Evening star., 1951-12-30
House Group Urges
.Stiffer Curb on Spies,
Death in Peace Time
By John v. Homer

The House Un-American Activ-
ltles Committee last night advo-
Gated drastic new laws against
espionage, including a provision
for the death penalty for spies op-
Grating in peacetime, as well as
war.
The committee also urged Con-
gress to broaden the provisions for
admlsSlblllty of evidence in espio-
mage cases, suggesting the use of
evidence obtained by wiretapping,
microphones, censorship and other
practices now forbidden.
Decrying an alarming lack of
prosecution" in spy cases, the
group proposed the creation of a
Joint Senate-House committee
which would initiate legislation to
protect the United States from
spies before it is too late"
Soviet Espionage Reviewed.
In a long report based primarily
upon its own investigation, the
committee reviewed the last 30
years of Russian espionage in the
United States. The report, en-
titled THE Shameful Years." was
devoted entirely to Russian spy
activities. These were treated in
three phases: The pe1Sod between
World War I and World War IL
the years of the latter conflict and
the period since World War II
ended.
The most shameful and sordid
period in the relatively short his
tory OF our country is the more
than 80 years during which Soviet
espionage has been allowed to
spread its tentacles over the
United States" the committee
said.
LAS early as 1919 the present
government in Russia established
an espionage apparatus in the
United States which has been used
to secure information pertaining
to all OF our industrial and de-
tense installations.
American Sacrifices Cited,
During the past 80 years there
have been nations that have been
considered as enemies of this
country. The United States fought
determinedly to stem the on
Slaught OF Nazism and Facism as
in Germany and Italy.
We Stemmed the tide of Japanese
imperialism in the Far East. In
these causes, thousands of Ameri-
cans lost the wonderful future
that might have been their. .
But . we did not deter the
growth of the equally insidious
Communist movement"
The committee said the dismal
record" in dealing with Soviet
espionage was not due to the lack
of facilities, but rather to admin
lstrative decisions and inadequate
legislation. 1t then proposed the
joint committee to study the prob
lem and recommend changes in
the law.
Would Deny Projections.
With respect to broader pro-
visions for admitting evidence in
spy cases, the committee said it
is concerned with maintaining the
rights of individuals but declared
that espionage agents should not
have protection of the laws of the
very country which they work
night and day to destroy.
The House group disclosed it
had much information about So
Wet spies which it did not in
clude in the report, lest this jeo-
pardize present and future investi-
cations.
1t displayed special interest in
spy contacts within the Justice
Department before World War II
and stated, without explanation,
that it is probing what may be a
hitherto undisclosed instance of
espionage in the department.
Members of the Un-American
Activities Committee said they
were interested in this phase of
espionage because, since 1941, "it
has been disclosed that two other
Soviet espionage agents, Judith