Evening star., 1954-05-17
President Forbids
Pentagon TO Testify
On Mccarthy Talks
(Continued From First Page.l

Continued From First Page.)
word memorandum from Attor-
ney General Brownell supporting
the position taken.
The letter went beyond the
Justice Department conference
itself and ordered all Defense
and Army witnesses appearing
before the Senate Investigating
subcommittee mot to testify to
any such conversations or COM
munications or to produce any
such documents or reproduc-
tionS."
The President said it was mot
in the public interest" to dis
close such matters and added:
This principle must be main
tanned regardless of who would
be benefited by such disclosures.
Stresses Separation Note.
Gen. Eisenhower said he di-
fected this action Ito maintain
the proper separation of powers
between the Executive and Leg
islative branches of the Gov
ernment." He added that ::this
separation is vital to preclude
the exercise of arbitrary power
by any branch of the Govern
ment."
In line with the Presidents
order. Mr.. Brownell informed
Senator Mundt that it would not
be in the public interest to re-
lease a controversial 2H-page
document or any part of it that
was produced in the hearings re-
Gently by Senator Mccarthy.
The Presidents letter was read
as the 18th day of the public
hearings began before another
packed audience in the Senate
caucus room.
1t Immediately produced a
sharp challenge from Senator
Mcclellan. He said the presiden-
t1al order, if carried out, would
preclude investigating Senators
from determining where final
responsibility lies" in the con-
troversy.
Senator Mccarthy said the
EiSensoWer letter created IAN
unusual and almost unprece-
dented situation"
After the subcommittee al
ready had put off a decision on
the Presidential order until the
afternoon session to enable the
Senators to study the directive
and 4,000-word supporting
memorandum submitted to the
White House by Mr. Brownell,
first Senator Mcclellan and then
Senator Mccarthy brought it up
anew when their turn came for
questioning Mr.. Adams.
Senator Mccarthy said the
Presidential directive produced a
situation whereby 1--WE can only
hear the evidence which might
be damaging" to Roy Cohn, sub
committee counsel, Francis Carr,
staff director and himself as
principals on one side of the con-
troverSy.
Directive to Wilson.
The Chief Executive put his
directive in letter to Secretary
Wilson.
The key paragraph said:
Because it is essential to ef-
f1cient and effective administra-
ton that employees of the execu-
tive branch be in a position to be
completely candid in advising
with each other on official mat
ters, and because it is not in the
public interest that any of their
conversations or communications
or any documents or reproduc-
tions concerning such advice be
disclosed, you will instruct en-
ployeS of your department that
in all of their appearances be-
fore the subcommittee of the
Senate Committee on Govern
ment Operations regarding the
inquiry now before it, they are
not to testify to any such con-
versations or communications or
to produce any such documents
or reproductions.
This principle must be main
tained regardless of who would
be benefited by such disclos-
ures."