Evening star., 1953-11-07
The Political Mil
Wide Rumificutions
Seen on White Issue
Natter Brings President
Into Conflict With Truman
The Political Mil
By Gould Lincoln

By Gould Lincoln
When Attorney General Herbert
Brownell. jr., yesterday opened fire on
the Truman and Roosevelt administra-
tions for laxity in dealing with Com
muniStS in the Federal Government,
using the late Harry Dexter White as
an example, it became apparent (a)
that the Republicans are taking the
offensive and (b) that the Red issue is
still very much in politics. In informed
circles an opinion was expressed that
this lifting of the carpet is only the
first intimation of what will follow;
that the probe of other unsavory in
cidents-not confined to Communist
activities in the Government-will be
continued and that full publicity will
be given.
The "meSs in Washington" was one
of the main issues raised by the Re-
publicans in the 1852 campaign 1t
now appears that it will be made an
issue in the 1854 congressional cam
paigns-and what the Eisenhower adj
ministration has done to improve the
situation. Former President Truman
was quick to comment on the politi-
cal implications of the Brownell speech
delivered in Chicago, in which the At
torney General declared that White,
an Assistant Secretary Of the Treasury,
was Russian spy The former PreSi-
dent said that it was clear the Eisen-
hover administration was desperate"
because of the Republican reversalS in
the recent Wisconsin, New Jersey and
New York elections They will stop
at nothing lies or anything else" Mr..
Truman added, Ito accomplish their
purpose"
BrOwnell's Charge.
Mr.. BroWnell to whom as Attorney
General the files of the FBI are avail
able, made categorical charge that the
agency reported more than once on the
activities of White that after reports
pointing out White was a Communist
spy had been submitted to him, the
then President Truman appointed him
to important Office and permitted the
Senate to confirm him as the executive
director for the United States in the
international Monetary Fund. White
at the time was Assistant Secretary Of
the Treasury.
The former President said that he
didn't know what they're talking
about" but that mo such thing hap
pened" He also said that "As soon as
we found out that White was wrong.
we fired him." 1t was in 1946 that White
was appointed to the International
Fund position. The official record is
that White served a year in that po-
sition and then resigned to return to
private business. Newspaper reports at
l1A SN1aA - @4A
Truman praised White for his work
with the fund In 1948, White died un-
der what have been described as mys-
terious circumstances a week after ap-
pearing before the House Un-American
Activities Committee where he denied
Communist connections.
Wide RamificatiOns Seen.
The ramifications of the Brownell
charge that White, although reported
by the FBI as having Communist con-
nectionS and engaged in spying, was
kept on in important Government posi-
tlonS may be wide. According to Mr..
BroWnell, the report of the FBI on
White was handed to Brig. Gen. Harry
H. Vaughan for transmission to the
President. President Eisenhower him
self has entered the White affair. He
told the Attorney General it was his
duty to report the whole matter to the
American people-and Mr.. Brownell
acted accordingly. 1t brings the PreSi-
dent and his predecessor in direct con-
flict. The White case and the FBI re-
port will be further ventilated when
Gen. Vaughan appears before the Jen-
ner Senate Security Committee next
Thursday.
The Democrats earlier this fall in
dicated that they intended to make
Senator Mccarthy of Wisconsin and
his Investigations of Communist activ-
tiles in the State Department and other
branches of the Government an issue
in the 1854 campaign. "McCarthyism,
they said, was injuring the American
people and the standing of the United
States abroad Adlai Stevenson, the
Democratic standard bearer in 1852, on
his return from trip around the world
last August, in one of his first state
ments to the press, criticized Mccarthy
ism. There were Indications too, that
the Wisconsin Senator and his methods
of investigation, and his investigators,
were to be the subject of major attack
in the congressional campaigns. The
00Adtol' AoWcNeT, has continued MS
activities as chairman of the Senate
investigating committee, and there has
been less said about making him an
issue. Frequently in the past efforts
have been made by New Dealers and
Fair Dealers to obtain from Gen. Eisen-
hover some statement derogatory to
McCarthy-but without success.
Now it appears that the executive
branch Of the Government is going to
step in.