Evening star., 1954-12-26

Censure Of Mccarthy
Divides Republicans
Right Down the Middle
Developments in the closing month
Of the year seemed to confirm the
belief that 1854 was the year Of the
decline and fall of Joe Mccarthy.
The belief could be wrong for two
reasons: "a Hindsight at such close
range Is frequently inaccurate and
ca the Wisconsin Republican. In
earlier adversities. has shown an
amazing amount Of bounce-to-the-
ounce. But this situation supported
the belief:
Senator Mccarthy was riding
high at the start OF the year. In
February he reached his high point
at the chicken luncheon" But this
estranged the Eisenhower admins
tration. In the televised Army hear
ings his conduct caused a few Of his
followers to falter. He suffered
from the report on those hearings.
which in effect put plague on his
house as well as the Army's. He got
himself involved In censure charges
and lost additional support in the
fall through his intransigence. BY
Thanksgiving, even the Republican
leadership in Wisconsin gave evi-
dence Of being fed UP with him.
In December, the boom fell. BY
record vote of 67-22. plus two pairs
for and against, Senator Mccarthy
stood condemned December 2 for his
conduct toward one committee In
1852 and his comments about an
other committee in 1854. This vote
showed the Republicans to be split
down the middle on the Mccarthy
issue.
The aftermath was typically Nc
Carthy. He showed no remorse, but
castigated the man who had headed
the Censure Committee (Arthur v.
Watkins, Republican, of Utah) and
the President of the United States.
A stanch supporter Of Senator Nc.
Carthy, retired Gen. James A. Van
Fleet, broke with the Wisconsonite.
BY the end Of the year, Senator
McCarthy-now stripped Of his COM
mittee chairmanships as q result Of
the November elections--was defi-
nitely in decline.
Senator Knowland, meanwhile,
widened his split with the White
House over China. A vote by Mr..
Knowland against cersure of Sena-
tor Mccarthy merely emphasized
the breach.
Cose Of Is Flyers
On the foreign front. the case
Of the 13 American flyers held by
the Chinese Communists continued
to gain Importance. The United
States asked the United Nations to
condemn China's action, in holding
IL OF them (the two others being
civilians, were not under u. N.
jurisdiction), and to seek their re.
lease. Over Soviet-bloc protests and
by an overwhelming vote, the U. N.
acceded, and directed Secretary
General Dag Hammarskjold to work
with Peiping on release. Mr.. Ham
marskjold Immediately asked, and
eventually received, an invitation Of
sorts from the Red China govern.
ment.
Plus XII, head of the Roman
Catholic Church. suffered two se-
we're attacks of illness in December.
The 78-year-old Pope had been all
ing for some time; In fact. he had
not been well since February.
Europe
The Western European Union was
not being greeted In the parlia-
ments with the same enthusiasm
that the diplomats had when they
built it. WEU did pass its first read
ing in the German lower house, but
Chancellor Konrad Adenauer knew
he would have more trouble In get
ting final approval next year.
Frances National Assembly was even
less enthusiastic. 1t rejected German
rearmament Friday, 280-259, In o
preliminary vote" Premier Mendes-
France has scheduled confidence
vote on the issue for tomorrow.
Foreign Ministers Of the North
Atlantic Treaty Organization mean-
while agreed that planning for the
defense of Europe would include
atomic weapons, but reserved to
civilians the go-ahead signal for
their use. And in Washington, Sec
retary Dulles expressed the belief
that the atomic bomb could hold
back the Russians on the border Of
Western Europe-and withheld ex-
preston of the hope that this con-
viction would put starch In tho
backs Of Western European defense
planners.
lndo Chino
In Southeast Asia the war-riven
state Of Wet Nam continued Tin
the north) to slip farther behind
the bamboo curtain and Tin the
SOUTH to fall more and more into
disunity. Factions within South Wet
Nam were feuding among themselves
for control of the country, while
Americas representative, Gen. j.
Lawton Collins. tried to keep the
shaky government structure from
falling completely apart.