Evening star., 1953-08-26
Resolution ATTACKING
'Bookburning' Voted
By Bar Delegates
BY the Associated Press

BY Bar Delegates
By the Associated Press
BOSTON. Aug. 26.-The House
of Delegates of the American
Bar Association has adopted
resolutions condemning book
burning" and pledging support
for lawyers who, though person.
ally anti Communist, defen d
subversives as matter of public
duty.
Freedom to read" the dele
gates voted, sis a corollary of
the constitutional guarantee of
freedom of the press"
The Bar Associations Com
mittee on Individual Rights,
which drafted the resolution,
said in it's report, however, that
there should be mo doubt that
the Government may properly
restrict the contents of libraries
maintained abroad" and it
added:
There is no good reason why
such libraries should include
propaganda against the United
States"
Rights Of Own People.
But when it come to libraries
at home, the report said: %. E.
we are dealing with a policy in
volving the rights of our own
people and we believe that
truth can be counted upon to
prevail in a free competition of
ideas"
The report prepared by the
Individual Rights Committee
described book burning" as "a
phrase which has come to be
used to describe recent removals
or suppreSsions of books primar-
lily because of the views of their
authors, some of which did not
appear in the books"
On the subject of suppression
within this country" the report
commented that I'VE cannot burn
books at home and object effec-
lively to tyranny over the human
mind by our enemy abroad"
The guarantee of a free press.
the report said, protects the
writer or publisher from inter-
ference, but adds, "it is obvi-
ously not for their benefit alone"
The spirit of the guarantee of
freedom of the press, the report
said, is that "our people should
not be denied the right to read
anything, not obscene or illegal.
which may be published.
The set of resolutions included
one in which the Bar Association
reaffirmS the principle of "the
right Of defendants to the bene-
Mt OF assistance of counsel and
the duty of the bar to provide
such aid. even to the most un-
popular defendant"
The resolution points out that
this involves public acceptance
OF the correlative right of a
lawyer to represent and defend
IN accordance with the standards
OF the legal profession any client
without being penalized by hav-
ing imputed to him his clients
reputation, views or character"
Support Is Pledged.
The resolution also pledges
support against criticism or at
tack for any lawyer in such
cases which he has received in
accordance with the standards
promised to continue to educate
the profession and the public on
the rights and duties of a lawyer
in representing any client.
Last night the Bar Association
heard a charge from Senator
Bricker, Republican, of Ohio,
that American soldiers rights
to justice abroad had been sacri-
feed on the altar of interna-
tion cooperation by the recently
approved NATO status of forces
treaty. He said it would be "dif-
f1cult if not impossible" to pro-
tect servicemen's fundamental
rights under the treaty.
Senator Bricker is the author
of proposed amendment to the
Constitution to restrict the power
of the executive branch of the
Federal Government to nego-
tiate foreign agreements.
Any possibility that ABA's
House of Delegates would back
Senator Bricker's proposal this
year was lost when the Inter-
national Law Section voted Ga
IL, against it.
The action came after a two
hour debate.
Surrender of Jurisdiction.
The Senator said the NATO
treaty Surrenders to the local
courts of NATO countries and
Japan criminal jurisdiction over
non-military offenses of Ameri-
can armed forces personnel, ci-
william components and their de-
pendentS.
1--WE must do our best to pro-
tect them" he said. He advised
judge advocates in all branches
of the armed forces to study
the local laws of those countries,
and also actual practice"
Some constitutions and laws
read beautifully" he said, "but
are given only lip service"
"A Communist judge, or one
who is violently anti-American
cannot be trusted to give an
American boy a fair trial." he
said.
Senator Bricker said there
were mitigating circumstances"
in the negotiation of the NATO
treaty.
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