Evening star., 1952-12-01
Dovid LoWrence:
Nixon's Tax Returns Are 'CIeon'
Figures Check With Those in His Speech He Could Collect
Plenty Of Money in Libel Suits but He Won't File Any

iSiN% ~ "AOilS lSy
Richard M. Nixon. Vice Presi-
dent-e elect, could make a lot Of
money in the next four years.
He could make speeches for big
fees just as Vice President Bark
ley has done. But the man who
ran on the ticket with Gen.
Eisenhower has decided that he
never will accept any honorar-
ium for speech-making while he
is Vice President and he has
already Cancelled engagements
for next winter which were made
before he was nominated.
Mr.. Nixon also could collect a
good deal of money from libel
suits. For no man was so clearly
libeled as he was during the re-
cent campaign by those who
publicly questioned his financial
integrity and his honesty.
The Vice President-elect, how
ever, has determined not to en-
gage in libel suits, for he be-
lieves in the widest kind Of ex-
preston during a political cam
paign. though there are still two
or three fragrant cases Of dam
age done him which are under
consideration by his attorneys
and may have to be brought to
trial.
It took real courage for Sen
ator Nixon to "cloSe the book"
the day after he appeared on
television and to refuse to en-
gage in debate with those who
were trying maliciously to draw
him into a continuous discus
sion OF his personal affairs. But
he came to the conclusion that
the main purpose of the opposi-
ton was to keep alive the issue
OF the special fund" and thus
divert attention from the main
Issues Of the campaign.
Pointing out to the Vice Presi-
dent-elect, however, that there
were many people who actually
believed some of the dispatches
about him published in reputable
newspapers and who have con-
Sequently formed an erroneous
impression of him, this corre-
spondent prevailed on the Sen
ator to permit an examinat ton.
OF all his income-tax returns of
the last several years, especially
since it was charged that Gov.
Stevenson did make public all
his income-tax returns. Senator
Sparkman. Democratic candi-
date for the vice presidency, did
not make public his income-tax
returns. but gave q summary of
the essential facts to a New
York Times correspondent.
This writer now has carefully
examined every item in the in
come-tax returns of Senator
Nixon for the last five years
beginning with the calendar
year 1947. which was the first
year he paid income taxes after
his return from war service.
It is possible now to disclose
that agents Of the Bureau of
Internal Revenue assigned to
examine these same returns did
SO during the campaign, and
reported to an attorney in the
Justice Department a week or
so before the election that there
wasn't q thing wrong with
them. There were no sources
of income other than those cited
In Senator Nixon's radio-tele-
vision speech. If there had been,
the Democratic administration
which has regularly leaked out
confidential or "top secret" in
formation to the press when it
suited its purpose would have
leaked out the damaging facts.
This correspondent is able,
after an examination Of Senator
Nixon's income-tax returns, to
make the following categorical
statements:
First. the only income was
from Senator Nixon's salary in
Congress, interest on Govern
ment bonds, fees for public
speaking and the proceeds of
some legal work done before he
came to Congress-.
Second, in every year. begin
ming In 1947, Senator Nixon
paid out Of his own pocket