Evening star., 1953-12-01
Democrats Charge
BroWneII Refused
Aid in Racket Case

General Brownell multiplied to-
day as Democrats stepped up
attacks on the way he is ad-
ministering the Justice Depart
ment.
Clayton Fritchey, deputy
chairman of the Democratic Ma
tional Committee, cited the
Justice Departments alleged re-
fusal to help investigate a jury
tampering case in Denver. and
union racketeering in st. Louis
Mr.. Fritchey also cited Re-
publican statements that pres
sure from higher up was being
exerted to stall a House investi-
cation of New York racketeer-
ing.
The Justice Department
planned eventually to tell its side
of the story. but in the mean
while left the incidents for Con-
gressional investigators to handle.
Reports Tax Service Aid.
Mr.. Fritchey, appearing on the
Mutual Broadcasting Systems
Reporters Roundup" last night,
said Federal Judge George H.
Moore in st. Louis asked-and
failed-to get help in the union
racketeering case, but did get
help from the Internal Revenue
Service.
He said Austin P. Leland, fore
man of a grand jury which, in
dicted Is labor union leaders,
personally wrote to Brownell
that the jurors felt let down at
the way their intensive investi-
cation had fizzled" Mr.. Frit-
chey said Judge Moore him
self had asked Brownell to give
UNITED States Attorney Harry
Richards more help and more
support" Mr.. Fritchey added
that so far as he could learn,
the appeal had gone unheeded.
Mr.. Fritchey also renewed his
criticism of Mr.. Brownell for dis
missing Charles Vigil, the Demo-
cratic-appointed United States
Attorney in Denver, and appar-
emily refusing his request for
FBI aid in investigating a jury
tampering case. Mr.. Vigil later
successfully prosecuted the case
with the help of Treasury agents.
Mr.. Brownell's action in the
two cases, Mr.. Fritchey said, was
mot consistent with the cru
sading promises of the Attorney
General.
Detroit Case Cited.
In an attack on a third 'front.',
Mr.. Fritchey cited statements of
Representatives Clare Hoffman
of Michigan and Wint Smith of
Kansas, both Republicans. that |
pressure had been exerted from
higher up to stall a House in
VeStigation of racketeering in
Detroit.
Mr.. Fritchey said Mr.. Hoffman |
had complained that terrific |
pressure" was being exerted. He |
quoted Mr.. Smith as saying that
1.-The pressure comes from way
up there and I just can't talk
about it any more specifically
than that"
Mr. Fritchey said:
1T seems to me these are
pretty serious charges for Re-
publican Congressman to be
making against the Republican
administration. Maybe it's time
we found out what they are
talking about"
Mr.. Fritchey said he "hates
to think there is any deliberate
pattern" to call off crime-buSt-
ing activities.
But it certainly is disturbing |
to the public and the people
ought to know what it going on"
he declared.
Fresh Pressure" Charges.
Fresh charges of political
"pressure" to end the racketS
investigation came from William
F. McKenna, Los Angeles at
torney who quit as committee
counsel Friday.
Mr.. McKenna, who resigned
after hearing in Detroit on the
AFL TeamSterS Union, said the
House Operations subcommittee
began a probe of racketeering
last spring. 1t held hearings in
Kansas City and Detroit out had
barely skinned the surface in
those cities, he said.
The investigators made 1t
their business to stay out of pol
itics, Mr. McKenna declared,
but I'VE would, however, have
been deaf, dumb and blind in
vestigators to be obliviouS to the
preSSureS eXerted by certain
powerful lobbies to stop the in
quiry into racketeering."
He said both Mr.. Hoffman and
Mr.. Smith tried to conduct anti
racketeering hearings, but lin
formation came to us in words
we could not misunderstood of
an intention on the part of a
higher authority that we not go
so deeply into the Detroit situa-
ton that our hearings would
result in subsequent criminal
prosecutions"
Convinced About Charges.
Mr.. Smith, the subcommittee
chairman, said at his home in
Mankato, Kans., that -The be-
lieved Mr.. McKenna was right
about political pressure to have
the hearings stopped.
"No pressure ever was put on
me as an individual" Mr.. Smith
added. THE pressure was high
er up.
when the investigators went
around to talk to people in their
Investigations they would be told
that these people would not talk
because nothing would be done
about it anyway
The Senate Judiciary Com