Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-09-11
Johnson etter to Me- orthy
BY the As.eeiatsd Press

By the Associated Press
Senator johnson. Democrat
OF Colorado, stated his position
as a member OF the special
Senate committee Investigating
considering censure charges
against Senator Mccarthy IN
the tolloDipg letter. dated yes
terday, to Senator Mccarthy:
My Dear Senator:
With great reluctance / have
assumed the distasteful task
assigned by the Senate of sitting
and exploring the 46 charges
against you. but having voted for
the creation of this selection
committee for that specific pur-
pose. and having only personal
reasons for refusing to serve, I
felt compelled to accept this
onerous responsibility. I could
not in good conscience shirk my
duty to the Senate OF the United
States, an institution vital to
America and the world.
/ am writing this letter so that
there may be no misunderstand-
ing now or ever about my posi-
ton. I accepted my appointment
in good faith and in good faith
I shall see 1t through to the end.
come what may.
Watkins Was Correct.
On August 81, the first day Of
the current hearings. Senator
Watkins, chairman of the Select
Committee, in response to your
demand to cross-examine me
about a telephone interview
with me published in the Denver
Post on March IL, 1854, held
that since this interview was mot
germane to the present COM
mittee hearing you discuss the
matter with me man to man.
Inasmuch as the Flanders reso-
luton. together with the 46
charges which are amendments
thereto, are not related in any
way to the subject matter Of
the article published in the Dem
yer Post six months previously,
his ruling was eminently correct.
It is my well-considered view
that the reporting of my esti-
mate of attitudes and opinions
held toward you six months ago
by others, does not in the slight
est degree impede or impinge
upon my ability to sift the facts
from the fiction, in this hear
ing. / think your counsel. Mr..
Edward Bennett Williams, whom
I have known and held in high
esteem for some years, also
knows me well enough to be-
lieve that I viii do justice fairly
and fearlessly.
In hundreds Of letters to my
Colorado constituents during the
past years, I have paid a we'll
deserved tribute to your relent-
lessand persistent efforts to ex-
pose pinks. fellow travellers, and
Communists in the employ Of
the Federal Government. How
ever, as I understand it, that too
has nothing whatever to do with
the present hearings.
Hoped for Questions.
I had anticipated and hoped
that YOU would question me with
respect to the Denver Post in
terview but since you have
failed to do so and since it now
appears you have no such plans,
] desire to- call your attention
to certain background material
pertainingto it.
! do not recall all the CONVEX
sation which took place In my
interview with Mr.. Lucas of the
Denver Post. was in hopes
that this interview had been
monitored or that stenographic
notes had been taken, but I find
that these things were not done
and I must now depend on my
memory for what was said six
months ago. The published ar
ticle does not quote me as say
ing personally that 7 loathed you,
and 1t was more or less a back
ground report on what other
Senators thought about you. I
want to mention three of them.
Since coming to the Senate I
have been frank and willing to
discuss any controversy with
newspapermen and with my con-
stituents. It was my position
then and 1t Is my position now,
that your Lincoln Day speeches,
In which you excoriated the
Democratic Party without mercy,
80 5sst9
were scurrilous and absolutely
unwarranted.
At Charleston. w. Va, on
February 4. you said ''the Demo-
catic Party bears q label cor
roded with communism and corr
ruption and stained with the
blood If diving men in Knrao -
AT Canton. Ohio, on February
5, you characterized the Demo-
cratic Party as "the party Of
At Mount Clemens, Mich,
February 6, you appealed to "all
good Democrats to desert the
party Of betrayal" You said
these other things also at Mount
elements: 'tour party,s duty IS
- explode the 20 years Z