Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1962-04-04
INQUIRY
INQUIRY
Walker Accuses Defense Secretary
Of Misusing Report to Damage Him
Continued From Page Al

COntlnue0 FROM rage Al
elections ito create in the pub
lie mind the false impression
that I had been found guilty
Of violating the Hatch Act"
Mr.. Walker charged that Mr..
Mcnamara released only Sc
lected portions of the Army
report which were of maxi
mum damage to me-" He said
the Secretary'S action set a
dangerous precedent highly
detrimental to morale and COM
petence" in the Armed Services.
MIR. Walker said he was not
detailing the ''inequities" to
arouse sympathy or as a plea
for reconsideration of his case.
Others Named
He did it, he added, Ito show
how INSCRIPTIONS are the forces
back Of the Walker case and
how powerful they must be to
involve the Department of De-
tense and the Executive Branch
of our Government in such de-
vious methods"
Mr.. Walker charged that 1t
was SANDER and defamation
of my character" when Mr..
Mcnamara declassified and
made public the report at a
Senate Armed Services Com
mittee hearing last September.
He also singled out Assistant
Secretary Of Defense Arthur
Sylvester and Adam Yarmolin-
sky. one Of Mr.. McNamara's
chief assistants. as having a
part in the actions which led
to his resignation from the
Army last November after
more than 80 years of service.
Under questioning by James
Kendall, subcommittee counsel,
Mr.. Walker sal dthe charge
that he had used undue politi-
cal influence with his troops
was false and unjust"
At issue was an editorial ap-
pearing in the Taro Leaf, the :
oath Divisions newspaper, call
ing attention to the 1860 con-
greSsional elections and sug-
costing the voting index put
out by the conservative Ameri-
cans for Constitutional Action
as a reference.
Mr.. Walker said he accepted
responsibility for the editorial,
although he did not write it,
but insisted that the index was
suggested only for information
for the soldiers to use as they
saw fit.
Before the editorial appeared,
he testified, he had sent copies
of the index at his own ex-
pense to his corps commanders
and others and no questions
were raised. One was Gen.
Lyman L. Lemnitzer, then Army
Chief Of Staff and now chair
man Of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff, who wrote back, Mr..
Walker said. describing the in
dex as most interesting and
useful"
Asked his own views about
the index, Mr.. Walker said: II
guess it has a conservative bias.
1t also has a Republican bias
and I am a Democrat" :
Senator Symington, Demo- ,
crat of Missouri, told the wit
ness he had talked with Of !
ficers who were associated with !
him in Germany and found re- 8
spect and affection for him. '
But he said he also found a
feeling that Mr.. Walker while a
in the service had gone too far h
in political way.
Hatch Act Question Raised
Do you feel you violated the
Hatch Act?" Senator Syming-
ton asked. The act bars Fed
eral employees and military men
from engaging in partisan poll
tics.
II definitely did not violate
the Hatch Act" Mr.. Walker
replied. IF I did, somebody is
criminally negligent for not
trying me-"
In his statement the for ,
mer general gave the first de-
tailed statement of the events
which led up to his resignation =
and also criticized the lack of ,
a strong anti-Communist pro- :,
gram in the Government.
The Walker case" he said,
"can be recognized as basically ,
a fight between the 'interna- i,
tionalist left and the nation .
alist right with control of
part Of the United States mill ,
tary establishment at stake"
Seeks GOvernorship
The former general. who is
seeking the Democratic guber-
material nomination in Texas,
spoke darby of some control
apparatus" exercising influence
in the Government which will
not tolerate militant anti
Communist leadership by a
division commander"
In other highlights of a wide
ranging statement, Mr.. Walker
charged:
l. There is "a lack Of respon-
sibility and purpose in any
national effort or policy" to
meet the attacks of the Com ;
munist conspiracy.
2. Troop indoctrination pro- ;
grams are "unorganlzed. i'm
properly manned, unfinanced,
and unco-ordinated for an
adequate effort to provide the
necessary cold-war training and
front in our armed forces"
3. The pro blue" informa-
ton program which he insti-
tuted while commanding the
oath Infantry Division in Ger
many from 1859 until he was
removed from command last
year represented realistic COM
bat in the fourth dimension