Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-01-05
Probe for Reds
In Press Brings
Charge Of Bias
BY L. EDGAR PRINA

LII IAlC 1dNC Va q NAAuA 90 SAAot
it has singled out the New York
Times for a vindictive investiga-
ton. the Senate Internal Sc
curity Subcommittee called an
other employee of that newspaper
today in search for Communist
subversion Of the press.
The Times commended, in an
editorial in this mornings edi-
tions. that its condemnation OF
such things as racial segrega-
ton, "McCarthyism," the Nc
Carran-Walter immigration Act
and the Federal security program
led the subcommittee to make ii
a special target in the current
investigation.
Subcommittee Chairman East
land, Democrat of Mississippi,
denied the charges by that news
paper He also insisted that the
hearings which were resumed
yesterday as part of a general
examination of possible Commu-
mist inflltration in the press
radio and television are not
aimed at the Times or at the
press as such.
No Red Direction
! The Mississippian told report
ers that the subcommittee has
found no proof to date that
Communist leaders had directed
any infiltration of the Ameri-
can press. He said there was
no proof thus far that the con-
tent of non-Communist news
papers had been influenced by
Reds.
The subcommittee neverthe-
less went ahead with its hear
.ings today by summoning Otto
AlbertSon, described as a New
York Times employe, for ques-
|tioning. Yesterday it ques'
toned seven witnesses, three
currently employees Of the Times
Three others were former en-
ployes.
! The New York paper noted the
heavy concentration OF sub.
poenas" served on its employe:
or former employees. It accused
H.. G. Sourwine. subcommittee
counsel. of having tried earlier
in a closed-door session, to show
some connection between 6
witness one-time association
with the Communist Party ane
the character Of the news pub
lished in this paper, :"
Senator Eastland said:
The New York Times denie!
when no one has accused 1t. Il
the New York Times has a policy
opposing segregation l never
heard of it. That is evidently 9
smoke screen"
( A spokesman for the Long Is
land Daily Press. mentioned by
several witnesses yesterday. re-
called in New York today tina
the papers management publicl!
charged in 1887 that the Ameri-
can Newspaper Guild unit there
was Communist directed. He
said those under the domination
If the Communist leadership were
welded out He declared that
there isn't a single Communist
on the Long Island Daily Press
today and II we ever found one
we would fire him Immediately
The Times stated that it would
not knowingly hire a Communist
and knew of no present Com
munist on it's payroll now. But
the editorial declared that the
Times will De the judge OF its
employees and will not permit the
Senate subcommittee to interfere
in such employment or to deter
mine in any way the policies OF
the paper.
At yesterdays hearing. Clay
ton Knowles a New York Times
reporter and for seven years a
member of that newspapers
Washington bureau. testified
that he had been a member Of
the Communist Party from the
summer of 1887 to early in 1889
He said he Joined the party
following a bitter strike at the
Long Island Daily Press where
he was then employed.
( Mr.. Knowles AZ, told the SUBJ
committee nc knew of no SUBJ
versive or ccnspiratorial activity
during his time in the party
He called his membership little
more than an extension of the
work Of founding the American
Newspaper Guild"
. The witness covered Capito
Hill for the Times from l947
to the fall of 1854, when he
was transferred to New York
He said yesterday that to hi'
knowledge his transfer hae
nothing to do with the fac
he told the story of his Com
munlst affiliation to the FB.
sometime before that. He sale
the transfer was an executive