesting the board reopen the
Remington case. Mr.. Wood did
this before he ever heard our
side" Mr.. Rauh added.
Mr.. Rauh asked on Friday-and
was neutrality-suspicious. to read
the full testimony of Mr.. Nc
Connell and Mr.. Bridgman. He
read for about Is minutes, then
asked permission to return and
examine it further today. When
he went to the committee room
today, he was handed a. letter
signed by Mr.. Wood. 1t said in
part:
You are allowed to examine
the testimony =. -. with the ex-
press understanding that the con-
tents thereof will not be released
by you to any other person with
out authority from this commit
tee."
Mr.. Rauh rejected this condi-
tion.
IF I had read the transcript
today, we would have fallen into
The biggest trap any one ever fell
Into," he commented. II would
have been required to keep from
the press and everyone else what
I had obtained from a cursory
yesterday"
Anyway, Mr.. Rauh commented,
Il have already seen enough to
prove that the charges are un-
founded"
Quotes Committee Report.
Mr.. Mcconnell and Mr.. Bridg-
man had testified that Mr.. Rem
ington was a Communist at 10
when he was a messenger for the
Tennessee Valley Authority in
Knoxville.
Mr.. Rauh quoted from a report
Of the committee on Un-American
Activities to point to what he
called a conflict of Mr.. McCon-
nell's testimony. 1t was a report
Of the Knox County Communist
to the All-Southern
Conference of the Communist
Party dated September HIP, 1947.
It was signed TX. Malcolm" who
has been identified by the COM
mittee as Mr.. Mcconnell. 1t told
of party activity in Knox County
in the past two months"
1T is perfectly clear from this
report that Malcolm had arrived
just two months before September
1l-12 and was giving his first re-
port" Mr.. Rauh said. IF that is
correct, Mr.. Malcolm arrived in
Knoxville in July after Mr.. Rem
ington had left. The same report
quoted Muriel Speare as saying
Malcolm was in Knoxville only in
the summer of 1887.
Malcolm also testified he at
tended a fractional meeting of
Communists which Remington at
tended in an open park in Chatta-
nooga. When he was asked the
leading question. was it in Knox
vile or Chattanooga, he said
Knoxville. Can you imagine a
fractional meeting of a trade
union group being held in an
open park?"
Malcolm also testified" Mr..
Rauh continued, "that Remington
was an un-communist Communist.
That's absurd. Anyone knows that