SENATE UNIT TO DECIDE SCOPE OF INQUIRY INTO TRUMAN NEWS ORDER

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP91-00682R000300050007-0
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 12, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 10, 2002
• Sequence Number: 7
• Publication Date: May 21, 1952
• Content Type: NSPR

Approved For Release 2002/05/09 : CIA-RDP91-00682R000300050007-0
THE EVENING STAR
21 k ay 1952
.%' Senate Unit to Decide
Scope of Inquiry Into
Truman News Order
By the Associated Press
A special Senate subcommittee
called a closed-door meeting to-
day to chart a course for investi-
gating the effects of President Tru-
man's hotly disputed security
order.
The order authprizes civilian
Government agencies to withhold
information if such action is
deemed essential to national se-
curity. The armed services and
the State Department already had
that authority.
The inquiry, which will be con-
ducted under the broad powers of
advocate full publicity on their
activities.
Senator Hunt, Democrat, of
Wyoming, a member of last year's
widely televised Senate Crime In-
vestigations Committee, told a
reporter he opposed Senator Mc-
Carran's resolution. Senator Hunt
said televising of congressional
hearings is "a great educational
force."
the Senate's permanent subcom-
mittee on investigations, was pre-
cipitated by a resolution offered
by Senator Moody, Democrat, of
Michigan, a former reporter, whol
will preside.
Sponsorship by the Investiga-11
tions subcommittee gives the i
Moody group virtually unlimited
authority to investigate the af-
fairs of Government departments
and agencies.
Senator Moody said the meet-
ing today would be devoted mostly
to deciding on scope and objec-
tives of the inquiry.
The Michigan Senator said he
wants the inquiry to show wheth-
er the President's order has re-
sulted in censorship depriving the
public of information concerning
Government affairs to which it is
entitled.
3-Point Aim.
He has proposed specifically;
that the investigation should
show:
1. How the security order has
been used by Government agen-
cies since it was issued last Sep-
tember 24.
2. The functions of Govern-1
ment information officers.
3. What proper methods may be!
used to protect real military se-
crets without concealing informa-
tion from the public for other
reasons.
Newspaper and others news
groups have denounced the Presi-
dent's order vigorously as a form
of censorship. Mr. Truman con-
tends it is not censorship and.
does not unduly interfere with
the free flow of news.
Meanwhile, a fight was brewing
over a resolution by Senator Mc-
Carran, Democrat, of Nevada to
bar televising or broadcasting of
Senate committee hearings and
to prohibit taking of still or news-
reel pictures of them.
The National Association of
Radio and Television Broadcast-
ers announced it would petition
the Senate Rules Committee, to
which the resolution was referred
yesterday, for a hearing.
Harold E. Fellows, president
of the broadcasting group, said
Senator McCarran's proposal was.
"a clear invasion of the rights of
public media." He said he was
confident press, newsreel and mo-
tion picture groups would join
his association in fighting the
order.
House TV'Barred.
Coverage of House committee
hearings by television, newsreel
cameras and tape-recordings was
barred by Speaker Rayburn last)
February. Senator McCarran's
proposal would effect only the
Approved For , &s&,NQ~4,~p [QPdy c -RDP91-006828000300050007-0
hibits such coverage of the Senatej
Judiciary Committee which he ff
heads. But some other Senators