Evening star., 1950-06-02
Things Held Smelly
In Latest 'Whitewash
In Amerasia Case
:
Democrats Seen Hurting
Themselves by Methods
Used in Tydines Probe
By David Laurence

By David Laurence
There's something very smell,
about the latest "whitewash" de,
veloping In the investigation O.
the so-called "Amerasia" case.
An important news source out,
side Of Congress today made tn,
following comment to this cor.
respondent: '"The documents die
carry important military informa.
ton and when the truth is known
somebody's face is going to b,
red-and 1T isn't going to be Ber
Andrews"
1t was Mr.. Andrews, Washing.
ton correspondent Of the New
York Herald Tribune and winner
Of many awards for his accurate
reporting, who disclosed a few
days ago that among the docu-
ments stolen from highly conf.
dental files in the "Amerasia'
case were some which told Of the
location of American naval YES
sells. including submarines, during
the war
Brushed Off by Tydings.
The story created q sensation
here but. against it, the public had
been given by Senator Tydings a
statement to the effect that most
Of the documents in the Amer
asia" case were 80 per cent casual
and routine" Also the man in
charge of the criminal division in
the Justice Department issued q
formal denial that any such pa
pers or messages as Mr.. Andrews
had described were contained In
the files obtained in the raids on
the offices of "Amerasia," a maga-
zine on Far Eastern affairs, some
Of whose personnel were indicted
and some of whom pleaded guilty
to unlawful possession Of Gov
eminent documents.
Just why is the Truman admin
istration, which controls Senator
Tydings and the Justice Depart
ment, suppressing facts to which
the public is entitled? The So
called declaration of conscience, -
which seven Republican Senators
have just signed. might be good
thing for the members of the
Democratic administration and
various Democrats in Congress
also to sign.
Such a declaration might have
included a demand that the in
formation about disloyalty and
theft of documents be revealed
The discontinue of the Demo-
Gratis is due to their own clum-
siness and blundering. They fear
now that any disclosures will hurt
the administration politically. So
the suppression squad tries by
various maneuvers to keep the
truth from the public.
Public Entitled to Know.
Heeding the cleft wing" demand
for secret sessions, the Tydings
Committee heard Louis Budenz
In secret, and now it has heard
the FBI officials in secret, too.
The public is entitled to all this
testimony so it can judge it for
itself. The committee chairman
issues whatever he likes and in
terprets testimony as he pleases.
Certainly there is an amazing
discrepancy between what is in the
hands of the committee as de-
scribed by Mr.. Andrews and the
effort of Senator Tydings to eval-
uate the data as casual and
routine"
The Democrats in the Senate
are more responsible for the head
way that Senator Mccarthy is
making in the country than is
the Wisconsin Senator himself
They goaded him originally into
naming names. They barred him
from cross-examining witnesses,
They ordered secret sessions and
kept from the public important
testimony. They issued state
ments interpreting in prejudiced
manner the testimony given, and
now they expect the country to
forget the charges of Communist
1nf1ltration inside the Govern
ment.
Any really wise politician would
have insisted on full publicity
letting the chips fall where they
may. He would have insisted that
Senator Mccarthy, or any other
Senator doing the accusing
should prove his case in oper
sessions Of the committee. The
whole episode would have beer
disposed of long ago If the ad.
ministration leaders had not beer
so sensitive politically-now the,
have hurt themselves far more
politically and the public thinks
there is something very smelly
about the whole affair.
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