COMMITTEE ON UN-AMERICAN ACTIVITIES

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP91-00965R000400320037-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 23, 2003
• Sequence Number: 37
• Publication Date: February 16, 1959
• Content Type: REPORT

Approved For Release 2003/10/16 : CIA-A?V -00965R000400320037-2
FOR RELEASE . JQNDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 1959
CO" J"ITTEE ON UN-A'' RICAN ACTIVITIES I
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES File
WASHINGTON, D. C.
Communist lawyers rank as part of an elite core within the
Communist Fifth Column on American soil, the House Committee on Un-
American Activities declared in a report, Communist Legal Subversion)
made public today.
The report summarizes the records of 39 of the more than 100
lawyers who have been identified before the Committee as members of the
Communist Party. Their activities include abuse of the courts, misbe-
havior before Congressional committees, circumvention of the law,
espionage, subversion in government, and propaganda for Communist causes.
Such activities on the part of lawyers who have been identified
as Communist Party members, the Committee said, create "a vital problem"
which is summarized in these questions:
How can a lawyer maintain his oath to uphold and
defend the Constitution of the United States when he
is an agent of a conspiratorial apparatus designed to
destroy the Constitution?
Now can a lawyer carry out his duty to serve the
interests of a client if he is under Communist disci-
pline which subordinates professional loyalties to
the interests of the Communist Party?
How can a lawyer meet the high standard of ethics
and conduct, historically required of members of the
bar, if he exploits the know-how and prestige of his
profession in behalf of Communist propaganda, subver-
sion, and espionage?
The Committee emphasized that Communist lawyers "represent
only a fraction of the total number of individuals engaged in the prac-
tice of law in the United States," and that the report "should not be
construed as a reflection on the overwhelming majority of the legal pro-
fession, in whose loyalty and patriotism the Committee has the highest
confidence." The Committee praised the American Bar Association for its
concern over the activities of Communist lawyers, The Committee noted
that the American Bar Association has established a Special Committee on
Communist Tactics, Strategy and Objectives, and that the Association has
adopted a number of recommendations directly relating to communism and
Communist lawyers..
The report states:
"The mechanics of legal subversion extend far beyond any legiti-
mate process of legal representation. They embrace the efforts of a con-
spiratorial minority, trained in the use of the legal instruments of our
society, to turn those instruments into weapons for the destruction of our
free society."
"While relatively few in number, the principals in this opera-
tion enjoy a far disproportionate influence in the American community as
a result of a combination of legal training, schooling in Communist sub-
versive techniques and the fact that they have behind them the entire
Communist apparatus and are made the subjects of favorable publicity
build-ups on the part of the Communist Party, its fronts and fellow trav-
elers in all walks of life."
Approved For Release 2003/10/16 : CIA-RDP91-00965R000400320037-2
 Approved For Release 2003/10/16 : CIA-RDP91-00965R000400320037-2
FOR RELEASE MONLAY, FEBRUARY 16, 1959
"The fact that identified Communist lawyers are very much in a
minority does not alter the seriousness of the situation whereby agents
of the Communist Party, by gaining entry into the legal profession, are
in a unique position to serve as instruments for those who would pervert
the very democratic processes a lawyer is sworn to defend."
"Under the mantle of the legal profession, the Communist can
operate as an ostensibly respectable and influential member of the com-
munity despite his dedication and subservience to Communist doctrines and
directives."
"The frequency of their appearances before our most important
and highly respected democratic institutions is evidence of the prominence
attained by Communists who have been admitted to the bar. They appear not
only before Congressional committees but, because of their highly respected
profession, are given free access to executive agencies, such as the Im-
migration and Naturalization Service, and to the State and Federal courts,
including our highest tribunal--the United States Supreme Court."
"In the past decade alone, identified Communist lawyers appeared
in person before the United States Supreme Court or were on the principal
brief in at least 32 important cases adjudicated by the Court on some
vital issue affecting the operations of the Communist Party itself."
"This report must not be construed as a reflection on the right
and privilege of legal representation for Communists. The cherished
American concept of the right to counsel must never be denied even te. Com-
munist conspirators who would renaer such concepts meaningless if their
efforts to subvert our Government were to succeed."
Approved For Release 2003/10/16 : CIA-RDP91-00965R000400320037-2