Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-02-01
Counsel Calls Hughes
Dupe Of Mel orthy Foes

DuPe OF MC
NEW YORK. Feb. l R.-
Paul H. Hughes was pictured by
his counsel today as an unwit-
ting dupe. of a group of men
who sought the elimination Of
Senator Mccarthy and the pro-
lection of civil rights"
Defense Attorney Martin Erd-
mann presented the argument in
his summation to a Federal
Court jury trying Hughes on a
perjury charge.
Prosecution summation was
to follow, with the case sched-
uled to go to the jury tomorrow.
The trial began January 16.
Hughes, 35-year-old Air Force
veteran from Alexandria, Va.
has testified he supplied false
information derogatory to the
Wisconsin Republican Senator
at the behest of prominent
Democrats.
Charges Conspiracy
Mr.. Erdmann said Washington
at the time Of Senator McCar-
thy's ascendency" in 1854 was
the place of an alleged conspi-
racy to eliminate Senator Nc
Carthy from the political scene.
1.-THE people involved. he said,
classified themselves as liberals.
Democrats, newspaper editors
and newspapermen. Even some
Of them held responsible Govern
ment positions"
Mr.. Erdmann said Hughes be
came involved with these men"
only a few months after being
honorably discharged from mill
tary service.
Hughes. he said, was "a man
eager to make money; a man not
too ethical: a man who is not as
smart as he thought he was"
Mr.. Erdmann declared Clayton
Fritchey. deputy chairman Of the
Democratic National Committee.
and others realized he could be.
used in an effective way: that he
was a man who could be per-
suaded easily to furnish false in-
formation"
Cites Payments
II think Mr.. Fritchey knew"
Mr.. Erdmann said, that by pay
ing Hughes money in the form of
loans and expenses they could
prove that the false information
had been purchased in good
faith. -.
They knew this information
could be shown to certain in
fluential persons in Washington,
as it was in August, 1854, when
Mr.. Rauh brought it to the at
tention of people on the WASH
ington Post & Times Herald
and Attorney General Herbert
Brownell."
The reference was to Joseph
L. Rauh, jr.. Washington at
torney and head of the Ameri-
cans for Democratic Action,
which describes itself as q lib
eral, anti Communist political
group.
The newspaper found the in
formation to be false and never
printed 1t.
II think" Mr.. Erdmann said,
"Mr. Fritchey and the others
were aware that. If anything was
miscalculated and if it (theI
project blew up, that no one
would take the word of Hughes
against that Of outwardly
respectable citizens"
Accused Of Lying
Hughes is being tried on a
charge that he lied to a grand
jury investigating Harvey Matu-
SOW. former Communist and
Government witness who later
recanted much Of his anti
Communist testimony.
Hughes was accused of tell
ing the grand jury falsely he
heard Mr.. Rauh and others dis
cuss payments for Matusow.
Testimony at the trial brought
out that before Hughes was
called by the grand jury he had
posed at q secret investigator for
the Senate Permanent Subcom-
mittee on Investigations. Under
this guise III prepared false
documents and statements de-
rogatory to Senator Mccarthy,
chairman OF the subcommittee
at the time.
On his last day on the witness
stand yesterday, Hughes reitey-
ated that Mr.. Rauh and Mr..
Fritchy had urged him to pro-
duce the anti-McCarthy ma
terial. whether 1t was true or not.
Denied Making Request
Both Mr.. Hauh and Mr.. Fritz
chey testified for the prosecu-
ton earlier IN the trial and said
that they never made any such
request Of Hughes and that they