Evening star., 1953-07-26

'tS bAVuSS Su-SNIuSI ISOu fNSObVIlISS SOi
distributed to private individuals
despite these facts
Il. It contained misleading or
untrue statements that linked him
with communism, and
2. He had never been given a
chance to refute the charges, or
even been told about their details.
(Under committee rules the
public files" containing news
paper clippings, letterheads and
so forth, can be summarized for
any Congressman who requests
them. Congressman pass the
summaries on to constituents. Net
result is that any person who
wants to take the trouble can get
the public file of any one of the
quarter Of million persons who,
according to committee Staffer,
have their names in the fileS.)
The bishop asked that all the
files be purged of unverifled ma
terial and that their free circula-
ton be stopped.
Good information, Too?
He asked also that the files, if
they had to be kept, include COM
plimentary information pertinent
to the inquiry into communism.
His own file contained nothing but
derogatory information plus rare
item of mitigation related to one
of the allegations of procom-
muniSm.
CThe committee claims it merely
files what comes its way or what
can be found in Washington and
New York newspapers. It cannot
help it, the committee maintains.
II the bishops file makes unpleas-
ant reading. But the committee
did not place in the Oman public
file stories carried in The Star in
the past five years which carried
such headlines as these: "Protes-
tants and Catholics Urged by OK
nam to Fight Reds Jointly; Dem
ocratic U. S. Won't Go Communist.
Oman Says; Bishop Oman Ap-
pealS for More Democracy to End
Red Threat; Bishop Oman Says
Lurid Films Help Reds; Soviet
Aide Hears Bishop Oman Blast
Reds and Probe.")
The Public File
The bulk of the hearing was de-
voted to an examination of the
40-odd items in the Oman public
and confidential files.
The questioning took this line:
Committee Counsel Robert L. Kun
zig would describe an organization
that had, perhaps, carried the
bishops name on a letterhead and
would ask Bishop Oman to ex-
plain the association. The bishop
would either deny categorically
any association or would explain
it, using an apparently complete
file of personal documents to sub
Stantiate his statement.
The committee counsel then
would go on to read into the record
the numerous citations of the
group as a Communist 'front.'
whether or not the bishop said he
had any connection with it. In
no case in which Bishop Oman
denied association did the COM
mittee indicate in any way that it
had evidence to the contrary.
In all, IS organizations were
mentioned. The bishop denied
association with six and conceded
some sort of connection with nine.
In no instance had he remained
member after the group in ques-
ton had been cited as a Com
munist front by the Attorney
General. In most cases he had
resigned with a sharp letter of
protest after he discovered the
nature of the group.
Most of the other exhibits were
newspaper clippings quoting Jim
as saying something favorable to
the Reds or speaking at a Com
munist-sponsored rally. He denied
the quotations and the speeches or
insisted on their innocent nature.
The Evidence
At the end of the day the most
damaging evidence-if it was evi-
dence-againSt the bishop seemed
to be in these items:
He had lent mis- name to a mag
azine called The Protestant which