Evening star., 1953-10-25
VeIde Says Probers
Plan 10 Ask Advice
Of RELIGIOUS Leaders
BY 'he Assoeioted Press

Representative Velde, Repub-
lican of Illinois, said yesterday
his House Un-American Activi-
ties Committee is going to seek
advice from religious groups in
its Investigations of alleged
Communists.
Asserting that the greatest
single force combating commu-
niSm in the United States and
throughout the world" is organ
lied religion, Mr.. Velde said he
believes the committee could
profit greatly from the advice
and counsel" of religious leaders.
In statement, Mr.. Velde said
plans are being made for con-
ferences between the committee,
of which he is chairman, and
spokesmen for such organiza-
tions as the National Council Of
the Churches of Christ in the
U. S. A., the National Catholic
Welfare Conference and the
American Jewish Committee.
Sees Mutual Help.
The purpose, Mr.. Velde said,
Is ito obtain advice and Sugges-
tions which might be offered re-
lating to the work of the COM
mittee.'
He added:
1t would also be possible
through such conferences to
make known to these bodies the
wealth of information which has
been accumulated by the COM
mittee.
Mr.. Velde set off a storm of
controversy last March when he
said some individual Commun-
lists and ex-Communists in the
religious field might be investi-
gated by his group.
Last month Mr.. Velde's COM
mittee released testimony by
Joseph Zack Kornfeder, former
Communist, that 600 or more
American clergymen were secret
members of the Communist
Party. Mr.. Kornfeder said top
Red leaders decided to inject
communism slyly into religion
when they found they couldn't
beat the churches from the out
side.
The committee report brought
a stream of denials from clergy
men named as Communist
agents, dupes or pawns.
The National Council of
Churches accused the committee
of abusing it's investigative pow
ers and violating the American
tradition of fair play in releas-
ing charges against some dead
religious leaders.
Defense From Spellman.
Francis Cardinal Spellman of
New York defended the proceed
ure of congressional committees
investigating communism in a
speech yesterday in Brussels,
Belgium
The Cardinal, en- route back
to this country from Rome, re-
ferred to what he called the hy-
sterical tone of criticism of COM
mittee procedure and said:
No American uncontaminated
by communism has lost his good
name because of congressional
hearings on un-A American activi-
ties. 1t is impossible for me
to understand why any American
should refuse to declare himself
free of Communist affiliation,
unless he has something to
hide"
Mr.. Velde said no dates have
been set for the conferences
with religious leaders, but he
said they would take place "in
the very near future"
Request By Matthews.
Pending before the committee
is a request from j. B. Matthews
for a chance to present exhaus-
tive Recommendation on the Com
munist infiltration of the clergy"
Mr.. Matthews was dropped
from his post as an investigator
for the Senate Investigations
Subcommittee headed by Sena-
tor Mccarthy. Republican. of
Wisconsin, after complaints were
made about a magazine article
in which he said "the largest
single group supporting the
Communist apparatus in the
United States today is composed
of Protestant clergymen."