Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-03-14
Airwoyes Bottle

Airwoyes Bottle
Not Of the greatest significance.
perhaps, but certainly of immense
interest was the Senator's fight
for free time on the air. This was
an issue the public could get its
teeth into: this was a chance to
tune in the television or radio set
and get some good, fast political
action.
The Battle of the Airwaves be-
gan March 6, when the Democrats
titular leader, Adlai Stevenson,
blasted the Republican Party as
half Eisenhower. half Mccarthy"
Mr.. Stevenson, who had been
dragged over the Goals by the Wis
consin Senator during the 1852
election campaign, got in some
hard ticks about "demagoguery
and deceit" by a "group Of political
plungers" which very definitely,
according to Mr.. Stevenson, in
cluded Senator Mccarthy.
Once before, the Senator had
been castigated by a leading Dem
oerat (former President Truman
last November in connection with
the Harry Dexter White case). On
this occasion, Senator Mccarthy
demanded.-and got--"equal" time
and facilities to answer" the ex-
Presidents charges. Last Sunday,
Senator Mccarthy decided he
would try again. He called on the
National Broadcasting Co. and the
Columbia Broadcasting System to
give him radio and TV time
equivalent to that afforded Mr..
Stevenson.
6. o. ?. Squeeze Play
But before any action could be
taken on his request, the Senator's
own party eliminated him in a
squeeze play. Leonard Hall, chair
man Of the Republican National
Committee, made an identical re-
quest Of the two networks in the
name of the party as a whole. He
got almost instantaneous, and
completely favorable, responses.
To carry the party's answer to
the people, Mr.. Hall designated
not Senator Mccarthy, but Vice
President Nixon. This address was
delivered last evening from 1890
to II o'clock. Details appear in
the news columns of The Star.
Never a man to take no for an
answer, Senator Mccarthy ap-
pealed to the Federal Commune
cations Commission, on which sit
two friends of the Senator. FEC
used one of these friends, Com
missioner Robert E. Lee, as a
mouthpiece to inform Senator
Mccarthy that the networks had
discharged their obligations under
law and policy in making, time
available to the G. o. p.
A Good Question
This decision was ratified the
following day by President Eisen-
hover, who asked of correspond
ents a rhetorical question that
had bothered many persons:
Suppose any one of you would
make a speech, whatever party
you belong to, and mention 20
names on the other side: Now, does
the network have to give 20 differ
ent people the right to get up an
answer, or is 1t party thing?"
Senator Mccarthy made no re-
ply to this question except the re-
ply implicit in his performance.
He announced he would 60 to law
to get his due. This is not a
legal question, In my mlnd, the
Senator told the press, "but a
moral question" The networks
refusal he characterized variously
as completely immoral" dis
honest" unfair" and arrogant. !"
He declared that the networks
will grant me time or learn what
the law Is. I guarantee that"
In the ensuing week, he still did
not receive the free time he was
seeking. But he did appear as
star performer in IS minutes Of
other programming:
. On Tuesday night, Common
tator Edward r. Murrow used his
entire "See It Now television pro-
gram to present Mccarthy docu-
mentary which, to put 1t mildly,
exhibited the Senator in an unfa-
vorable light. To make a bad mat
ter worse from the Mccarthy point
Of view. most Of the derogatory