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Show By DREW PEARSON and ROBERT ALLEN WASHINGTON. That secret Dies committee meeting did not consider new investigational plans as announced an-nounced by Chairman Dies. What actually took place was a fight to fire J. B. ("Doc") Matthews, the committee's so-called "Communism expert" The effort came within one vote of succeeding. Matthews was saved only by the slim margin of 4 to 3. The dismissal motion was made by Rep. John J. Dempsey, silver-haired silver-haired New Mexican, who has long been opposed to Matthews' employment employ-ment Supporting Dempsey were his two liberal colleagues, Reps. Joseph Jos-eph Casey of Massachusetts and Jerry Jer-ry Voorhis of California. Voting with Dies, who hired Matthews and has been his chief backer, was the fourth Democrat Joe Starnes of Alabama, Al-abama, and the two Republican members, Noah Mason of Illinois and J. Parnell Thomas of New Jersey. Jer-sey. Dempsey's move provoked a heated heat-ed clash. In demanding Matthews' ouster, Dempsey charged the investigator inves-tigator with bringing the committee commit-tee into disrepute by his "radical background" and his "passion for grinding personal axes." As an instance of this he cited ' Matthews' report on alleged Red in- , fluence in consumer organizations. This report, issued last December from Dies' home in Orange, Texas, without the knowledge or consent of the full committee, vigorously as- ' sailed the Consumers Union. , "I hold no brief for this organiza- 4 happens that it is a competitor of Consumers Research, in which Matthews Mat-thews has a large financial interest But he didn't mention Consumers Research in his report while he attacked at-tacked Consumers Union and other consumer groups." Dies militantly rushed to the defense. de-fense. "I know Matthews is a former radical," he shouted, "but that doesn't alter the fact that he has been very valuable to us in exposing expos-ing the inner workings of the Communist Com-munist movement" "If that is so," broke in Casey, "then let's keep him in that role. I have no objection to keeping him on our payroll as long as he remains re-mains in the job we hired him for an informer. But I strongly object ob-ject to his acting as the principal investigator of the committee, asking ask-ing questions of witnesses and issuing is-suing reports he has no authority to put out." Undaunted by the rejection of his dismissal motion, Dempsey offered another to slash Matthews' salary, upped from $3,600 to $6,000 by Dies, to $4,800. But again Matthews was saved by one vote 4 to 3. ... FRANCES AND HOTTENTOTS He Done Em Wrong. ... John L. (CIO) Lewis gels some information about tome ladies. John L. Lewis got an unexpected kickback from his rip-snorting as- ' sertion that Madame Secretary Per- ' kins knew as much about labor problems prob-lems "as a Hottentot knows about the moral code." Two weeks after the convention he received a letter from a foreign missionary reading as follows: "Dear Mr. Lewis: I cannot let the insult you hurled at the Hottentots pass unchallenged. I have lived and worked among these people for " many years and have found on the whole that they have a much higher respect for the moral code than peo- r pie who live in so-called civilized ( nations. "If what you say about Miss Per- . kins is true, then she must be a very I excellent public servant. I commend I her." I ROOSEVELT AND DIPLOMATS The President has discarded all the formal trappings for receiving a new diplomat. He tried the informal in-formal manner and liked it. This means three principal changes in procedure. He receives in his office instead of in the White House proper; he wears his business busi-ness suit, instead of pin striped trousers trou-sers and cutaway coat; and he omit the reading of the official messages". These messages are still prepared and released to the press, but the new diplomat is saved the trouble of reading, and the President is saved the trouble of listening In. cidentally the last message present ed was the longest on record-thai of Panama's new Ambassado George Boyd. The President now uses the tim. to better advantage. With no on in the room except himself and th, diplomat, unless an interpreter i required, he carries on an inform and friendly chat on matters th. interest them both. IS |