Evening star., 1955-07-14
By the Associated Press

- tAS AAsoStA ~ Etcos
Ira Henry Freeman, veteran
reporter for the New York Times
testified today he Joined the
Communist Party in 1888, but
quit year later. finding mem
bership dull and futile"
Mr.. Freeman was before the
Senate Internal Security SUBJ
committee. which has been hold.
ing hearings on Communist
Party membership among news
papermen.
Ansel Talbert, military ane
aviation editor of the New Yorh
Herald Tribune, was an earlier
witness.
Differs With Grutzner
Mr.. Talbert's testimony was ir
eject a rebuttal to that giver
the subcommittee two weeks age
by Charles Grutzner, a New
York Times reporter, concerning
Q story Mr.. Grutzner filed from
Korea in late 1850.
Mr.. Talbert testified that Gen
George c. Stratemeyer strongly
opposed" publication of any new.
story disclosing the first combat
use OF F-86 Sabre Jets in Korea
The New York Times, which
published such a story on De.
cember 18. 1850, has said that il
did so only after obtaining
clearance from the Pentagon. Il
identified the late Gen. Hoyt S
Vandenberg. then Air Force
Chief. as the Pentagon officia
who authorized publication.
Mr.. Talbert. testifying before
the Senate Internal Security
subcommittee. said Gen. Strate.
meyer. then Far East Air Force
Commander, was in 100 pei
cent accord" with the view o1
Intelligence officers that the
story should not be "broken."
The Times story was writer
by Charles Grutzner, then a wal
correspondent and now a gen.
erai assignment reporter for the
Times.
Security Break Denied
Mr.. Grutzner. testifying two
weeks ago in the current hear
ings, denied his Sabre Jet story
violated security. Under ques-
tioning, he acknowledged he was
a Communist from 1887 to 1910
In those years Mr.. Grutzner was
employed by the now-defunct
Brooklyn Eagle.
Mr.. Grutzner testified that he
and other correspondents who
obtained the story, including Mr.
Talbert, were denied clearance
for it in the Korean theater, but
agreed to file it to their Offices
with a preceding note that it
should not be published until
approved by the Pentagon.
Mr.. Talbert denied there was
any such agreement. He told
the subcommittee that he
learned, ito my amazement,
that Mr.. Grutzner had decided
to send the story.
He also testified that Mr.
Grutzner filed it at a CONNER
cial wireless Office in Seoul and
said this was equivalent to
broadcasting it from the Seoul
radio station"
Cautioned on Wireless
Mr.. Talbert said correspond
ents had received instructions
repeatedly not to use the COM
mercial wireless for their stories,
that any thing sent over it was
potentially available" to the
Communist enemy.
Mr.. Talbert was the first OF
three newsmen tabled by the
subcommittee as witnesses today
Hans Bruno Meyer, described
as nephew Of the late Albert
Einstein and as correspondent
here for a German radio STA
ton, and Mr.. Freeman of the
Times also were called.
There has been nothing
in past testimony to link
Mr.. Talbert to Communism. Va
rious earlier witnesses were asked
about Mr.. Freeman, but none
of them named him as a per-
son they had known as a Com
munist.
All of them were called in ar
nquirythat opened June % wher
Winston M. Burdett. a Columbis
Broadcasting System newsman
named more than a score of per.
sons he said he had known az
fellow Communists in the late
1930s or early 1940s.
Not Named by Burdett
Mr.. Burdett did not name any
Of the three called today. :
Chairman Eastland, Democrat
of Mississippi, said he had ISSUED
a subpoena for Mr.. Meyer aftel
his name was injected into the
questioning Of Charles S. Lewis
one of those whom Mr.. Burdett
named as a fellow employe ane
a Communist on the new-de.
funct Brooklyn Eagle in thu
l937-40 period.
MIR. Lewis is director of public
affairs for Weak and WCAX-TI
in Burlington, VT. He testified
yesterday he had been a Com.
munist "for a few months in 193'
while working on the Brooklyn
Eagle.
At Burlington, President c. P
Hasbrook of Weak and Weak
TV said Mr.. Lewis had given
him voluntarily a short time age
the gist of his testimony. Mr.
Hasbrook said he will withhold
judgment on Mr.. Lewis until
I have read the full transcript
In fairness to him, I'd like to
read the whole thing"
Mr.. Lewis said he had served
as director of United States
radio policy in postwar Ger
many and that Mr.. Meyer had
been one of his assistants.
Asked If he had ever heard II