| Show Marquis Childs Spy Inquiries Do U. U US U.S. S. S Much Harm WAS WASHINGTO WASHINGTON Both N Both N-Both Both at home and abroad the running running- battle over who spied on what and what spies shall be punIshed punished pun pun- and how is doing Infinite harm Abroad it makes this supposedly rich and powerful country look ludicrous beyond words Here at home it makes a matter matter matter mat mat- ter that should be considered with the utmost seriousness look like an early Mack Sennett comedy We Ve have had everything but and exchange of custard pie and that will probably come sooner or later This would in fact be bethe bethe bethe the moment to Charlie Chaplin It began with the overeager publicity of the house un Ameri can activities committee That established a circus atmosphere almost as M much as thou though h an time old-time had stood outside outside outside out out- side the door of the committee room haranguing the crowd to come In to see the wonders on display One stunt was to show a committee committee com com- guard sleeping in front ofa of ot ota ofa a safe containing the stolen documents The public gathered the idea that these were so vital to the security of the nation that thata a hour 24 guard was absolutely essential Vital Vita an as a Calendar This is bunk The documents are about as vital to American security today as a 1938 calen calen- dar I have been given this ass assur assurance as- as s sur u r a n nee c e by the very best authority In perhaps two or three places they might slightly interfere with the present conduct of foreign foreign foreign for for- eign relations giving the Russians Russians Rus Rus- scans a minor propaganda han han- dle But even that is debatable Experts could well disagree about this Immediately of course one of the committee leaks leals let it be known that the administration wanted to keep the documents secret because they thep contained material highly embarrassing to prominent administration fig fig- ures Again on excellent authority authority authority author author- ity I can say that this is also untrue One minor official whose name most people could not even identify might do a little squirming He is no longer connected with the government The sensible thing would be to give out all the material at once possibly with the passages mentioned above omitted To release re release release re- re lease a few fe of the documents as the committee has done is to leave the impression that others of far more significant nature are being kept back Could Break Code Codo The fact that the documents are not vital to national security now 10 years after they were removed from the files does not detract from their importance As Sumner Welles testified they were secret documents and they could have been used to break the state department code To remove them was ryas a crime and those who are guilty should be punished There is an orderly way to proceed to do this It is not by Klieg lights by inflammatory statements by public imprecations imprecations imprecations shouted from the housetops house house- tops That is the surest way to spread the widest doubt and confusion confusion confusion con con- fusion in the public mind President Truman's offhand conference remarks were in this vein But at the same time it must be said that the un Ameri can committee seems determined determined determined deter deter- mined to prove that the president president president dent was right when he said this was merely the final political politic political cal fireworks of a committee that is about to expire Two of the members taking part in the carnival of statements and leaks and are lame ducks defeated on Nov 2 2 The administration has much to answer for in the whole miserable mess Since these were for the most part state department department depart depart- ment merit documents it is strange that acting Secretary of State Robert Lovett has not assumed some authority Lovett has every right to ask to be heard Yet from the department department department de de- de- de we get nothing at all The a act acting c t i n g secretary could quickly end the hocus-pocus hocus over national security Snubbed Justice Department Tho The law enforcement arm of ot the government is the department department department depart depart- ment of justice To present the espionage case before the grand jury in New York the justice department must have access to the microfilms that Whittaker Chambers turned over to the committee Yet the committee repeatedly refused the request requests of the justice department and the F FBI B I to examine the films allowing ng them to see only prints from them In several instances the congress congress congress con con- gress now expiring tried to usurp the law enforcement and an d punishment function of th the e executive branch of the government govern govern- men ment The un-American un committee commit commit- tee offered the most glaring ex ex- ampler amples With this kind of in internecine internecine in- in warfare going on an there can be no order The t congress will meet In three e weeks and there should be a a. little more coordination site after r that tha t. t Copyright 1948 by United Feature Syndicate |
