Evening star., 1951-06-07

May Speed Action on
|Antisubversive Board
BY the Associated Press
Ailing and under congressional
fire. Seth w. Richardson has quit
as chairman of the Subversive Ac-
tivities Control Board.
And there were indications to-
day that his action might speed
Senate action on the appointments
of the boards four other members,
pending since last October.
In his letter of resignation, the
71-year-old Richardson told Pres
ident Truman he must undergo
critical surgical attention"
MIR. Truman accepted the resig-
nation yesterday. effective June
80. with reluctance and heartfelt
regret" The White House made
both letters public.
Mr.. Richardson, a Republican,
has headed the board since it was
set up last fall under the 1850
internal security law, popularity
called the McCarran Act. It's
function is to determine whether
organizations shall be made to
register with the Justice Depart
ment as subversive, disclosing
their officers. finances and in some
cases members.
Approved by McCarran.
The President twice submitted
to the Senate the nominations of
Mr.. Richardson and his four COL
Leagues, but they are still pending
in the Senate Judiciary Commit
tee, headed by Senator McCarran
Democrat. of Nevada.
OF Mr.. Richardson's action
Senator McCarran told a reporter
I think it is fitting and proper
that he should resign" Had his
appointment come before the
Senate, Senator McCarran said it
would have been controversial "
OF the four remaining board
members. Senator McCarran said
The committee is liable to act
pretty soon now" He said that
"as things turned out, it was a
good thing" that action had not
been taken previously.
The other board members are
Charles M. Lafollette. Peter
Campbell Brown. DR.. Kathryn
McHale and David j. Coddaire.
Criticism from Case.
In his letter of resignation, Mr..
Richardson wrote:
To my surprise, disgust and
discontinue, I have just been ad-
vised by my doctors that it is i'm
perative that I be at once hospi-
talized for immediate, extensive,
critical surgical attention which
they advise me will probably in
capacitate me for several
months"
Mr.. Richardson expressed keen
regret over mot having yet been
afforded a proper, timely oppor-
tunity for suitable consideration
for confirmation by the Senate. +"
Most OF the congressional criti-
ciSm Of Mr.. Richardson stems
from the Loyalty Review Boards
handling of the William w. Rem
ington case. Mr.. Richardson
headed the Loyalty Board until
he was named to the SACB.
Mr.. Remington, an economist,
was suspended from his job in the
Commerce Department. He was
returned to it by a decision of the
review board. Later Remington
was convicted in New York of
lying under oath when he denied
he had ever been a member of
the Communist Party.
Not Member of Hearing.
The only business before the
SACB so far has been a proceed
ing to require the Communist
Party to register. A three member
panel, which does not include Mr..
Richardson, is conducting the
hearings. Thus his resignation
presumably will have no bearing
on them. The hearings began
April % and probably will go on
for months, followed by lengthy
court tests of the Security Act.
Mr.. Richardson, a native of OF
terville, Iowa, has been in WASH
ington for maLy years both in
private practice and Government
service. He served as an assistant
Attorney General under Pres
idents Harding and Coolidge.
President Hoover, in February,
1888. nominated him for life
time job as a judge of the United
States Court of Appeals here, but
the Senate adjourned without
acting on the nomination.