Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-03-18
Professor Denies Link
With Known Reds
As Baltimore Pastor
By Allen Drury

A professor of religion at Will
liams College. WAliamstown,
Mass. denied under oath today
that he ever knowingly associ-
ated with Communists when he
was assistant pastor of the
Brown Memorial Presbyterian
Church in Baltimore from 1885
to 1887.
The Rev. John A. Hutchinson,
Cluett Professor Of Religion at
Williams. told House Un-Amer-
lean Activities subcommittee he
did belong to the Communist
dominated League Against War
and Fascism during that period
But while he knew in a general
way that some Of his fellow
members probably were Commu-
nists. he said he did not def
nitely know any Of them as such.
Not Accused, Committee Stresses.
And he added:
II should like to deny cate
gorically under oath that I ever
sought membership in that party.
ever was a member of that party,
or ever expect to be member of
that party"
His denial brought an assur-
ance from Subcommittee Chair
man Jackson, Republican, of
California, that there has been
no suggestion by this committee
that you are of have been a
member of the Communist
Party"
Mr.. aJckson said the commit
tee felt DR.. Hutchinson might
be able to give information be-
cause he was resident of Balti-
more lat a time when there was
considerable turmoil in which
Communists were active"
The committee heard DR.. Hut
Gibson in executive session on
February ID. The questioning to-
day was largely a repetition of
that hearing.
Tells of League Resignation.
He said he probably sought
membership" in the League
Against War and Fascism in
1885 because it seemed to be
one of the few organizations
seeking to arouse American pub
lie opinion against anti-Semitism
in Germany and the general me-
mace of HitleriSm to the United
States.
He said he resigned from the
league in 1888 because of the
Moscow purge trials and because
he realized Communists were
using it to exploit their own
ends"
In response to questions by
Committee Counsel Frank Ia
venner, DR.. Hutchinson denied
he had ever been in Communist
headquarters in Baltimore or had
ever known an Earl c. Reno, also
known as Earl Dixon" whom
Mr.. Tavenner identified as the
Young Communist League or
ganlzer in the city during the
mid -thirties.
He said he did know a Rev.
Joseph S. Novak. whom he iden-
titled as a fellow student at
Princeton Theological Seminary
in 1882 and 1888 and later
fellow Presbyterian minister and
friend in Baltimore"
Calls Statement Fantastic"
Dr.. Hutchinson denied as fan
tastic" testimony which Mr..
Tavener said Mr.. Reno gave the
committee in a prior closed ses-
sion, that DR.. Hutchinson and
Mr.. Novak reported to Commu-
mist Party headquarters" when |
they first arrived in Baltimore |
in 1885. He also denied as fan
tastic and ridiculolusly untrue"
the suggestion by Representative
Scherer. Republican, of Penn
Sylvania that he, Mr.. Novak and
DR.. Harry Ward, former presi-
dent of Union Theological Semi
nary in New York, discussed
the possibility that within 10
years the Communist Party
would take owe rthe United
States and the three of you
would be leaders,"
The committee, Mr.. Jackson
said, wants to determine how
successful Communist front
groups were in obtaining the