Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-09-09

afternoon session OF the Wat
EinS committee cenSure hear
ing:
Before the session began
Chairman Watkins announced
the committee will continue tc
study this situation" of Maj
Gen. Kirke B. Lawton's refusing
to answer questions on the basis
of a Presidential directive).
Mr.. Williams Senator Nc
Carthy's counseD Directing
your attention, sir. to 1858, was
your committee engaged in an
investigation of subversion at
Fort Monmouth?
Senator McCarthy-We were
Mr.. Williamson that connec-
ton, sir, did you meet the man
who testified here this morning,
Gen. Lawton?
Senator Mccarthy did.
Case of Maj. Peress.
Mr.. Williams-Now, while con-
Quoting your investigation into
the subject about which I have
just alluded to. did there come
to your attention a situation that
obtained at Camp Kilmer with
respect to a Maj. Irving Peress?
Senator McCarthy-There did.
Mr.. Williams-Who was the
commanding general at Camp
Kilmer at that time?
Senator M Carthy - Gen.
Zwicker.
Mr.. Wllliams-Would you tell
the committee. Senator, when, in
the first instance, the so-called
Peress case came to your atten1
ton?
Senator McCarthy-It came to
our attention in November. I be-
lieve, of 1858.
Mr. Williams-What, if any,
thing. to your knowledge did you
or members of your staff do with
respect to the information on
Maj. Peress that you have just
described?
Senator McCarthy-We turned
all of the information over to Mr..
John Adams, legal counsel for
the Army.
Mr.. Williams-What was the
next action that was taken by
your committee with relation
ship to this case. and I direct
your attention to the early part
Of 1854.
Senator McCarthy-On Janu-
airy 4, 1854, my chief counsel again
took the matter up with Mr..
Adams. called his attention to
the fact that they had a man
who was a leader in the Com
munist Party in a rather key
position at a port of embarka-
ton and debarkation and sug-
gested that the Army do some
thing about it rather than have
our committee go into the
matter.
Mr.. Williams - Thereafter,
what. if any, action, did your
committee take with respect to
this particular situation at Camp
Kilmer?
Senator McCarthy-Well, when
nothing was done when Peress
continued to serve. we asked for
his appearance before the COM
mittee. Request was made on
the 26th day of January. He
appeared in executive session on
the 30th day of January.
QuiZzed On Communism.
Mr.. Williams-Senator, what
was the general subject matter
of that which Maj. Peress was
Intercepted on the occasion of
this executive session?
Senator McCarthy-We asked
him about his alleged Com
. munist activities, whether he
had graduated from a Com
munist leadership school, the
name of the school was-let's
see, what was that name?
Mr.. Williams-Inwood Victory
School.
Senator McCarthy-InWood
Victory School. Refused to an
swer that on the ground that II
he answered it might incriminate
him; asked whether he was re-
crulting soldiers at Camp Kill
mer; again. the fifth amendment;
asked whether he held Commu-
mist meetings in his quarters at
Camp Kilmer; again refused to
answer on the grounds of self
determination.
Mr.. Williams-Now, would
you tell us, Senator, in just a
few words, what information
you developed on this occasion OF
the executive session, the ap-
pearance of Maj. Peress? You
learned he was indicted into
the Army January /, 1858.
Senator McCarthy-Right.
Mr.. Williams-He came in as
a captain, did he not?
Senator acknowledgement.
Mr.. Williams-You found out
in August of 1853 that investiga-
tons had been conducted OF
him by the Army in which he
had taken the fifth amendment.
Senator McCarthy-We learned
to the best of our knowledge in
April of 1853 the FBI had given
the Army complete report on
Peress containing practically all
the information which we de-
veloped at the hearings. Then
in August of 1853 he was given
a QUESTIONABLE and asked many
of the questions which We asked
him about Communist activities
and he wrote across the face
of the question. Refuse to an
swer. Fifth amendment In
November, 1853. he was promoted
to major.
Mr.. WilliamS-Now, at the
time that Maj. Peress appeared
before you on January 80 of 1854