Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-04-10
BY L. EDGAR PRINA

Ia 6s AS1oAIt AtAENH
The Justice Department soon
viii announce that more than
a score Of organizations alleged
to be Communist dominated
have been added to the Attorney
Generals subversive list. bring
ing the total to approximately
ats.
The new additions are among
"a groups which Attorney GEN.
eral Brownel notified last
December he intended to list.
Their time to contest now has ex-
pired. The five or six organiza-
tions which will not be listed at
this time are those which have
informed the department they
plan to fight the designations.
Justices announcement is
likely to stir to a new pitch the
controversy cracking around the
question of a Government OFF,
calls authority to brand private
groups as Communist, Fascist,
totalitarian or subversive.
Lawyers Challenge
At the moment. the National
Lawyers Guild Is challenging the
power OF the Attorney General in
this matter in o Federal court.
But other critics-principally
former Senator Harry p. Cain.
Republican, of Washington-ap-
parently are greater source Of
annoyance to Justice officials.
In recent speech to the
Civil Liberties Clearing House
here, Mr.. Cain called for the
prompt liquidation of the Attor-
ney Generals list. He implied
the list was being used to label
loyal Government employees as
security risks and that mere
membership in one or more Of
the groups was being held suffi-
cient cause for dismissal.
All this did not set well at the
department. Although officials
there assert they do not want to
engage in q public controversy
with Mr.. Cain, one had this to
say:
"Of course, membership in it
self in a listed organization is
not sufficient cause for firing a
worker. Anyone who implies that
this is the practice under the
administrations employe secur-
ity program Is creating a wrong
impression.
"Set Record Straight"
"There are a good many per-
sons now working in the Govern
ment who have been members of
one. or more of the prescribed
groups. This fact ought to set
the record straight"
The official pointed out that
membership in a subversive
group is simply one factor con-
sidered in determining the Sc
curity status of a Federal job
holder. He added that all the
circumstances surrounding that
membership are carefully
weighed.
A suggestion by Mr.. Cain that
no notice be taken of a persons
membership in a listed organi-
cation if he had quit it prior to
the first publication of the list in
1947 has been rejected by the
department.
Anyone who recommends this
doesn't understand the purpose
of the list at ALL" one highly
placed official said. 1.-THE year
1945. for example, was one of the
most active for Soviet espion-
age"
The former Senator, an avowed
conservative and an erstwhile
member of the Mccarthy wing
of the Republican Party, urged
that no organization be desig-
mated unless the Attorney Gen.
eral simultaneously announced
that he would prosecute within
several months.
Confusing the Purposes
To this the Justice spokesman
replied that Mr.. Cain was con-
fusing the purposes of the list
and the way it was used under
(a) the Internal Security INC
Carran) Act of 1850 and (b) the
Federal Employe Program CEx-
ecutive Order 10450).
Under the McCarran act, the
Attorney General moves only
against organizations which he
believes are Communist or Com
munist. fronts. The law does