Evening star., 1953-10-18
Subversives


WISCONsIN'S SENATOR Nc
W Carthy arranged q perfect
set-up for himself last week: A
hearing called by Mccarthy, closed
to the public by Mccarthy, re-
ported to the press by Mccarthy.
His story, confirmed in general
outline by the Army, was lurid and
disturbing enough to set many a
citizen wondering if there is to
be no end to the sickening parade
OF Americans betraying America.
If the Senator's reports to the
press were accurate, he was ap-
parently bringing finally into the
open the details of the spy ring
headed by julius and Ethel Rosen-
berg, the convicted atom spies,
who went to the Sing Sing electric
chair for treason last June 10. The
RoSenbergs never talked during
their months of Imprisonment;
repeatedly they spurned Govern
ment hints of leniency if they
would confess and implicate fell
low-members of their group.
Now the Wisconsin Senator,
picking up the thread of an in
vestigation begun-but not COM
pleted-by the Army Signal Corps
a year ago, was rounding out a
picture of deliberate betrayal CEN
tering in the Army's Signal Corps
radar laboratories at Fort Mon
mouth, N j. The revelations were
sufficiently serious to prompt the
New York State civil defense di-
rector, 1t. Gen. Clarence r. Hueb-
ner, to comment that I'VE may find
ourselves with a radar net that
doesn't work" as the result of the
spy rings activities.
Link to Rosenberg
According to Senator Mccarthy,
evidence from a steady stream Of
witnesses at the hearing indicated
that julius Rosenberg MASTER
minded a group at Fort Mon
mouth during and after the war
whose remnants may still be in
operation" Apparently as the re-
suit of their activities, a highly
secret Signal Corps film on the
work of the Atomic Energy Com
mission turned up in Communist
East Germany where it was seen
by refugee East German Scien-
tist who fled to the allies in 1852.
The scientist also repeatedly told
Army intelligence officers that he
saw microfilms of secret radar
documents from the Fort Mon
mouth laboratories.
Another witness, Mccarthy said,
testified that Rosenberg and Mar
tin Sobell, another member of the
spy ring now doing 80 years on
Alcatraz, recruited him into the
Communist Party in 1943. He said
he remained until 1948 but refused
frequent requests from Rosenberg
that he join the spy ring and re-
cruit young radar engineers and
technicians to help in espionage.
Still another witness, described by
Mccarthy as a "top scientist" tes-
titled that the Army raided his
home in october, 1946, and seized
43 secret documents he had taken
from the Evans Laboratory at Fort
Monmouth. The witness said it
was common practice" for en-
ployes to take documents home
"for study" One witness, the
Senator said, "broke down" and
agreed to "tell all" after earlier
giving false testimony.
Lowton's Reaction
To these revelations the Defense
Departments reaction was one of
mixed skepticism and concern.
Maj. Gen. Kirke B. Lawton, COM
mander of the Eastern Signal
Corps School at Monmouth, first
said he doubted that any acts Of
espionage had been committed at
the base, then fastened to add
that my mind is open because
such people are clever in their op-
erations" Army Secretary Ste
vens hurried to the hearings, held
in New York City, sat in for two
days as an observer, then flew
back to Washington. In the wake
of his visit, 10 employees at Fort
Monmouth were suspended.
AS the 1irst group Of hearings
ended, the Senator from wiscon.
Continued on Page A-2o.)