HOUSE GROUP MOVING TO PROBE BIRCH SOCIETY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75-00149R000400030028-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: November 11, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 10, 1998
• Sequence Number: 28
• Content Type: NSPR

OPYRGHT
Sanitized.- Ap
'
House Group,.
To Probe .81
it
~... '` aigfifaeturer who founded ti94
ociety - in 1i3i3a. had' charged
"' .~, ? rp}raer ~eorstary'of t~altr Jphtt
4te atwr Dul16Y and CIA DUW4V
n tier !toting called these
otfed semi-secret operations
ub}ic~ officials slits private
11 44.
House Un-American Activities
Committee said today he alas
ordered a?prelimloary Investi-
gation of the acttvitdes of .the
John Birch Society, the con-
troversial antt-Con ntlnia6' or-
ganization.
The investigation was re-
quested earlier today by Rep=
reselitative Hiostand, Repub-
lican of California. $ member
of the society. Mr. Hiostand
said he ?wes sure an honest
inquiry would dispel -charges
that the society is a "dictatorial,
Fascist" organization.
Mr. Walter said the purpose
of the preliminary investiga=
tion was to determine. whether
his committee has j.urisdbtion.
Noting that its legislative char-
ter limits its inquiries to the
diffusion of propaganda attack-
ing the principle or form of the
united States Governtn@nt. Mr.
Walter said. "I -don't see from
the press rcports anything this
society has dons that would
brln it within the purview of
this commtttee." ' carried on... Saxe that if meuibtilrf of`tti
Mr. 'Htestatifl' became the 8irc fiociety are-called beltr
eior
Reuss Backs Inqulrt first member of congress o : i
~greasloria . _.COtrf
rGCp1'eaenscons a, sal "?' send!-secret society today when
crat of Wisconsin, said toga Amendtho" < X
he-wax asked about, a tatter if ,r- , birdh w'ettY 1 e0;. slid
merous letters he said he ac
diem to make no attack
cca attacking Chief Jusiic tile itftenseiy patriotic. It - Would
society "until you kilo
rr~Varren~ , d good thing to hear their
the lads.
He reported that many of th story from the berg them.
Mr. Hic rand told an lnte
letters were mlmeographcd an selves."
foilowed the same general lin vie' he had joined the grow 1Jr. Hiestand "14, that no
but usually did not identify th lb calico nia "quite a whit f0d viduld in the +ogiety is
"' t o said; I m qui
.,writers ga members of the Johi ii cit. fed to carry oqt ,a$
I Birch Society. there are gther merabe that violate hill own,
"
111 a XLLC1 to ~,uau aaaaa. ...,gip - ?..,. utr,, Wc. a ova. r w.??..,--. ----
ter, Mr. Reuss said he belied+s of the society. $ h y- aI do in>r "the "Cie
the letters he has received oils he 'believed each shoo! tide for," he said, 'but the
inated with the society. He ga ~? TO fie- right to decide to '
wig Q8 per cant of its program
!pr :>aganda o enizatlona lav f whether to reveal ?Y i tu;te~ patriotism and anti-
r4 .. irpenibeivtlfip. uniam.1
,
~., -T'he ' Congneatna odd h for the chsirges against
s py fed to send 171a cau a Elsenhow other. )flgh
CPYRGHT r' note 'toe hts tolleaqu ublican o~ chili, ? Mr. His.
because "$ frfem d ee id."soafe ofp tbyfe were
cerday i, A- /t1...Clo tP.. sf were
Mr. 7lieatand declined -
, was n00 1
identity the senator-ofA-wh
_, stra o i ~'..diter titbtf add w
tlO
rte spoke. Senato ,~:...,....... d to be.tidential."
'Young. 'Republican .-of Nor said flietv, were e beln
bayota,,early this month beg ged up now ,iii r effoi'
apt'; Bc'fn the 6eriate agai t' destro' the otsgartifzation t
ir the Hirai bociety. blic opinichf. "When an anti
Mr. Hieatflpd slid,
made. about the'sdciety. H
Sanitized :- Approved For Relea
tort, but that in this tnstafQp I ,
fire financed and how tpey a re
Z._.
*1 in _
e offidlaii. bulb dgeifd that-
.,. a rsv-vw
a ? Californian rolamed`bo
*_d a "California Col"W,4!tr
ins - accuastto!> ? whoee;n they do_ not urldetgtand:
. Went Taloe !111th
Mr. 1-liestand said he -vas.
floine cases. most. onbervauve.
#'tewspapera in the country...
As for the proposed ins
ltd-
doubt that.I will, but it'll
thins the Demoara ttG lei .der- ;x
!siaipctrhould , , ider in, View of
the - 1"'t " interest agd
!003 ' IVt#F'~?~
po3uervst.ive Republican from
aitfosnia, said in an interview
i,"y that be v111 continue to
Mr. Utt said the organization
has some strong chapters in his
district, whose members have
en ticallr opposed commu-
'aiamr d what'itifey-regard a?1
'~ 1,M.. d wasteful eco-
M"ib projects in the State and
t smunity. , .
Wrote 'to Welch
Declaring that he wes no' a
member of the aoeiety and knew
of no others in Congress ex-
cept Mr. Idiestand, Mr. Utt dis-
closed that within the last Fear
nthet etety members to cau-
on. tngm Against letting the
organization "become a sort of '
'Gerald L. K. Smith outfit."
. He added, however, that so
clety members' in his district
were ",all reputable .people.
somg of whtsm have supported I
Line in the past." Mr, Utt saidi
y,he. ,~iftered with Qhlef Justice,
li Wa,rtn and other Supreme l
Court, members. on many 'is-,
but..thougtit it was "fan-
titatic"' to urge impeachment
of the Chief Justice.
The Joan Birch Society was
- founded by Mr. 'Welch in late 1
11088 as an tirganizs.tion to com-
bet,- CoMMIMist subversion in
the United States: It takes its .
hanfe from a 27-year-old Bap-
tist nnasibnAry. from Georsia
who was cn-Arr Y'intelligen 1
officer in the.p'ar East during
World-,W{ir,:- and was kilted
by the Chinese Communists lo',
days after V-J Day. .
'I'!'i orDnizatlon functioned,
in near secrecy for a" Ye#, but
recently it has been the target
of criticism from conservative
newspapers -afvrl magazines,
who have charged that its tac-
tica-breed distrust of American
l:? institution' and damage. ti?e
i lconservattve cause try hrinc;nq
alt 'e0nservatives under slls-
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