Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1953-07-18
Naval Workers Told
Of Security Peril in
Consumer Magazine

Employees at the Naval Ord
nance Laboratory have been put
on notice that their security
status may be suspect If they
subscribe to the magazine Con-
sumner Reports.
A bulletin has been distributed
to the laboratory personnel
which states that the Consumers
Union, publisher Of the mag
azine, has been cited as a Com
munist-front organization by the
House Committee on Un-Amer-
lean Activities.
Paul j. Kern, New York attor-
ney, a member of the board of
Consumers Union, characterized
as a damned lie" any suggestion
that the board ever had Com
muniSt leanings. He said, rather,
the members are a group OF
do-gooders."
Attorney Retained.
Mr.. Kern said a Washington
attorney has been retained to
try to correct the Un-American
Activities Committee listing.
Board members, he said, have
supplied the committee with
statements they are not now nor
have they ever been members of
the Communist Party.
The magazine states it's pur-
poses are Ito provide for con-
sumers' information and counsel
on consumer goods and services
to give information and as
sistance on all matters relating
to the expenditure of. the family
income to initiate and to CO.
operate with individual and
group efforts seeking to create
and maintain decent living
standards"
The current July issue con-
tains reports on tests of Is air
conditioners, 81 brands of wom-
ems nylon hosiery and 40 brands
of sunburn preventiveS. Other
articles are about silver clean
ers and polishers, automobiles,
gardening and athletes foot.
Issued by Officer.
The bulletin issued to the lab
oratory employees was put out by
Comdr. H. c. Wessling, executive
officer.
Comdr. Wessling said the bull
letin was in response to inquiries
about the magazine and the Or
ganization behind it by a num-
Der of employees. He said he re-
Trained from saying anything on
his own. but merely quoted "a
body as responsible as the House
of Representatives"
He said the bulletin quotes
from an Un-American Activities
Committee report of May IA,
1851, citing Consumers Union as
a Communist-front organization
and stating it is headed by the
Communist Arthur Kallet Whose
party name is Edward ADAM I"
He said it Identifies Ben Gold
and Louis Weinstock, both we'll
known Communists, as members
Of the Labor Advisory Committee
of the Consumers Union.
Mr.. Kallet could not be
reached in New York. Mr.. Kern
said Mr.. Kallet had denied to
the board he ever had any con-
nection with Communists. Mr..
Kallet at one time in the late
1930s wrote for q health maya
zine later found to be Commu-
mist and used the pen name Of
Albert Adams, Mr.. Kern said.
Mr.. Kern said the charge in
Comdr. WeSsling's bulletin was
a revival of accusations of 20
years ago. He said the chief
accuser was j. B. Matthews, who
was on a rival magazine when
Consumer Reports was launched,
and who tried to undermine his
competition. Mr.. Matthews, he
said, was on the staff of the
House Committee on Un-Amer-
lean Activities when the first
charges were made.
This is the same Mr.. Matthews
who recently resigned as chief
investigator for Senator Me-
Carthy's investigating committee
as the result of criticism of his
charges that Protestant min
listers formed the largest single
group supporting communism.