Evening star., 1952-12-28
Justice Prober
Summons
For Tom Clark
House Report Charges
Ex-Attorney General
With Interference
BY the Assoeioted Press

should be summoned before a
Chelf Group Sets Hearings on U. N.
Grond Jury Charges. Pose Az
House subcommittee which issued
a report yesterday criticizing him
for what it called an apparent
gross departure from the usual
channels of authority while he
was Attorney General. Justice
Clark entered the Justice Depart
ment in 1887. became Attorney
General in 1945 and was appointed
to the Supreme Court in 1949.
MANY people in Washington
regard Mr.. Clark as some type Of
sacred COW because he is justice
of the Supreme Court" Mr.. Hill
ings said. II do not share this
opinion
"A Supreme Court justice
should not cling to the sanctity Of
his ivory tower and deprive con-
gressional committees of the OPP
portunity to obtain necessary in
formation"
Clark interference" Charged.
Mr.. Killings is a lawyer. He
also is one of the three Republi-
can members of the seven-man
Judiciary subcommittee which has
been investigating the Justice De-
partment for months.
In a report released few hours
before Mr.. Killings statement.
the subcommitte said Mr.. Clark
"interfered with the routine func-
tioning" of the department in the
Kansas City vote fraud case"
The Subcommittee also chided
Mr.. Clark .as we'll as former At
torney General j. Howard Nc
Grath and Peyton Ford. who was
Mr.. Clark's deputy. for what it
called an indifferent attitude
Mr.. Killings declared the SUBJ
committees report shows the
need for full inquiry into the
administration of the Department
of Justice during his (Mr. Clark's)
tenure as Attorney General and
during the time he occupied SUBJ
ordinate positions.
Investigation Called Incomplete.
Il feel that no investigation Of
the Department of Justice can be
complete without such an inquiry"
Mr.. Killings added. "Mr. Clark
should be summoned before the
subcommittee to answer the ques-
tions which nave been raised by
the committee report and the COM
plants the subcommittee has re-
ceived from time to time bearing
on his operation of the office of
Attorney General"
There was SINE talk among SUBJ
committee members last October
of inviting Mr.. Clark to appear
before the group, but nothing ever
came of it.
Mr.. Clark himself has taken
no public cognizance of the in
vestigation.
In yesterdays report, the House
group concerned itself mainly with
T. Lamar Caudle, the former
Attorney General who
was fired by Mr.. Truman in Nov
ember, 1851. for outside activi-
ties"
With one dissent, the seven
man subcommittee report termed
Mr.. Caudle IAN honorably mott
vated" but weak" official who
was unfairly used as a public
sacrifice to divert attention from
the shameful weaknesses that
were being exposed throughout
the Treasury and Justice Depart
ments."
One Member Hits Caudle.
The dissenter was Representa-
tive Rogers. Democrat, of Colo
RADIO, who said in statement that
Mr.. Caudle had violated a public
trust" and suggested that his tes-
timony before the subcommittee
be referred to Attorney General
for action"
The subcommittee. headed by
Representatives Chelf. Democrat.
of Kentucky, and Heating, Re-
publican, of New York, reported
that while Justice Clark was At
torney General he intervened in
the Kansas City vote fraud case.
This case stemmed from the
1916 Democratic primary election
in which Enos Axtell. with the
of President Truman. de-
feateo Representative Roger
for denomination.
Impounded ballots and other
documents later were stolen from
the courthouse after the Kansas
City Star. in a series of articles.
had charged irregularities in the
voting.
Mr., Clark's action in taking the
case out Of Mr.. Caudle's hands
and turning it over to his deputy,
Mr.. Ford, the subcommittee said.