Evening star., 1952-07-06
Mccarthy Employing
BIackmaiI Tactics,
Benton S New Charge
DY the Associofed Press


Senator Benton, Democrat. OF
Connecticut, accused Senator Nc
Carthy. Republican, of Wisconsin
in the Senate last night of BLACK
mail" tactics and representing
"the spirit Of facism."
His charge, voiced in a running
debate, drew a retort from Senator
Mccarthy that ''the Senator
from Connecticut is concerned
about free speech, whether it is
Communist or not"
Senator Lehman, Democrat
Liberal, Of New York, got into the
debate with an accusation that
Senator McCarthy'S alleged fight
against communism has stim-
ulated communism, in my opin-
ion.
The exchange started when
Senator Benton told the Senate
Il do not apologize in any way
for a recent speech in which he
had termed Senator Mccarthy
and five other Republican Sena-
tors the terrible sextet."
A few minutes later Senator
Mccarthy got the floor, and in
troduced a bill to ban interstate
shipment of educational films on
which scrip writer's with records
of Communist-front activities
were employed. 1t would forbid
the State Department to purchase
such films.
Sees Freedom Attacked.
Senator Benton promptly as
sailed the bill as an attack on free
dom of the press and freedom ID
speech, and accused Senator Nc
Carthy of trying to "blackmair
newspapers which oppose him BY
threatening their advertisers.
"The tactics are blackmai
against our media of communica-
tions," Senator Benton said. He
said the Senate was witnessing "a
new form Of direct blackmail and
intimidation in the greatest delib-
crate body in the world. !" g.
The blow-off came after Sena-
tor Benton in his original speech
had told the Senate II am not
engaged in any quarrel with Sen
ator Mccarthy, despite the reSo-
luton he is pressing which seeks
Senator McCarthy's expulsion from
the Senate. >
Senator Mccarthy in, a counter
resolution has demanded a SEN
ate investigation of Senator Ben
ton.
Senator Mccarthy told the Sen
ate his bill stemmed from ran
dom check of II script writer's fol
educational films and discovery
that eight of them had a fan
tastic record of Communist activ-
tiles"
Mccarthy Repeats Charge.
He reiterated a statement hi
had given the Senate Election.
Subcommittee Thursday that al
eight had worked for Encyclopedias
Britannica Films, Inc, of which
Senator Benton is chairman q!
tie board.
Senator Mccarthy filed in the
Congressional Record what he sale
was the Communist front recorc
Of one Of the eight writer's, Prof
Robert S. Lynd of Columbia Uni
versity. He said it included 2:
citations from the files of TIT
House sUn-American Activities
Committee.
Senator Benton retorted tha'
the films on which Prof. Lyme
and the other seven writer!
worked all were acquired when HI
purchased the film company from
Western Electric Corp. He sale
Prof. Lynd as a member o1
Columbias faculty had worked fol
Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower. Ther
Senator Benton asked sarcastic.
ally whether Senator Mccarthy
meant that Western Electric, the
American Telegraph & Telephone
Co., its parent, and Gen. Eisen-
hover constituted a nest of Com.
muniStS.
Senator Mccarthy at one point
asked whether "the Senator i.
either so stupid he doesn't know
how communism works" Of
whether his stand was worse"
Benton Charges Perjury.
Senator Benton. in a letter
made public earlier. said "the
Attorney General will find count.
less instances which can only bt
called perjury in Senator Nc
Carthy's testimony" before ths
elections subcommittee.
simultaneously. Senator Welker
Republican, of Idaho, told a re.
porter II am insisting that thi.
subcommittee subpoena Senator
Benton's Office records and income
tax reports for a period OF years.
The case is In the hands Of {
subcommittee headed by Senator
Gillette, Democrat. Of Iowa, which
after months of investigation, hac
both men in Thursday for direc
testimony. The subcommittee j!
composed of three Democrats anc