Evening star., 1952-08-17

rhyme or reason for the individual
designations, taken either singly,
chronologically or collectively. Next
to Mr.. Caudle, the most embarrass-
Ing character in recent Justice De-
partment history undoubtedly was
Assistant Attorney General Holmes
Baldridge, who made Mr.. Truman
and his position vis-a-vis the steel
companies look uncommonly silly.
Yet Mr.. Baldridge is one of the few
at. the top of Justice who has not
been touched. BY contrast, Philip
Perlman, who made the best of the
bad situation left by MIR. Baldridge,
was allowed to resign as solicitor
general.
The heads began to roll on June
Is. Mr.. McGranery accepted the
designations" of Assistant Attorneys
General H. Graham Morrison (anti-
trus0, Harold I. Baynton (alien
property and William A. Underhill
Qands).
In July, Mr.. Perlman quit. Later
that month, Gus Vanech-whose
chief claim to fame was his talent
for flunking bar exams-decided to
leave as deputy attorney general
to run for the Senate.
The Final shokeup
Finally, on August 8, Mr.. Nc
Granery transferred James M. Nc
Inerney from the crucial job Of
Assistant Attorney General in
charge of the Criminal Division to
the relative peace and quiet of
lands, succeeding Mr.. Underhill.
Also, on that day, he appointed
Ross L. Malone, jr., to succeed Mr..
vanech as deputy; Charles L. Muir
ray as Mr.. McInerney's heir to the
Criminal Division, and Rowland F.
Kinks to assume Mr.. Baynton's sub
cabinet title of assistant attorney
general for alien property.
Each Of these appointments is
interesting in itself. Probably the
Kinks case is most revealing as to
the scope of the departments clean
up and the techniques behind it.
MIR. Kinks, a young attorney who
heads the National University Law
School, came into the department
in June when Mr.. Baynton left.
But he was not named officially to
the post vacated by his predeces-
sor. Instead, Mr.. Kinks was ap-
pointed a special assistant to the
Attorney General and took over
alien property in that role.
Joker in the Cose
The joker there was that Mr..
Baynton's job required Senate con-
firmation, whereas appointment of
special assistant did not. Had MIR.
Kinks been given Mr.. Baynton's title
while the Senate was in session,
consideration of his name might
have set off a politically unpleasant
battle over alien property. With
the Senate no longer in session on
August 8, recess appointment for
Mr.. Kinks was possible-and de-
sirable.
Mr.. Murray, the second of the
three recent appointees, seems to be
one Of those rare cases in Govern
ment of hard work and virtue find-
ing their own reward. At So, Mr..
Murray had been an assistant
United States attorney here for
IS years. He moved into the de-
partment last month to handle the
special activity reports being sub
mitted by district attorneys in the
field. On August 8 he took over the
vital Criminal Division.
Enter Mr.. Malone
But perhaps the most interesting
case of all was that of Mr.. Malone,
the new deputy. Forty-one years
old and a leader in his profession,
Mr.. Malone was hand-picked not by
the Attorney General, but by
Steve Mitchell. Mr.. Mitchell's ap-
pointment to the Democratic chair
manship conceded almost to the
minute with Mr.. Malone's success
sion to the deputy attorney gen.
eralship. ."Coincided". seems to be
the proper word for the relation
ship between these two events;
there is good reason to believe that
Mr.. McGranery, when he appointed
Mr.. Malone, did not know that Mr..
Mitchell was about to be named
Democratic chairman.