Evening star., 1951-05-02
Republicans Demand
.0Dwyer Quit or Clear
q
Himself | Of Charges
. Continued From First Page)

- Continued From First Page.)
Mayor of having contributed to
the growth of organized crime,
racketeering and gangsterism in
New York City"
>" White House Still Silent.
senator Wherry said later he
thought Mr.. O'Dwyer should either
'1+resign or clear himself"
Solely on the basis of the COM
mittee's report. it seems to be those
sare the alternatives open to him, :"
the Republican leader declared. s
!, Senator Ives. Republican, of New
York, said there appears to be
justification for the immediate re-
call" Of Mr.. O'Dwyer from Mexico
city. That would largely rest with
President Truman. The White
House has refused to comment on
the report
9 Mr.. ODwyer is yet to be heard
from. When news of the report
reached Mexico City. he told news
men he had no comment "at this
time" underscoring those words.
Chavez Questions Attitude.
The five committee members
have refused any direct comment
on whether they feel Mr.. ODwyer
should quit as Ambassador but
Senator Kefauver. Democrat, OF
Tennessee. told the Senate yes
terday when questioned by Sen
ator Wherry that Il would not
vote for confirmation of Mr..
ODwyer's appointment if it were
before the Senate now"
During the Senate debate, Sen
ator Chavez. Democrat, OF New
Mexico, asked:
isn't it basic in American life
that until some one is convicted
he is presumed to be innocent?
Isn't there a difference between
the report of an investigating
committee and a determination
in a court of law as to guilt?"
Senator Kefauver said he
agreed with Senator Chavez and
added that the committee had
not said Mr.. ODwyer was guilty
Of crime.
Kefapver Replies to KEN.
Later in the debate, Senator
KEN, Republican, of Missouri
wanted to know why what he de-
scribed as a mother crime
1947 theft of ballot boxes involved
In a Kansas City e1ection-wasI
not mentioned in the report.
Senator KEN last Saturday wrote
Senator O'Conor asking him tol
60 back to Missouri and investi-
gate the ballot theftS.
Senator Kefauver replied the
case was not within the juriSdic-
ton of the committee, that the
FBI and Federal and State grand
juries had already tried and failed
to solve it and that the COM
mittee has recommended a racket
squad in the Justice Department
to go into such cases.
The Justice Department, COM
menting on the committees pro-
posal for establishment of
racket squad, said it has had a
group of attorneys performing the
functions which the report recon-
mends for a racket squad.
Ford Outlines Opposition.
The departments letter reached
the committee while the Senators
were working on the final revision
Monday night, but the committee
still spoke Of the racket squad as
something to be created.
AS for the committees proposal
that this racket squad stimulate
local enforcement by turning over
information about local crime sit
uations to city and State authori-
ties, the department wrote that
that is the regular practice of the
FB1 and the departments GRIM
inal division.
The department, through Dep
uty Attorney General Peyton Ford,
said it opposed creation of Fed
eral crime commission on the
grounds that it would lead to a
national police force, probably
lead to unnecessary harassment
and interference with Federal in
vestigative agencies and impose an
unnecessary and costly super
structure on the present operating
agencies.
Committee to Start on Bills.
After a three-hour reorganiza-
ton session yesterday, Senator
O'Conor said the committee will
start at once to write between Is
and 20 bills. He said the COM
mittee wants to get the bills be-
fore the Senate promptly while
the information is fresh"
AS for additional public hear
tngs, Senator O'Conor said they
would depend on developments
but I'VE haven't closed the door
on them in any sense"
He said the Senators discussed
looking further into such fields as
narcotics, criminality in sports
and prostitution but reached no
decision.
The committees chief counsel
Rudolph HALEY, left the COM
mittee yesterday to return to pri-
vate law practice. The committee
has not yet picked a successor.
Scotland Yard, London now