Evening star., 1953-11-12
Case Of Harry Dexter White

Case OF Hurry Dexter White
The Harry Dexter White case stresses
the Importance Of the need for an IRON
clad law that would prevent any public
official. particularly our President, from
taking personal possession of any on
cial documents. communications or COR
respondence upon leaving public Office.
In my opinion, these records are pub
lie property that has an important and
valuable bearing on the security and
general welfare Of our Nation. and at
no time should they be possessed by
private citizens for either sentimental
or pecuniary purposes.
It is the duty of the proper officials
to demand the immediate return of all
this public property.
Furthermore. if any former public
official has the desire to enhance his
personal fortune by writing memoirs,
he should do 1t from memory and not
from the Illegal possession of public
property.
Frank ]. McHale.
In all the argument over what your
November 8 editorial calls "the Harry
Dexter White business" it seems to me
that fundamental issue is being neg
lected, and that Is the question Of the
Attorney Generals procedure in pro-
nouncing Mr.. White guilty Of treason.
Mr.. Brownell has fatty stated that the
late Mr.. White was Russian spy. This
is condemnation by proclamation-the
technique of the totalitarians and COM
pletely contrary to the American con-
cept of justice.
do not know whether Mr.. White was
a Russian spy or not. but do not be-
lieve it right to hold a man guilty be-
ess of law. The case of Mr.. White was
never tried in any court. would de-
fend to the last ditch the American
principle that a person accused Of
crime is entitled to fair trial and is
considered innocent until proven guilty
beyond reasonable doubt. do not see
how our democracy can survive if we
abandon our ideals and fail to keep
faith with our own principles.
Harriet Clark GIadding.
X
The November editorial, "Mr. Tru-
man on Trial." after several pertinent
observations on the controversy be-
tween Attorney General Brownell and
the eX-PreSident over the firing" of
Harry Dexter White, then summarizes:
"The thing to dig for, to repeat, is this;
If Mr.. Truman did not get the FBI re-
ports, who did get them and what was
done with them?"
Mr.. Truman denied that he ever saw
these reports, that it was merely an
other "red herring" by the lying Re
publicans, and said, "As soon as we
found out that White was wrong we
fired him" The Star might well have
propounded several further queries to
be answered by Mr.. Truman. First, Who
is 'we"-or is this the editorial "we"?
If so, apparently Mr.. Truman went
sleuthing, alone and unaided by the
FBI, discovered White was wrong" and
then Summarily fired Mr.. White, with
out opportunity for defense. Just what
facts did Sherlock Truman unearth
which convinced him that his appointee
was a wrong Mr.. White?
M. C. L.
AS an EpiScopalian, a former sap who
called myself a New Dealer. and good
American, I have written and de-
stroyed several letters protesting the
editorial policy Of The Star regarding
Investigations of Communist infiltra-
ton of our Government (also the
slanted reporting of same, burying
them on the obituary page. etc. But
after your editorial, "Mr. Truman on
Trial. can't refrain from saying "con-
gratulations" It was such q welcome
change after all the references to Nc
Carthyism.
Helen C. Cade.
In your ugly and unceasing efforts to
cast discredit on Harry Truman you
often have resorted to dubious and
devious logic. But never before have
you been quite so far afield in your
"hate Truman" campaign as In your
editorial frothingS under the caption,
"Mr. Truman on Trial"
In. this choice exhibit of nasty wool
gathering you assert "Some things can
be stated with firm assurance that they
are facts" Why can they? Because T.
Lamar Caudle, fired by President Tru-
man, confirms them. Considering Mr.
Caudles highly publicized reputation
for veracity and rectitude, aren't you
leaning for confirmation on broken
reed, to coin phrase?
Ev.Tk0npof