Evening star., 1953-11-19
The Political Mill
Reds Will Be an Issue
In Campaign Next Year
Whether President Likes
1t or No, 1t Won't Down
By Gould Lincoln

u VI no " won DOWn
BY Gould Lincoln
For some time it has appeared that
the Red" issue would play it's part in
the political campaign of 1854. Not
withStanding President EiSenhower's
expressed hope that disputes over Com
muniStS and Communist Sympathizers
in Government will be only a memory
by election time next year, there seems
little chance of eliminating that issue.
In the first place, the Democrats, in
cluding former President Truman, ap-
pear intent upon making Mccarthy
lSm"-tied in closely with Communist
lnf1ltration into the Government during
the Truman administration and earlier
AN issue. In the second place, the
testimony OF Attorney General Brownell
and j. Edgar Hoover, head of the FBI,
in the Harry Dexter White case has
nailed down conclusively the charge
that there was laxity on the part of the
truman administration in dealing with
Communist infiltration. The same tes-
tlmony made it evident that reports
OF the FBI. an agency of the Govern
ment devoted to securing the country
against SubverSives and Communist
spies, were given Scant attention at the
White House for months.
Gen. Eisenhower has disassociated
himself emphatically from any move to
make the White case a political issue
the charge leveled by Mr.. Truman.
Democratic National Chairman Mitch
ell and other leaders among the Demo-
Gratis as the impelling reason for At
t0rnNV (Tnnaro1
speech bringing up the White case. The
attempt was made to link the Presi-
dent with a political drive. Gen. Eisen-
mower clearly wasn't buying that one.
Republican Tack.
The Republicans, however, have been
at great pains to show to the country
the softness on the part of the Truman
ana Roosevelt administrations in deal
Ing with the Reds and with Communist
Sympathlzers. The investigations con-
Quoted by the Jenner Senate commit
Tee dealing with SubverSives. by the
Un-Amerlcan Activities Committee of
the House, and the Mccarthy Senate
committee, and finally the expose of
the White case are all parts of that
effort. Having established what thev
consider conclusive proof of their
charges against the Democrats. thew
are not likely to relinquish the issue.
How deeply the issue will cut remains
to be seen. One thing the Republicans
Will seek to show is a wide difference
between the Eisenhower administra-
lions handling of charges of Commu-
mist lntlltration into the Government
and that OF the Truman administration.
The President himself, in his answers
at MS press conference to questions
ABOUT the Red issue, said that he hoped
his cleanup of Washington will elm
mate the Communist issue and wine
out suspicion of the American people
that their Government is weak in
handling Reds.
Attorney General BrownelI and Mr..
Hoover, in their testimony before the
Jenner committee, took the starch out
OF Mr.. Truman's charges that his low
atty had been impugned by Mr.. Brow
nell, that Mr.. Brownell had lied" and
that the course he had followed IN
allowing White to remain in important
Government positions had been in the
interest of national security. Mr.. Brow
nell showed that the former President
had known about the report of the
espionage activities when ne gave
White his commission as United States
director OF the international Monetary
Fund. In fact, Mr.. Truman had already
established that fact in his broadcast
aooress on the White case. Mr.. Hoover
made it plain the FBI had never agreed
to any plan to keep White in office.
He said, too, that keeping White in
his new Office for more than a year
had hampered the FBI in it's surveil-
lance OF White, not helped And Mr..
Hoover said distinctly that the late
Chief Justice Vinson-then Secretary
OF the Treasury-had been against the
retention of White in Office.
Truman Accusation.
Mr.. Truman had made an accusa-
ton against Mr.. Brownell that he,
BroWnell, was questioning also the
loyalty of the late Chief Justice when
he said in his Chicago speech that
White was appointed to high Office by
men who knew White was engaged in
spying for the Russians.
Mr.. Truman had raised the point
that White. when brought before a
grand jury which indicted leading Com
muniSts in this country, was not in
dicted - an excuse for not dealing
drastically with White at the time of
his appointment to the international
fund agency Mr.. Brownell pointed out
that much of the FBI's information
showing Whites activities had been OBJ
tanned through overlapping and was
not admissible as evidence because of
existing law. Mr.. Hoover, for his part,
declared that indictment was not nee
essary to bring about the rejection
of Government official suspected of
disloyalty.
The investigation of the White case
is not yet at an end Further, the cases
OF other men said to have belonged to
the same spy ring are to be inquired
into. 1t will be strange. indeed, there