Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-05-14

>->-~-->-->-->---~--->
trouble. They included Gen. Per
sons. Bernard Stanley, HomeI
H. Gruenther (brother of Gen
Alfred M. Gruenther) and usu.
ally Sherman Adams. Their be.
lief was that the President
should continue his policy of re.
fusing to discuss the Senator il
public. Once a personal Eisen.
hover Mccarthy fight began
they feared it would sunder Re-
publican ranks and jeopardizt
the Presidents program.
Mr.. Jackson came into the
December 2 staff meeting with
the draft of statement for Mr.
Eisenhower to make at his press
conference the next day, attack
ing Mccarthy by name. The
President put on his spectacles
took a look at it, and banged il
down on the desk. Il will moi
get in the gutter with that guy
he said.
Peress Storm Breaks
A new Mccarthy, storm broke
in February. 1854, when the
President was mentioning In
Palm Springs, Calf. During ar
investigation of possible espion-
age at Fort Monmouth. N. j..
Senator McCarthy's staff hao
come upon the case of an Army
dentist. Maj. Irving PereSS, who
invoked the Fifth Amendment
in refusing to answer questions
about Communist connections
Three days later the Army gave
him an honorable discharge.
On February Is Senator Nc.
earthly called Gen. Zwicker, ar
officer with a fine record, tt
question him about the Peres.
case. The Senator was not &C.
cusing the Army of "coddling
Communists" and he and Gen
Zwicker clashed. When thu
record was published four day.
later, it showed that the Senator
had told the General he wa,
mot fit to wear that uniform,
and should be removed from
any command"
Secretary of the Army Rober
Stevens denounced the "humili,
ating treatment" of the Genera
and told him not to answer
Senator McCarthy'S call to ap.
pear again. The White HOUSE
had been taking a hands-ofl
attitude toward the dispute ur
to this time. on the grounds that
it was the Army's affair, anc
there was little coordination be.
tween the White House ano
Secretary Stevense.
Asks Stevens to Lunch
Thus. when the Army Secre.
tary was invited to lunch with
Senator Mccarthy and other Re.
publican members of the investi.
eating subcommittee on Febru.
airy "a. the Secretary did moi
make the invitation known tC
the President. After the lunch
con the Senators made public g
memorandum of understand.
ing" which made it appear that
Secretary Stevens had surren.
dered completely.
Public reaction was so bad thai
the White House had to step in
Mr.. Hagerty's Office was made
available to Secretary Steven.
for a presidentially approved
statement. II shall never accedt
to the abuse Of Army personne
under any circumstances, includ'
ing committee hearings" he said
Tawdry as the Peress affair
was. 1t was but a sideshow in tn,
circus that moved into Washing
ton in mid-March in the form
of the Senate investigation o.
the Army Mccarthy dispute
This new rumpus began aftel
the Army gave each member o.
Senator McCarthy's subcommit,
tee on March IL copy of a re-
port charging that Senator Nc.
earthly and Roy Colih. chic
counsel to the group. had made
many threats to Army official:
to get a commission and other
favored treatment for Pvt. Davic
Schine. Pvt. Schine. who hac
been Mr.. COINS sidekick on the
serio-comic junket across Eu.