Evening star., 1953-11-08
Mr.. Truman on Trial

The question which stands out above all
others in the Harry Dexter White business is
simply this: What is one to think of Harry
S. Truman?
This is a question which is loaded with
ugly Implications Nevertheless, it is question
which must be answered if it is humanly
possibly to find the answer.
Some things can be stated with firm
assurance that they facts Attorney Gen
eral BroWnell was right when he said that in
December, 1945, and in February 1916, the FBI
sent reports to the White House identifying
Mr.. White, then Assistant Secretary of the
Treasury, as a spy for the Communists. The
second report at least was read by Tom Clark,
then Attorney General and now a. member of
the Supreme Court. This is vouched for by
T. Lamar Caudle, then Assistant Attorney Gen
eral. Mr. Caudle says he was shocked when he
saw the second report; that he urged Mr.. Clark
to try to stop the promotion of Mr.. White to
q more important post, and that Mr.. Clark
did try but failed.
Mr. BroWnell also said that the reports
were delivered by the FBI to Major General
Harry Vaughan for transmission to the Pres
ident. 1t cannot be stated as fact that Cen
eral Vaughan actually received the reports.
Information reaching The Star strongly indi-
Gates, however that he did receive them.
At this point, the other side of the story
should be considered. General Vaughan says
he has no recollection of receiving the reports.
Mr. Truman hotly denies that he ever saw them.
He says that Mr.. White, about year after being
promoted, was fired" when it was discovered
that he was "wrong"-that is, of doubtful
loyalty. The record on this latter point is fairly
clear. Mr.. White was not fired; he resigned.
And Mr.. Truman at the time wrote him a
warm letter of praise for his services. Mr..
Truman now says the resignation was equiva-
lent to being fired. But if he knew that Mr..
White was wrong" why did he write the letter
of praise?
Mr. Trumans denial that he received the
FBI reports accompanied by a blast at the
Republicans. There is a desperate effort he
said, Ito Offset what happened in New York
and New jersey and they'll stop at nothing,
lies or anything else to accomplish their pur-
pose" In other words, Mr.. Truman was saying
that the Republicans are lying in an effort
to divert attention from their own political
failures.
The political aspect of this statement is
1858 version of Mr.. Truman's 1948 red herring.
Perhaps the Republicans do have some partisan
advantage in mind. But even if that is so, it
is unimportant and irrelevant. The only i'm
portant question is whether the truth is being
told-whether Mr.. Truman knew or did not
know that Mr. White had been branded as a
spy when the President promoted him in 1916.
1t may be of some help in this connection
to go back for a moment to the red herring
of l948 On August of that year Mr.. Truman
said that congressional Investigations of Com
muniSt inftration of his administration
amounted to a "red herring" He denounced
the Investigations as serving no useful pur
poSe," as doing irreparable harm to certain
persons" and as undermining public confidence
in the Government. One of the congressional
committees thus denounced was investigating
the case of Alger Hiss; the other that of
William Remington.
On December 9, 1948-after the election was
over and, significantly, after Whitaker Cham
berS had turned up the highly discriminating
pumpkin papers-Mr. Truman returned to the
attack. The investigating committee, the Pres
ident told his press conference, was only making
headlines. Asked whether in view of the dis
closure of the pumpkin papers, he still con-
sidered the investigation a red herring, Mr..
Truman replied fatty that he did. j
The President, in December, 1948, must
have known better. He must also have known
that the effect of what he was saying was to
discredit the investigating committees and
obStruct their work What his motive may have
been is his own secret. Fortunately, however,
he failed in his effort to obStruct and discredit
the committees. They went on with their work,
many a Communist who had wormed his way
into the Government has been exposed and
driven out
If this seems a harsh commentary on the
former President, it is nevertheless needed as
background for appraising the current contro
VerSy. For Mr. Truman has consistently main
tanned that the detection and exposure of
Communists in the Government is the business
of the FBI, and not the business of congressional
committees. Yet the fact is that the FBI report
which went to the White House in December,
1945-three years before the exposure of Ager
HisS-named a dozen or more Communists in
addition to Mr. White who were buSily at work
for Russia in the Truman administration. In
other words the FBI knew the facts and re-
ported the facts but nothing was done about
them until the congressional committees forced
the President to act
This is why it may be said that Mr.. Truman
is on trial in this matter And this is why 1t
is so important to dig out the facts Did the
two FBI reports get to Mr.. Truman or not? If
they did not, what happened to them after they
reached the White House? Did Attorney Gen
eral Clark try to prevent the confirmation of
Mr. White? If so precisely what did he do.
and to whom did he talk? The fact that he is
now on the Supreme Court is not sufficient
reason for refusing to tell what he Rnows of an