Evening star., 1952-12-29
State and Justice Aides Tactics
Indicated Effort to Delay Probe
Of U.N.Reds> Grand Jurors SAY
Congressman
Recommended q
Found Subversive
By Robert K. Walsh

testified before a House Subcom-
mittee today they believed Justice
and State Department officials
tried to hold up a grand jury
report on United States Com
munists in the United Nations by
delay, double-talk and threats.
One of the jury members as
serted that a member of Congress
recommended U. N. employment
of four or five United States citi-
zens later found to have Com
munist affiliations or associations.
The witness was not pressed to
identify the man described as still
holding high elective Office" in
the legislative branch of the Gov
ernment. He added, however, that
the legislator might have unwit-
tingly made the recommendations
Joseph A. Cahill and Charles j.
Harsany, who served on the Fed
eral grand jury that submitted
report December in New York
on subversives in the U. NJ, were
first witnesses before the House
Judiciary subcommittee today.
The subcommittee, as part of its
year-long investigation of the JUS
tice Department, wants to deter
mine whether any Government
agency attempted to delay or stop
the grand jury report.
Both witnesses said they be-
lieved that Adrian S. Fisher, State
Department legal adviser, and
United States Attorney Myles
Lane Of the Southern New York
district, sought at least to delay
presentation of the report.
The Government officials, the
witnesses testified, indicated this
not only Immediately before the
report came out December 2, but
also last October shortly before
the presidential election.
1t was Mr.. Cahil who disclosed
that the jury found evidence that
four or five of the United States
citizens later found to be sub
versives in the U. N. organizations
were originally recommended by
the unidentified member of Con-
gresS.
I'm seeking to find who placed
people in important positions,
Mr.. Cahil said, eve found that
four or five could be traced to the
same resource. Thtat source still
is a Government employe and is
in high elective Office in the
legislative branch. His name has
not been brought out in Senate
committee hearings on this sub
ject. We also traced them from
one department to another in past
years and the hand of the same
individual seemed to be in back OF
the recommendations"
Cohn Cleared of Blame.
Mr.. Cahil also testified that his
suspicious of delaying tactics by
the State and Justice Depart
mentS were first aroused last
summer. He asserted that Roy
Cohn, then an assistant United
States attorney in New York, who
had been working with the grand
jury. was kicked upstairs" and
promoted to the position of an
assistant in the criminal division
OF the Justice Department.
Mr.. Cahil explained that Mr..
Cohn continued to work with the
grand jury, but that the jury from
then on met infrequently and
heard fewer witnesses. He added
that he did not blame Mr.. Cohn
who, he said. had always favored
the presentation of a report.
The gist of the earlier testi-
mony by Mr.. Cahill and Mr.. Har-
sany was as follows:
When the jury reconvened in
October. although originally noti-
fed to reassemble early in Sep
tember, it decided to submit re-
port dealing with subversives in
the U. N. organization. Mr.. Lane,
when informed OF this, advised
the jury to reconsider the de-
cision because such a move would
have international complications
as we'll as political complications.
Possible Libel Mentioned.
The Jurors told the committee
that they had a definite impress
sion that Mr.. Lane wanted to
brighten us into delay" They
said he mentioned the possibility
of libel suits if they named any,
one without returning indict-
ments.
At the suggestion of Mr.. Lane,
(See JUSTICE, Page A-3O
n