Reader Ad Slot
Reader Ad Slot placeholder
If you would like to support SpookStack without paying out of pocket, please consider allowing advertising cookies. It helps cover hosting costs and keeps the archive free to browse. You can change this choice at any time.
Sen Joseph Joe Mccarthy — Part 28
Page 24
24 / 46
1950
sentatives the right to know what is going
on in Washington?
I do not see how any defenders of
democracy, in view of the Hiss and the
Fuchs cases, can stil] maintain the right
of the executive department of govern-
Ment to refuse—as has been occurring
repeatedly in recent years—information
from the files to be atithorized to be
seen by the committees Bf Congress.
Mr. McCARTHY. I may point out to
the Senator that the Constitution gives
the Congress the right to get the infor-
mation which we have been demanding
for some time. Under the Constitution,
of course, the Congress has a right to
that information. How we can force the
President to give the information to Con-
gress Ido not know.
On August 4, 1946, the day H Hiss was ex-
posed by the House committee, and the
day of the President's famous “red her-
ring” statement, the President signed an
order saying, “No more departmental in-
formation shall be given to congressional
committees."
At that time there might have been a
reason for it; at that time the Congress
Was controlled by the Republican Party,
and I can see why the Presifient, with an
election coming along, might have felt
that the information might have been
weed for enmoe ooltinal asin
aes ee SVE Poe, gail,
However, the President's party has
had contro! of both the Senate and the
House of Representatives for over a year
now, and it seems that the President
should be able to trust his own party.
His party is in control. He showld be
able to say, “This is information to which
the Congress is entitled, under the Con-
stitution. My own party is in power, I
will let them have it.”
Frankly, Mr. President, I think the
President is making a terrible mistake.
If I may suggest something to the Sen-
ator, let me say that I think he and I
certainly should be on the same side in
this matter. The Democratic Party cer-
tainly is going to suffer because of this,
but it should not. I think the Demo-
cratic Party has lost contro! of the exec-
utive branch. An tnusual group of
people—a group of twisted-thinking in-
tellectuals—has taken over in the State
Department, in recent years.. They think
they are right, that ls what makes them
dangerous.
If the Democratic Party, as we see it
represented here in the Senate, had con-
trol, I do not think this sorry situation
would exist.
So the Senator should work with us
in ng to clean house.
McMAHON. Mr. President, will
es Benarer wialdd
Bae GENar Feia:
Mr. McCARTHY. Iam glad to yield.
Mr. McMAEON. The Senator's ob-
servation is entirely beside the point, as
was the observation just made by the
Senator from Maine. I do not stand
here to defend anyone. I simply wish to
point out to the Benator that there was
a complete file on these persons, and the
Benator obviously was giving only the
derogatory information.
Mr.McCARTHY. That is not correct.
Mr. McMAHON. I pointed out to the
Senator that falrness demanded that the
full files be made available, and certainly
that should be done before judgment of
|
cdnGRESSIONAL RECORD—SEN
the case is had That is my position,
and nothing else,
Mr. MUNDT, Mr. CAPEEART, and
other Senators addressed the Chatr.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Does
the Senator from Wisconsin yield; and if
80, to whom?
Mr. McCARTHY. I shall yield in a
moment. '
First, Mr. President, let me say that
the Senator from Connecticut just in-
duiged igsan erroneous assumption when
he said TF was indicating only the deroga-
tory information, This is a résumé of
the file.
Mr. MUNDT. Mr. President, will the
Benator yleld at this time?
Mr. McCARTHY. I yield.
Mr. MUNDT. I hope the Senator will
é
not follow the suggestion of the Senator
from Connecticut and discontinue his ef-
fort to purge Communists from the Gov-
ernment.
‘Mr. McMAHON. Mr. President, the
Senator from Connecticut made no such
statement.
# Mr. MUNDT. The Senstor should
wait until I finish.
Mr. WHERRY. Mr. President, I de-
mand the regular order.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The
Senator from Wisconsin-has the floor. A
Senator who has the floor can Field only
See Wait fia fese SSMS Rast
for a question. Senators who wish to
ask questions must first be yielded to
for that purpose.
Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. President, may
I frst make ft clear that I will yield to
every Senator present, as often as he
wants me to yield, but for the present
Tam yielding to the Senator from South
Dakota, and I will yleld to no one else
until he has finished his question. I
shall be glad then to yield to the Senator
from Connecticut.
