Evening star., 1952-05-05

if he is confirmed as Attorney
General he will fire from the
Department of Justice "any in
competent, disloyal or dishonest
employe no matter who he may
be-"
For more than two hours Judge
McGranery defended his own pub
81 Ship Probe Nomed Morris IA Times.
House Group Is Told. Poee "A
lie career and his ability to re-
store public confidence in admin
iStration of Justice.
WhitewaSh Charge Denied.
Highlights of this first hearing
on his nomination to succeed for
mer Attorney General ]. Howard
McGrath were:
l. He denied he ever tried to
"whitewash'' the Amerasia case,
which involved the finding of
State Department documents in
the Office of the Amerasia maga-
zine in New York.
2. He denied a rumor Chair
man McCarran said has been
Every persistent" in New York
City that since his nomination to
be Attorney General he had in
tervened in a Department of
Justice investigation concerning
Owen baltimore.
8. He refused to express his
opinion on the legality of Presi-
dent Truman's seizure of the steel
mills. This brought from Repub-
licans a statement that they will
insist on finding out whether he
believes a President possesses "in-
herent" powers.
When the committee recessed
until 2 pm. Chairman McCarran
said the hearings would continue
to a conclusion.
Judge McGranery appeared
voluntarily to answer what he de-
scribed as erroneous" charge that
have appeared in print since his
nomination.
Referring first to the Amerasia
case, he said the "whitewash" ac-
cusation is without foundation"
While he was assistant to the
Attorney General in 1945. He
said, he was consulted about the
Amerasia case only once.
Says Role Was Minor.
Judge McGranery testified that
on May %. 1945. James M. Nc
Inerney, an attorney in the Grim
inal Division, called him by tele-
phone to say the Criminal Divi-
sion was ready to present the
Amerasia case to a grand jury.
The judge said Mr.. McInerney was
in doubt as to whether there was
sufficient evidence regarding one
individual in the case to present
to the grand jury.
my clear and unequivocal an
swer was to present all of the
evidence to the grand jury, and
this was my one and only con-
nection with the case" Judge Nc
Granery said.
Senator Smith, Democrat, of
North Carolina, wanted to know
how he could get enough informa-
ton in a two-minute telephone
conversation, to advise the Grim
inal Division how to proceed.
The Judge replied that, "I
couldn't go wrong on the answer
! gave"
Under questioning about the
rumor brought up by Senator Nc
Carran, Judge McGranery was
emphatic in denying that he has
discussed Mr.. baltimore with any,
one in the Department of Justice
since being nominated.
No Reservations on Past.
Senator O'Conor, Democrat, of
Maryland, wanted to know if
there were any reservations at
tached to his leaving a lifetime
job on the Federal bench to take
O cabinet post that may last only
the rest of the year.
Judge McGranery answered, mo
conditions"
Changing the subject, Senator
Ferguson shot this question:
would you rename Newbold
Morris?" Judge McGranery said
that question was put to him by
neWSmen as soon as he was NOM
mated and he answered that he
did not know Mr.. Morris, who was
fired as special cleanup man just
before Mr.. McGrath was relieved
as Attorney General.
Judge McGranery said he does
not know that it is necessary
to appoint any one as a special
prosecutor. He repeated his be-
lief the Attorney General can do
the job with the regular machin-
cry of the department. He was
asked by Senator Watkins, Re-
publican. of Utah. how he would
go about cleaning up the Gov
ernment.
Il would weed out and fire any
incompetent, disloyal or dishonest
employe, no matter who he may
be-"
There were signs that some Sen
ators were about to engage the
nominee in heated arguments over
the steel seizure when the COM
mittee recessed.
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