Evening star., 1953-11-14
The Political Mill
Truman and BrowneII
Testimony Is Needed
When All Sides Are Told,
Responsibility Can Be Fixed
By Gould Lincoln

sI SNH SS ASO
By Gould Lincoln
No one in his senses believes that
former President Harry S. Truman
wanted to aid Russian espionage In this
country. And no one in his senses be-
HeveS that former President Herbert
Hoover wanted or abetted the depres-
sion Of 1929 and the early 3Os. Dem
ocratS, however, have charged for years
that Mr.. Hoover and the Republicans
were responsible for the depression, and
that they did nothing to prevent it.
Now the Republicans are charging
that responsibility for widespread So
Wet espionage and it's successes in this
country rests Squarely on Mr.. Truman
and his Democratic administration.
Their most recent attack is the state
ment by Attorney General Brownell
that the late Harry Dexter White was
appointed to high Office by Mr.. Tru-
man after FBI reports had been sent
to the White House pfcturing White as
Russian spy.
The Democrats object violently to
being saddled with this responsibility.
They were in Office, however, when
in big way, including the theft of
A-bomb data. They were in office when
Russian communism was expanding in
Europe, eating up country after coun-
try. They were in Office when the Rus
sian Communists made their first and
biggest gain in Asia, and China fell
into Red hands. During the last few
years secrets of the Communist espio-
af -
into the Government of the United
States itself have gradually come to
light, through congressional investiga-
ton and through action in the courts.
The American people have reacted
and many Democrats who were in Office
are now out, and in a considerable
number of cases the telling issue was
laxity on the part of the Democratic
administration toward the Reds.
Number of Questions.
Thrown into the Harry Dexter White
case have been number of collateral
questions. One of these is the right
and propriety of subpoena for the ap-
pearance OF former President of the
United States before a congressional
committee. When Chairman Velde of
the House Un-American Activities
Committee sent a subpoena to Mr..
Truman to come before his committee
and testify regarding White, there was
a feeling of revulSion, suspicion that
the congressional committee chairman
was seeking to stage a political circus,
and the public reaction was bad. Presi-
dent Eisenhower, at his press confer
ence, declared that he personally would
not have sent subpoena to the for
mer President, and he added that he
did not believe Mr.. Truman, as Presi-
dent, would have appointed knowingly
a Communist spy to high Office. His
statement cleared the air. At the same
time it brought the issue-whether the
Truman administration had been lax in
dealing with Reds and fellow travellers
right back into the open. And there
it rests. Mr.. Truman, on constitutional
grounds, declined to go before the
House Un-American Activities Com
mittee to discuss any of his acts or
those of his subordinates while he was
President. That, however, does not
dispose of the right of the American
people to know all the facts or his duty
to give them. He has already said he
will speak in his own good time.
Vaughan Testimony.
So far, it has been developed that two
FBI reports dealing with White did go
to the White House. Brig. Gen. Harry
H. Vaughan, White House aide to Mr..
Truman, appearing before the Senate
Jenner subcommittee, testified that he
did not dispute Attorney General Brow
nell's statement that FBI reports on
White were sent to him for transmits
sion to President Truman. He added,
however, he, Vaughan, did not re-
member them. The statement made by
Gov. Brynes of South Carolina that he
Truman at the time Whites appoint
ment was taken up for confirmation
by the Senate shows that the reports
were called to Mr.. Truman's attention.
Whether Mr.. Truman had read the re-
ports is still to be disclosed.
Mr. Brownell is to appear before the
Jenner committee Tuesday His teSti-
mony is expected to shed new light on
the White case, and perhaps on the
whole question of internal security
under the Truman administration, and
that of his predecessor in the White
House. Also Associate Justice Clark, At
torney General in the Truman ad-
ministration. has agreed to answer
questions sent to him in writing by
the Un-American Activities Committee,
although he refused to come before the
committee under subpoena issued by
that committee. And after Mr.. Tru-
man himself has spoken-aS he is eX-
pected to do-the public should be able
to make up it's mind where the re-
sponsibility lies.