Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1953-08-13
Mrs. Roosevelt Heads Group on Issues

publicans who have been invited
to participate have not yet seen
At to accept"
WAS former President Tru.
man consulted about the forma.
ton of this committee?" another
reporter wanted to know.
II have no idea," said Mrs.
Roosevelt. IT did not consult
him"
At this point Don Pryor. who
used to be director Of informa-
ton and liaison of the United
Nations Korean Reconstruction
Agency and is now executive di-
rector Of the National Issues
Committee, broke in.
THE answer" he said tersely,
lis no."
Not Speaking Of Mccarthy.
Would your committee take
a position on something like the
statement of j. B. Matthews
about Communists in the Profess
tant clergy?" q reporter asked.
Mrs. Roosevelt smiled.
II am not prepared at the
present moment to give an an
swer on what our attitude would
be on any Of these issues" she
said.
do you mean Mccarthy"
another reporter asked, hurting
it right out.
II am not prepared at the mo-
ment to enter into any discussion
of any individual" said Mrs.
Roosevelt. Everybody laughed.
Turning to Mrs. Roosevelt's
prepared statement. distributed
to reporters before the confer
ence began, some one wanted to
know what she meant when she
said that her recent trip. around
the world had convinced her
that "our friends throughout the
world are beginning to lose con-
f1dence in America and that we
are in serious danger of suffering
far-reaching reverseS in the
worldwide fight against total.
tarianism and for democracy"
Statement Explained.
This, she explained, meant that
in areas which know commu-
niSm first hand, communism is
no real danger, but in areas
where they don't know 1t first
hand, they do not see Russia as
a menace because they do rot
see Russian armed might but
only see ours, which makes US
seem like the menace. Further
more, you try to tell them theo-
retical Marxism was developed
to explain the industrial revo-
luton in Great Britain, which
is all over, and they say. But
for us the industrial revolution
is just beginning, so why doesn't
it still hold good?"
Some one then wanted to know
If her statement, full Of phrases
like "the much-maligned eco
nomic planners of abundance
seem to have been replaced by
the planners of scarcity" could
be construed as an attack on the
Eisenhower administration.
IF it seems to you to be an
attack on the Eisenhower adj
ministration," Mrs. Roosevelt
said softly, 1T must be because
the issues are not being properly
met"
Trend Started Four Years Ago.
Let me return for just .
moment to this trend" ques-
toner said. when did you begin
to notice it developing?"
II decided last spring, or per-
haps it was last year." Mrs.
Roosevelt said, that there was
an unfavorable trend"
Gould it have been earlier
than that?" the questioner per.
sisted.
II would say" Mr.. Pryor broke
in, that it was four or five years
ago when it began to be i'm
possible to get congressional sup.
port for the kind Of liberal pro-
gram necessary for the country"
I'm the Truman administra-
tion?"
Mrs. Roosevelt nodded.
Eyes, I think So" she said.
THAT was the beginning Of It,"
II notice some very strong rs.
sertions in this prepared state
ment," another reporter said.
IF your research and studies
indicate them to be untrue, do
you intend to say SOP"
IF after thorough study" Mr..
Pryor replied, I'VE feel these
statements are not borne out BY
the facts, we will say So"
"Oh, of course" said Mrs.
Roosevelt.