Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-06-19
The Political Mill
housekeeping Demand
Pushed After Hearing
Foreive-0nd-Forget Theme
Gets Rude Jolt From Potter
By Gould Lincoln

Dy OouIo Lincoln s
An attempt to laugh on and make
light of the Army Mccarthy hearings
may soon be under way. II it succeeds,
where do we go from there? Is Senator
Mccarthy to his chairman
ship Of the Senate Permanent Investi-
cations Subcommittee-to carry on as
usual, with further inquiries into Army
personnel and with new inquiries iRoo
the Central Intelligence Administra-
ton. as he proposes?
This let's-forget- forgive
reasonable program met rude jolt as
the hearings came to an end Thurs,
day. The jolter is Republican member
of the investigating committee, Senator
Potter Of Michigan. He said some harsh
things, but things that viii make, and
have made. sense to many persons who
followed the hearings. In blunt LAM
guage, the Michigan Senator, veteran.
who lost both legs during World War II.
asserted that the principal charges
made by both sides to the controversy
were borne out by. the testimony.
This means that the testimony
showed the Mccarthy side had used
improper pressure to obtain favors for
Pvt. David Schine on the one hand. On
the other, it means that the Army De-
partment sought to put an end to the
Mccarthy investigation of Communist
inf1ltration into the Army. These-are
serious assertions, and if true, heads
should fall. Senator Potter has said he
intends to see they do fall.
Most Drastic Charge.
10
however, was: There is little doubt
that the testimony of witnesses of both
sides was saturated with statements
which were not truthful and which
might constitute perjury in a legal
sense. believe there may have been
subornation of perjury" To the run.
of-the-mine citizen who followed the
hearings. it must have been evident
that there was avoidance of the truth
by witnesses who did not wish to
tell the truth and who also did not
wish to place themselves in position
where perjury might be charged
against them. AS Senator Potter has
pointed out. it's up to the Department
of Justice to decide whether charges
of perjury should be brought, after a
thorough examination of the testimony.
But the Senate Investigations Subcom-
mittee, If it chooses, may cite wit
nesses to the Department of Justice for
investigation of probable perjury. Sen
ator Potter, if he sticks to his present
position, and the Democratic members
of the committee go along with him
and some of the Republicans-canf force
the issue.
The investigating committees duty
now is to make a report, presumably
to the Senate itself, although 1t might
first go to the full Committee on Gov
eminent OperationS-of, which Sen.
ator Mccarthy is chairman. Chairman
Mundt Of the investigating committee
has properly expressed a hope that a
unanimous report may be possible. Too
much bitterness. too much politics, may
make such a report impossible. But re-
port the committee should-and as soon.
as possible. 1t should not. be allowed
to drag on for weeks, not for any
oooy SAKE 54qa~ r.. %
Demand HOusecIeaning. tEaF
The Democrats of the investigating
committee, headed by Senator Nc
Clellan of Arkansas. are demanding a
housekeeping" of the committee staff
Specifically, Senator Mcclellan charges
that two members of the Mccarthy
staff have failed to receive Defense De-s
partment clearance to handle classified
or secret military information.
He has charged, too, that Senators on
the committee have been threatened
by members of the Mccarthy staff dur
ing the investigation. And, thirdly
Senator Mcclellan and the other
Democrats are demanding, like Senator
Potter, that the Department of Justice
examine all the testimony to determine
whether charges of perjury are justi-
fed and against whom. Senator Nc.
Clellan has made it clear there will be
no further investigations made by the
Mccarthy committee until some Of
these matters have been cleared up.
have their way.
Two resolutions have been introduced
in the Senate to remove Senator NC
Carthy from the Craftsmanship OF the
Committee on Government Operations
and also from the Craftsmanship OF the
Subcommittee on Investigations. one by
Senator Flanders of Vermont Repub-
lican, and the other by Senator Lehman
of New York, a Democrat. Unless the.
situation changes materially. neither is
likely to be acted upon. The Republican
leadership says such action is not justl-'
fed and would be harmful to Senate
procedure. The Democratic leadership
ducks, saying that the Republicans are
responsible for Senator Mccarthy.
There is a suspicion some of the Demo-.
Gratis would hesitate to vote Senator
Mccarthy out of his chairmanships and
then be charged by the Wisconsin
Senator and his followers with being
friendly to the Communists.