Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-09-26
Report on Mccarthy,
Due Tomorrow, Kept
Under Tight Secrecy
By Robert K. Welsh

A special Senate committee,
surrounded by secrecy almost as
tight as the Supreme Courts.
will hand down a unanimous
opinion tomorrow on whether
the facts, the law and congress
sional responsibility call for the
censure of Senator Mccarthy.
The Senate itself will make
the final decision. Senate Secre-
tary j. Mark Trice yesterday
sent kilograms formally notify
ing the So Senators to return
at noon November 8 to consider
the committees report.
The 120-page report Of some
$4,000 words. locked over the
week end in a congressional safe
and equally secure at the Gov
eminent Printing Office, Is ex-
pected to be long on legal in
terpretations, detailed in factual
analysis and definite in conclu-
SionS.
Sets Stage for Vote.
Whether it will make outright
recommendations for or against
censuring the Wisconsin Repub-
lican was still a question. But
all available information indi-
Gated yesterday that it will set
the stage for a clear-cut Senate
vote on censure.
So stringent were the commit
tees precautions against pos
sible leaks before official distri-
button tomorrow morning that
Edward Bennett Williams, at
torney for Senator Mccarthy at
the censure hearings. was re-
fused permission to study the
report a day in advance.
Mr.. Williams said he received
tentative permission earlier last
week from Committee Chairman
Watkins. He said he promised
not to reveal its contents ahead
of time but wanted to be In q
position to comment immedi-
ately after the official release.
Might Be Blamed for Leaks.
Senator Watkins, Mr.. Williams
said, notified him later that an
advance copy would not be pro-
yided. The chairman, according
to Mr.. Williams, said he was con-
fident that neither Senator Nc
Carthy nor Mr.. Williams would
reveal the report but they might
be blamed unjustly If any leak
occurred.
Meanwhile. the three Republic
cans and three Democrats on
the special committee were re-
Taxed if not rested yesterday
mostly far from their closed
offices - following 10 intensive
days in preparing the report
after nine days of public hear
ings.
There seemed little likelihood
they would say much even after
the report comes out. Chairman
Watkins and others described
the report AS being unanimous
and drafted without partisan
ship. It contains no supple
mentary statement by any indi-
vidual member.
Like q Judicial Opinion.
Indications increased yester-
day that the report would re-
semble a judicial opinion as
much as a legislative document.
This would be in line with the
conduct and procedure of the
hearings. It also would conform
to the manner in which much of
the material was offered in the
form Of legal briefs. The COM
mittee repeatedly barred hearsay
testimony or arguments and
evidence it regarded as not
relevant to the censure charges.
The special committee investi-
cation grew out of a resolution
introduced in the Senate by
Senator Flanders, Republican, of
Vermont, to censure Senator
Mccarthy. A total of As specific
but sometimes overlapping
charges were filed by Senators
Flanders, Fulbright, Democrat,
of Arkansas, and Morse, indie
pendent. of Oregon.
Complaints Boiled Down.
The Senate established and
Vice President Nixon appointed
the six-member committee.
The committee discarded 80 of
the complaints and boiled down
the remaining Is into five gen.
eral groups charging:
That Senator Mccarthy Sin
cited" Federal employees to send
him classified or confidential
material even if they violated
their oaths of Office in so doing:
That he made unauthorized
use of a confidential FBI docu-
ment he said he obtained from
an unidentified Army intelligence
officer;
That he abused" his Senate
colleagues. including Senator
Flanders;
That he abused Brig. Gen.
Ralph w. Zwicker, former COM
mander at Camp Kilmer, N. j.,
whose answers or lack of ans
swers angered him at a Senate
Investigations Subcommittee Ses-
sion last February;
That he was in contempt of
the Senate for refusing to appear
before a Senate Elections Sub
committee in 1851 and 1852.
Decision Made by Knowland.
Senator Mccarthy commended,
In general. that he was within
his legal right and senatorial
privileges to act as he did. He
denied he asked Government
employees for classified material.
He said the excerpts from an
FBI document contained no con-
f1dential material.
When the committee finished
the hearings it plunged immedi-
ately into the day and night job
of preparing a report.