Evening star., 1951-09-15
Lehman Is Undecided
On Pressing Writer'S
Charges Of Perjury
BY the Associated Press

Senator Lehman, Democrat
Liberal, of New York, left hanging
today the question of whether he
would take further steps to get an
investigation of charges involv-
ing testimony given to the Sen
ate Internal Security Subcom-
mittee.
His demand for such an investi-
cation yesterday brought a heated
retort from Senator McCarran.
Democrat. of Nevada. that Senator
Lehman had accused him of en-
couraging a witness to commit
perjury. The New Yorker denied
he had made any such charge.
Senator McCarran is chairman
of the subcommittee, which is in
vestigating any subversive inf1u-
ences on United States policies
in the Far East. A prolonged
series of hearings now is underway.
Senator Lehman asked for full
investigation of what ne called
grave charges" published by COL
umnist Joseph Alsop that dem
onstrably false" testimony had
been taken by the McCarran sub
committee.
In recently published articles
Mr.. Alsop charged that testimony
by ex-Communist Louis Budenz
relating to John Carter Vincent
and John S. Service, State De-
partment officials, was in contra
diction of his own previous testi-
mony.
Charge Called 'Travesty.'
Senator McCarran, not present
when Senator Lehman first voiced
his demand, later shouted to the
Senate that the New Yorker
wants to sponsor a columnist's
charges that a committee of the
Senate is guilty of subornation Of
lperjury'-that is, getting another
person to commit perjury.
Angrily. Senator McCarran de-
nounced this as "a travesty''
which he said amounted to "ac.
cusing me of subornation of per-
jury"
Senator Lehman shot back that
Senator McCarran puts words in
my mouth which I never uttered
and which I never thought. I have
not accused him of subornation
Iof perjury"
He emphasized that he did not
know whether Mr.. Alsop's charges
were true or false, but he said he
regarded the charges as grave and
felt they should be investigated.
Later reporter asked Senator
Lehman if he intended to intro
duce a resolution calling for an
investigation. He replied that he
already had brought the matter
to the attention of the Senate and
couldn't tell yet what further &C
tion he might take.
Welker Blocks Lehman Move.
Senator McCarran told a re-
porter that when the subcommit-
tees hearings were all over, the
people could see for themselves
who was right. In the Senate he
had said that "all the Alsops from
here to perdition can't stop this
committee from going forward"
Senator Lehman tried to place
the Alsop articles in the Com
greSSional Record. Senator Welk-
er. Republican, of Idaho, blocked
this in a parliamentary situation
that enabled any one Senator to
do so.
Senator Brewster, Republican.
Of Maine, suggested that Senator
Lehman's demand for a Senate
investigation of one of its own
committees was without prece-
dent.
Senator Lehman said he lacked
sufficient information to form a
judgment about the charges but
insisted they should be investi-
gated ito remove the stain upon
the Senate, as hope, or if the
facts prove to be as printed, to
form the basis for corrective &C
ton"
The subcommittee received tes-
timony yesterday from Eugene
H. Dooman. a former State De-
partment official, criticizing United
States occupation policies adopted
after the surrender of Japan.
He said they were designed to
destroy the capitalist class in
Japan and were in line with Com
munist objectives.
Mr.. Dooman. who retired in
l945 to end a career with the de-
partment that started in 1912.
said the purpose of his testimony
was to SHOW that. policies put
forward by left-wing dailies from
the Daily Worker on down were
substantially translated into
United States foreign policies" in
the Far East.