Evening star., 1961-08-03
FuIbright, Thurmond ToneIe
On MiIitoy's Anti-Red Role
Bs III. Associated Press

By the Associated Press
FAdispute between two South
stn Senators over the role OF
the military in the education
81 the public on Communist
stIbsersion has flared up in
the Senate.
AT issue is a confidential
memorandum Senator Full
bright. Democrat of Arkansas,
recently sent Secretary of De-
tense Mcnamara and President
Kennedy protesting military
sponsorship CT public meetings
featuring radical. right-wing
speakers"
Senator Thurmond, Demo-
crat of South Carolina, told
the Senate yesterday the memo
was "a clandestine assault on
the fundamental foundations
Of our Republic"
Senator Fulbright, chairman
ofgthe Foreign Relations Com
riittee, later offered his thanks
to Senator Thurmond and Sen
atofs Mundt. Republican OF
South Dakota and Goldwater.
Republican of Arizona. who
Joined the attack on the memo,
"for disabusing me Of my er-
roneous impression that the
civilian control Of the armed
services is one which is ac-
cepted by all Americans"
Calls Letter Impertinent
Senator Fulbright filed the
text of his document in the
Senate ito dispel the fears Of
those who have persuaded
themselves that the memoran-
; DUN contains material which is
sinister, subverSive or sensa-
tional."
He said that on July 81, when
excerpts leaked out in the press.
he received an "ultimatum"
from Senator Thurmond de
manding that he be provided
with a copy of the memoran-
dunn within the next hour"
Aside from the fact that /
had no copy of the memoran-
dunn at the time" Senator Full
bright said, Il was unwilling
to open my private files in re-
sponse to so impertinent a let
ter"
The Fulbright memo, a copy
Of which Senator Thurmond
himself had obtained from an
undisclosed source, and filed
earlier, is reported to have re-
suited in a Defense Department
directive placing restrictions on
the military'S role in meetings
IN which political issues are dis
cussed.
ThurmOnd Asks Probe
Senator Thurmond said the
implication of the memoran-
dun goes far beyond a mere
attack on our military leaders. :"
1T constitutes a clandestine
assault on the fundamental
foundations of our Republic, ="
the South Carolina Senator de-
clared. 1T is a smear cam
paign, utilizing innuendo based
on unsubstantiated allega-
lions"
Senator Thurmond concluded
by saying it is imperative the
Senate Armed Services Com
nlittee immediately undertake
a full-scale investigation Of this
entire matter"
Senator Thurmond, a men,
ber Of the Armed Services
Committee, also is a major gen.
eral in the Army Reserve and
past president of both the Re-
serve Officers Association and
the Military Government Asso-
citation.
Fulbright "AstOnished"
Senator Fulbright said he was
very much astonished" at the
interest in his criticism of
propaganda activities by mill
tary personnel and was unaware
the subject could arouse great
controversy"
There has been a strong
tradition in this country that
it is not the function Of the
military to educate the public
on political issues" he said.
The memo stated as its pur-
pose altering the Defense De-
partment to military-sponsored
programs having the central
theme that "the primary, If not
the exclusive, danger to this
country is internal Communist
infiltration."
1888 Directive Cited
1t said that much Of the ad-
ministration's domestic legisla-
tive program, including con-
tinuation of the graduated in
come tax, expansion Of social
security. medical care under
social security. and Federal aid
to education would. under the
philosophy dominating the
meetings, "be characterized as
steps toward communism.
1t suggested a reconsideration
Of a previous National Security
Council directive in 1858 sug-
costing the military be used to
reinforce the civilian support of
the cold war effort.
The memo said that directive
was formulated on a basic error
that military personnel had the
necessary broad background to
deal with political questions.
The memorandum stated:
Fundamentally, it is believed
that the American people have
little, if any, need to be alerted
to the menace of the cold war
Rather. the need is for under
standing Of the true nature OF
that menace. and the direction
Of the public's present and