Mr. MUNDT. I want the Senator from
Connecticut to Msten to this statement. I
think Iam quoting him exactly. I think
he suggested that the Senator from Wis-
consin shotld not continue with this ef-
fort of his, until the full files are made
avaliable to him. As not that correct?
Was not inat the Senator's statement?
Mr. McMAHON. That is exactly cor-
rect.
Mr. MUNDT. I thought it was cor-
. rect.
Mr. McMAHON. It is.
Mr. MUNDT. I bope the Senator from
Wisconsin will not yield to that kind of
argument, because, had the argument of
the Senator from Connecticut been fol-
lowed, Alger Hiss would never have been
convicted, for Alger Hiss was convicted
after the President gave his freeze order
wiaht «+ = #he 62:11 Al.
denying us the right to see the full file.
That would be a complete way to cover
up every Communist in the Government.
Mr. McMAHON. Mr. President, will
the Senator yield?
Mr. McCARTHY. Let me answer
first, and then I will yleld. I say to Ben-
ators, let them take their time. I wil
yleid to everyone here, and al! night if
necessary. I want to say J definitely will
not follow the suggestion offered by the
Benator from Connecticut thet I do noth-
ing until I have the complete file of the
fase, The President said “You shall not
see the file.” In fact, I never know when
I have the complete file. I have infor-
2059
mation from the State Department files,
information to which we are entitied.
Zam giving it to the Senate.
The Senator from Connecticut has said
something about my convicting someone.
Although even the jeader of the Sena-
tor's party has said, “You must give us
the names,” I have refused to do so. I
have said, “I will give {t to any commit.
tee. I will go before any committee. I
will be sworn. I will do anything.” 1
want to get some action, and I may say
to the Senator, T think he ie tha typ.
of man who should be working | along
with me on this matter. I have a great
deal of respect for the Senator from
Connecticut.
Mr. McMAHON. Mr. President, will
the Senator yield for » question?
Mr. MOCARTHY. I yieid. .
Mr. McMAHON. I am not trying to
work against the Senator. What did I
point out to the Senator and to the
Benate? I pointed out that the Senator
apparently has been giving the deroga-
tery information contained. in files of
which he has secured possession. I fur-
ther pointed out that in those files, if
there was information which disproved
the derogatory information, it was the
duty of the Senator to present it to the
Senate. Certainly no investigation of
these persons could be consistent with
American methods unless there were an
evaluation both of the derogatory in-
formation and the information which
went to disprove it. If we adopt any
ether theory than that, I claim we aban-
don one of the fundamental guaranties
which underly our form of government.
And if We are going to take the attitude
that simply because someone says s0-
and-so is a Communist, or waz seen talk-
ing to a Communist, it therefore, ipso
facto, settles the matter, then I say we
have adopted a theory which I do not
understand to be in consonance with our
form of government.
Mr. WMcCARTHY. I thank the
Senator.
Mr. McMAHON. I want to further
point out to the Senator that, in fair-
nea
Mr. McCARTHY. Is this a question?
Mr, McMAHON. The Senstor has
Ustened to speeches from some of his
other colleagues. T am sure he will in-
dulge me in this observation.
Mr. McCARTHY. Go ahead.
Mr. McMAHON. I thank the Sena-
tor. If he wanis to be fair, and bas fu!l
and complete files on a man, he ought
to read not only the derogatory informa-
tion but anything else that is said.
After it is read I might agree, especially
a he tn
if I could hear the witmesses, with the
Senator's contention that a certain
individual cought to be kicked out of the
Government and perhaps be put in jail.
What I do not see is how anyone can
form an intelligent judgment simply by
reading what a half dozen people say,
because perhaps they are rogues, scoun-
Grels, and thieves. Perhaps they have
some ulterior motive in making the state-
ments they do. I do not Know, I do
not judge this case and say the Senator
is not right, that the Senator does not
have derogatory information, which, if
true, would Warrant the full ‘penalty of
the law. He may be entirely right about
Reveal the original PDF page, then click a word to highlight the OCR text.
Community corrections
No user corrections yet.
Comments
No comments on this document yet.
Bottom Reader Ad Slot
Bottom Reader Ad Slot placeholder
If you would like to support SpookStack without paying out of pocket, please consider allowing advertising cookies. It helps cover hosting costs and keeps the archive free to browse. You can change this choice at any time.
Continue Exploring
Agency Collection
Explore This Archive Cluster
Broad Topic Hub
Topic Hub
letter
bureau
Related subtopics
Subtopic
Subtopic
Subtopic
Subtopic
Subtopic
Subtopic