Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1961-09-08
WALKER
Continued From First PAGE

.
lowed release last night of the
full text Of last Mays official
report on the Walker investi-
cation, in which the Army for
the first time identified him as
"a member of the controversial
Iright-wing John Birch Society.
| The general was removed
from command Of the oath Di-
vision in Germany and received
an official ACCOMPLISHMENT" as
a result of the inquiry.
| Secretary of Defense Nc
Namara revealed Wednesday
that the rebuke was based in
Ipart on the finding that Gen
Walker sought to induce mem
bers of his command to sup
port conservative candidates
for Congress.
In the report released last
might on orders from Mr.. McNa-
mara, 1t. Gen. Frederic j.
Brown, who conducted the in
vestigation; characterized Gen.
Walker as "a sincere, deeply
religious, patriotic soldier" but
an eccentric" who is so "vio-
lently anti Communist" that he
believes mo holds are barred"
in the struggle against the
Reds.
The report said Gen. Walker
based the "Pro-Blue" indoc-
trination program for his COM
mand on his own convictions,
and not on any directive of the
John Birch Society. The SINH
larity Of contents, it said, was
coincidental but remarkably
identical"
Gen. Walker, in the judg-
ment of the investigating Off
Ger, joined the Birch Society
at an unSpecified date because
of "a basic similarity in APP
proach to anti-communiSm. He
only takes from the Birch So
ciety literature L.. those things
that he agrees with or which
would prove useful in his origi-
nal program. /
Gen. Brown added his opin-
ion that Gen. Walker regards
Robert WEIGH, the founder of
the Birch Society, "as a novice
in the field of anti-commu-
niSm."
Gen. Browns report added
considerable supporting EVIL
dence to that cited by MIR.
Mcnamara on Wednesday for
the charge that Gen. Walker,
"acting in an official capacity, |
attempted to influence the
members of the oath Infantry
Division and their dependents
in their selection Of SENATORIAL
and congressional candidates. %
Voter Checks Urged
The Defense Secretary re-
ferred only to an article cleared
by the general for the division
newspaper. urging voters to
check the records of their |
Congressman against a score
card prepared by Americans for
Constitutional Action, a right
wing political education COM
mittee.
The report also quoted q
Mrs. Annette. an officers wife, I
on the contents of a talk Gen.
Walker gave at an officers
club in Munich:
He was in civilian clothes
and said he was speaking as
a civilian and not as a major
general in the Army. During
his talk, he referred to a book
he had with him (and) said
that You could look at your
Senator's rating and find out
what percentage American
your Senator was in this book.
Gen. Walker said his idea of
a good Senator was Senator
Goldwater. who was '98 per
cent American
Gen. Brown commented that
"the. circumstances of the
meeting, the composition of the
audience and Gen. Walkers re-
lationship toward those at
tending, established that he, at
least to those present, was
speaking as the commanding
general despite his an
nounced statement to the con-
trary." |
Other parts of the report
presented evidence that Gen.
Walker did make derogatory
remarks on the leftist influence
or utilization" of former Presi-
dent Truman, Mrs. Eleanor
Roosevelt. U. S. Information
Agency Director Edward r.
Murrow and Radio Commenta-
tors Eric Sevareid and Walter
Cronkite.
The investigation found that
Gen. Walker did state that so
per cent Of the press and radio
were Communist-influenced."