Evening star., 1950-07-19
Heat, but Little Light,
In Report Criticizing
Mccarthy Charges
lnvective Phrases Give
6. o. P. Ammunition to
Hit Political Motives
By David Laurence

concerning Communists in the
Government.
1t is most unfortunate that Sen
ators Tydings, Mcmahon and
Green, who signed the report, al
lowed the staff who composed it
to phrase the document in the
language of political invective. AS
such it can only furnish further
ammunition to the Republicans
and condemn the report as po-
litical in motive rather than
judicial.
AS document expected to re-
veal whether there are or have
been Communists in the Govern
ment and what damage they have
done to American foreign policy
in the Far East, the report is in
adequate and fragmentary. 1t
would have been far better if the
hearings had been open to the
public, because now the selection
of excerpts out of context tends
only to confuse the reader and
strengthen suspicious of white
wash"
People Want to Know.
1t does not help matters just
to focus attention on Senator Nc
Carthy's reckleSsness of statement,
as if this were a contest between
two sets of politicians making
charges and accusations on the
stump. What the American people
want to know is how the Commu-
nists got into the Government,
how they were eliminated if they
are now extinct, and how it hap
pens that valuable Government
papers were stolen and put into
the hands of Communist SYM
pathizers.
To accept the denial of Com
munist sympathizers on the wit
ness stand is to accept statements
from persons who are trained to
lie. Testimony that is based on
mere denial is neither proof nor
disproof. Too much of the sub
committees report places reliance
on the denials made by persons
accused or directly affected by the
charges. Very little original in
vestigation appears to have been
made.
Senator Lodge of Massachusetts.
Republican, in his individual re-
port came nearer to objectivity
than his colleagues. He said that
the files were incomplete and that
they were not conclusive. He
raised some pertinent questions,
particularly about the mysterious
handling of the Amerasia case
during wartime early in 1945.
Speaking of the stolen papers in
that case. he says:
THAT many of these docu-
ments were of great Importance is
shown by the following brief de-,
scriptionS of some of the docu-
ments: A top secret document
dealing with targets in Japan: a
top secret document on Japanese
resources; a top secret document
which revealed the United States
breakdown and mastery of JAP
anese codes: Strictly confident
1aP Office of Naval Intelligence re-
port on the organization of Jap
anese naval forces; a strictly con-
f1dentiaP communication from
Ambassador Gauss on the reor-
ganlzation of the Chinese air
force; classified report on air.
plane and seaplane anchorages in
Japan, Formosa. and Korea pre-
pared by Military Intelligence; an
Oftlce of Naval Intelligence con-
f1dentiai report on China coast
physical geography and coastwise
shipping routes, bearing pencilled
nctations war plans, coastal areas,
inner passage, mined areas: a
very secret document containing
a memorandum to the Joint Chiefs
OF Staff. Washington: two docu-
ments Of the Military Intelligence
Division entitled changes to order
OF battle of Chinese army; a docu-
ment marked top secret for eyes
only the very highest classif1ca-
tion given; confidential forecast
of the Pacific war which indicated
the location of American subma-
rlneS; together with other classi-
fled documents dealing with the
composition of United States
forces IN Manila and an opera
t1onS plan for Naval Intelligence
for their entire counter -intelli-
gence organization in the United
States.
Questions Unanswered.
Why were the Americans who
perpetrated this theft allowed to
escape jail and punishment for
treason? Why was the prosecu-
tlon OF this case so ineptly han
died? Why were documents of
this kind taken away from his
Office by State Department en-
ploye? Why, indeed, didn't the
Tydings committee do a public
post-mortem of this case before
the American people so that they
could learn all the facts?
Senator Lodge exposed some of
the lame excuses and alibis given
by the administration for failure
to prosecute the case. The whole
chapter needs reopening by an
impartial tribunal. Surely the SEN
ate and House together could ap-
point a disinterested committee
to investigate and let the chips
fall where they may.
If the Amerasia case was 50
carelessly handled, will not other
cases be handled the same way?
Can there be any confidence in
security measures if the way the
Amerasia case was handled is now
suppressed for fear of political
consequences? Is it more impor-
tant to win an election or to pun
ish traitors? These are the real
questions which along with dozens