Evening star., 1952-05-23
New Attack Launched
By Morse on Papers
Steel Issue Coveraqe

SIVVI ISSUV NVVViUyV
Senator Morse. Republican, of
Oregon. yesterday lounched a new
attack on newspapers handlingI
of the steel dispute.
He also took issue with an edi-
torial in Wednesdays editions oil
The Star. The editorial criticized
earlier denunciations by Senatorsl
Morse and Humphrey, Democrat,
OF Minnesota, of the way the
press. radio and television hand
led the steel-seizure develop
ments.
Senator Morse, in a brief speech
on the Senate floor, also submit
ted for the Congressional Record
a Library of Congress compilation
OF the space which five newSpa-
perS gave to three events in the
steel case. The Star was included
in the five.
Senator Humphrey told his COL
leagues he wanted to associate
himself with Senator MorSe'S re-
marks. He added, however, that
he thought it was a mistake toI
have included radio and television
in the criticism.
Remarks in Record.
After the speech, Senator Morse
made minor changes in the Of
fetal transcript. The transcript
follows:
"A few days ago I expressed
some criticism of the Fourth Es-
tate. many of the members of
which I think suffer from a
psychological complex of infalla-
bility. The American press. par
ticularly it's editors, has failed
miserably in presenting an ade-
quate, accurate and fair account
Of the facts in the steel case.
Il reafflrm this morning that
criticism made of the press.
Il repeat that the press gener-
ally in this country failed ade-
quately and accurately to present
the facts of the steel controversy.
BY and large, it presented a very
slanted reporting of the facts of |
the steel controversy, and particu0
larly there was general failure
CT the press to point out the con-
tentions of the Defense Secre-
tary) Lovett affidavit and the
LoVett testimony before the
Committee on Labor and Public
Welfare to the effect that if the
steel mills had been allowed to
go down to point that the
furnaces would have cooled for
from 48 to So hours, they could /
not have been placed in operation
again for some two to three
weeks on the average.
Threat to American Lives.
"'The loss of that amount of steel
production, in case of a war with
Russia within the next year, would |
have been translated into a loss
OF thousands of American lives.
That was the emergency which
faced the President of the United
States at the 11th hour of the steel
crisis. II
"Mr. President, let me say that
when the American people under
stand that, then their attitude will
be quite different as to the nature
OF this emergency. Then they
will understand that the President
sought to protect the security of
the Nation in dark hour of crisis.
Il asked the Library of Congress
to prepare for me a tabulation of
the space treatment of steel cases,
including space treatment of the
Lovett testimony, on the part of
some typical newspapers.
my reply to the editorial in
The Washington Star last night
and the editors of The Star I
have always found, Mr.. President,
can dish it out, but. like so many
newspapermen, they cannot take
Tiny reply to The Washington
Star is that even The Washington
Star, in spite of it's proteStations
in the paper last night, gave in
adequate space to a discussion of
what I consider to be some of the
most vital testimony in the steel
case.
"The Washington Star gave in
adequate space to the testimony
of the Secretary Of Defense. on
whose shoulders rests the whole
defense program of this country.
His testimony was the most i'm
portant fact on which the Presi-
dent based his action.
"The real emergency in the
steel crisis was the threat of the
shutdown of those furnaces to the
point that they could not have
been placed in operation for some
two or three weeks, which, in case
of war, would have been translated
into the loss of American blood.
$50 part of my answer to the
Washington Star, Mr.. President.
Is a request now that there be
printed in the Record compila-