Evening star., 1953-08-25
Committee Headed
By y0'Conor Asks Ban
On Reds as Lawyers
By the Associated Press


munist should be permitted to
be a lawyer in the United States,
an American Bar Association
committee said today.
The ABA Committee on Com
munist Tactics, Strategy and OBJ
jectives, headed by Herbert r.
O'Conor of Baltimore, former
Democratic Senator from Mary
land, filed a resolution with the
ABA House of Delegates recon-
mending that both the United
States Attorney General and
State authorities with jurisdic-
ton be asked to act against
lawyers who are Reds.
The O'Conor committee, which
now consists of five members,
also asked the ABA to double the
committees strength and to au-
thorize it to work with dis
ciplinary agencies.
Called Violation of Oath.
The committees resolution
which will be acted on later in
the week said that it has been
thoroughly established that
communism aims to over
throw the Government of this
country by force and vio-
lence and that Communist ac-
tivities in this country are domi-
mated and dictated by foreign
power"
The resolution says that
membership in or adherence
to the Communist Party" by a
lawyer is inconsistent with and
violates his fundamental oath of
Office"
In an accompanying statement
the committee said that "a feel
ing has existed" that some of the
witnesses who refuse to testify
under the Fifth Amendment
when called before congressional
committees did so on the advice
of attorneys "Who were more
concerned with aiding the Com
muniSt Party than protecting
the basic personal interest of
the witness"
Kefauver Is Speaker.
In a prepared address before
the ABA, Senator Kefauver as
sailed unnecessary hampering of
congressional committees by i'm
munity claims under the fifth
amendment.
But he said some committee
chairmen and members shame
fully" use their committees and
said he would renew efforts to
safeguard individual rights
against reputation injury.
And he said congressional
committees should withhold any
sensational disclosure" until it
has given the executive depart
ment time to deal with the situ-
alton.
AS for the "unjustifed reli-
ance" of some witnesses upon
the self-incrimination clause Of
the fifth amendment, Senator
Kefauver said some compromise
Is necessary"
The former head of the Sem
ate Crime Committee said the
fifth amendment is being put
to some uses which were never
intended.
Blasts at Lawyers.
Arthur j. Freund, St. Louis at
torney, in a prepared report to
the section of criminal law of tfrS
ABA, said that in many parts of
the Nation law enforcement has
broken down and the blame
usually lies with some lawyer.
Mr.. Freund. retiring head of
the criminal law section, cited as
an important challenge to the
Nation the existence of open
law violations. control Of public
officials by gangsters, racketeers
and members of the underworld.
wherever open and notorious
law violations flourish in the
form of gambling resorts, slot
machines and other forms of
public flouting of the gambling
and vice laws" Mr.. Freund said,
some of the bar has usually
failed to perform his duty.
1T is either the local prose-
cutor or the judge or both who
is derelict, for with Jealous and
honest officials such conditions
cannot long continue to exist"
Philip Graham Speaks.
Philip Graham, publisher of
the Washington Post, told a
luncheon meeting of the asso-
citation that Western unity i.
needs an adequately up-to-
date economic policy"
Our view of world trade and
commerce is still in large degree
a hodge podge Of Smoot- -Hawley
isolationism. as ameliorated by
Secretary Hulls devotion to re-
ciprocal treaties, as diluted by
congressional reactions to special
interests" Mr.. Graham said.
Even though it is not cure
ALL" he said, "a program of
working toward the reduction of