Evening star., 1955-06-30
New York Times Man
Admits Red Membership

Charles Grutzner. a reporter
for the New York Times, today
told the Senate Internal Sc
curity subcommittee he had
been a member of the Commu-
mist party from 1887 to 1910.
Mr.. Grutzner was identified yes
terday as a former Red by Win
ston M. Burdett, Columbia
Broadcasting System Radio and
Television commentator.
The mustachioed newsman
told the subcommittee that he
had been recruited by persons
who noted that he had a SYM
pathy for civic committees on
housing and anti-discrimination.
He pictured himself as not
very good Communist and said
he was so considered by his fell
low members. He said that he
joined the party as a member
of a unit at the now defunct
Brooklyn Eagle where he worked
from 1884 to the spring of 1941.
Follows Colleague
Mr.. Grutzner followed Victor
Weingarten, a onetime fellow
worker on the Brooklyn Eagle,
to the witness chair.
Mr.. Weingarten, who identi-
fed himself as a self-employed
publicity man in Pleasantville,
N. Y. swore he hadn't been a
Communist since the November
election in 1910 but refused to
tell the committee whether he
had known any Of bis former
associates to be party members
since that time.
He persisted in his refusal to
discuss others although threat
ened with a citation for contempt.
Identifies Two
After Mr.. Grutzner had been
able to identify only two persons
as Communists from a list read
to him by subcommittee counsel
Jay Sourwine, he was asked why
he could not remember others.
II hope you will understand
that my membership was not the
dedicated emotional kind such
as Mr.. Burdett's." he replied. II
could take my communism or
leave it and ! left it when I be-
came fed up with it,"
The persons identified by Mr..
GrutZner as one-time Com
munists were Gladys Bentley and
Nat Einsorn both of whom were
named by Mr.. Burdett.
Mr.. Grutzner was questioned
at length about a scoop he
scored while serving as a war
correspondent in Korea in De-
cember, 1850. He broke the
news that the United States had
F-86 Thunderjets in Korea and
that one had shot down a Soviet
built MIG fighter plane.
He told the subcommittee that
he filed his story directly to New
York and requested his Office to
submit 1t for clearance by the
Pentagon. He was told later. he
said, that the Times obtained
this clearance.
Chairman Eastland asked him
whether he knew that Maj. Gen.
L. c. Craigie, vice chief of the
Far East Air Forces, had recon-
mended "that you be removed
from the Korean theater for
giving classified information to
the enemy"
This is the first time I ever
heard Of that" the witness re-
piled in shocked tones.
Tactical Edge Lost
The Senator asked whether he
knew that Gen. Craigie said that
the United States Air Force had
lost a tactical advantage which
may result in the loss of Ameri-
can lives" as a result Of the
story.
Mr.. Grutzner said that he
knew nothing of the generals
recommendation but II know I
was not removed"
He added that he had been
sent to Korea on an emergency
basis by the Times and that it
had been worked out previously
with his home Office that he
would return in December.
Gen. Craigie's letter to Gen.
Douglas Macarthur, the Far
East Commander, requesting the
reporters removal, was dated
December 10, 1850. Mr.. Grutz-
ner testified today that he left
Korea on December % or %.
The witness said three other
reporters had the same story and
had agreed to file. He said that
at least one Of the two wire serv-
ice reporters sent their copy to
Tokyo for re-transmission to
the United States and that the
copy was held UP there by the
Air Force.