Evening star. [volume], March 11, 1951, Image 1

About Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972

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WASHINGTON, D. C., MARCH 11, 1951—172 PAGES. ★★
i 1 " ■ 1 “i
Washington m-pVT P’BVW'T’S 15 C1NTS
and Suburbs AJ2jPI XQ. Elsewhere
Missouri Tax Collector Linked
With Trying to Get RFC Lease;
Fulbright Hints Spread of Probe
House Showdown Due
On Truman Proposal
To Revamp Agency
By Robert K. Walsh
A Senate subcommittee turned
the heat on an Internal Revenue
Bureau Collector in Missouri yes
terday as its disclosure of Recon
struction Finance Corp. affairs
spurred the House toward a show
down this week on continuance of
RFC itself.
The subcommittee resumes pub
lic hearings tomorrow. At the
same time, a grand jury here be
gins an inquiry into “certain as
pects” of testimony and evidence
at the hearings thus far. Subcom
mittee investigators have cited the
possibility of perjury and other
law violations such as tax evasion.
In another development yester
day, it was revealed Jesse Jones,
former RFC head, wrote Senator
Fulbright. Democrat, of Arkansas,
that he has been “shocked” by
facts uncovered by the senator’s
subcommittee.
Suggests Abolishing Agency.
“The situation is much worse
than I had any idea it could be,”
Mr. Jones said in a letter, the text
of which was printed last night
by the Houston Chronicle. Mr.
Jones is publisher of the news
paper.
Mr. Jones repeated a recommen
dation made last year that the
RFC be abolished.
Senator Fulbright yesterday
wrote to Internal Revenue Com
missioner George J. Schoeneman
about testimony concerning James
Finnegan, Internal Revenue Col
lector at St. Louis. He told re
porters this was part of the “new
leads and loose ends” in a pic
ture that might be pursued by
other congressional committees
or administrative agencies. The
subcommittee, he said, hopes to
wind up its inquiry this week into
“influence and favoritism” affect
ing RFC.
uuring ine course oi a nearmg
held before this subcommittee
March 2," he wrote Mr. Schoene
man, “Rex C. Jacobs, president of
the F. L. Jacobs Co. of Detroit,
testified concerning his efforts to
lease certain facilities from the
Government of the United States.
According to his testimony, James
Finnegan, the Collector of Inter
nal Revenue in St. Louis, was to
be his associate in operations un
der the lease.
Excerpts Are Copied.
“Believing that this might be a
matter in which you would wish to
take an interest, I have had the
pertinent excerpts copied from the
transcript of the hearing and send
you a copy of them with this letter.
If you find that you wish to take
an interest in the matter, I would
appreciate your advising me of
your inquiries and'"their outcome.”
Mr. Jacobs, as well as White
House Aide Donald Dawson, E
Merl Young, a former RFC ex
aminer, and others have been
mentioned frequently at the sub
committee inquiry. They have
been named as figures in what
Senator Fullbright describes as "a
pattern of influence” touching
some RFC directors and loans.
In that connection, subcommit
tee sources revealed yesterday
that Mr. Young notified them he
and his wife expect to visit Mr.
Jacobs at his estate near Home
stead, Fla., this week “for a rest.”
Mr. Young is an $18,000-a-year
employe of Mr. Jacobs.
Mr. Jacobs testified March 2
that he once tried unsuccessfully
to lease the Nicaro Nickel Co. »bf
Cuba from the General Services
Administration. Mr. Finnegan, he
said, was to be his partner if the
lease went through. He recalled.
(Continued on Page A-5, Col. 4.)
Bolling Airman Killed
In Virgin Island Crash
Stall Sergt. Frank W. Mc
Carthy, 29, Air Force flight engi
neer who has been stationed at
Bolling Air Force Base since last
July, was killed last night when
a B-25 light bomber crashed on
St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands.
Seven others aboard the bomber,
which left Washington Thursday,
escaped unhurt or with minor in
juries when it crashed shortly
after taking off. The plane was
on a navigation training cruise.
Sergt. McCarthy, attached to
the 1101st Maintenance Squadron,
joined the Air Force seven years
ago. His mother, Mrs. Cecelia
McCarthy, lives in Scranton, Pa.
Others on the plane when it
left Bolling were Lt. Col. C. R.
Ladd, the pilot; whose local ad
dress was not given; Lt. Col. H. W.
C. Shelton, co-pilot, of McLean,
Va.; Lt. Col. Paul B. Woodward,
co-pilot, of 4631 Thirty-sixth
street, Fairlington, Va.; Col. Mor
gan Goodhart, navigator, of Falls
Church, Va.; Lt. Col. L. H. Staf
ford, navigator, of Falls Church,
and Lt. Col. L. H. Harrison, navi
gator, of McLean.
All of the officers were on duty
at the Pentagon.
The radio operator was Staff
Sergt. Lynwood Davis of the
1103rd Maintenance Squadron,
Bolling.
Whether Mrs. Young Still Holds
White House Job Is Puzzle
Reports of Firing Are
First Confirmed
And Then Denied
Does Mrs. E. Merl Young, the
stenographer with a $9,450 mink
coat, still have her White House
job?
Confused reporters decided last
night that the answer depends on :
whom you talked to last.
The last answer to come from
Key West. Fla., where President!
Truman is on vacation, is that
she’s staying on the job.
But there was this confusing
series of events:
Representative Keating, Repub
lican of New York, told a radio
audience he had “heard’’ that
the President has fired Mrs.
Young, whose fur coat deal
caused raised eyebrows at the
Senate inquiry into Reconstruc
tion Finance Corp. affairs.
Newspapers and press associa
tions immediately telegraphed
their reporters with Mr. Truman
at Key West to check this report.
The first answer the Key West
men got, on supposedly good au
—AP Photo.
Mrs. E. Merl Young.
thority, was that officially there
was no comment but that actually
the decision had been made to
fire Mrs. Young. It could not be
ascertained from this source at
<See MRS. YOUNG. Page A-5.)
Markups for Groceries
And Food Processors
Will Be Fixed by OPS
Story Wilson Dictated
Wage Policy Is Lie,
Johnston Declares
By James Y. Newton
Price Director Michael V. Di
Salle last night had about com
pleted work on two control orders
designed to check, and, in some
instances, roll back the advancing ;
prices of food and other important
living cost items.
On another part of the controls j
Front, Economic Stabilizer Ei ic
A. Johnston branded as a “lie”
the “rumors” circulated by labor
onion leaders that Mobilization Di
rector Charles E. Wilson dictated
wage control policy to the Wage
Stabilization Board.
The first new food price order
will fix ceiling prices for retail and
wholesale grocers. The Office of
Price Stabilization egpects to is
sue it this week. A second order,!
applying to manufacturers and
food processors, probably will be
issued next week.
Specific Margins Set.
Retail and wholesale growers
will be given specific margins by
which they may mark up the sell-1
ing price of food over what they'
actually pay for it. Ceilings will
be set by geographic areas for four (
different types of retail groceries,
ranging in size from the small
corner store to the big chains and
super-markets.
Officials said the size of the
price markups will be set by the
OPS and not by the merchants
themselves, as is the case in the
recent order covering nearly all of
the retail goods other than food.
It is believed that large reductions
can be obtained in the markups
now being tacked on by many
grocers.
In the case of the control order
for manufacturers and food pro
cessors, the base period to be used
in setting ceilings will be the
month just before the start of the
Korean war last June. They will
be allowed to add to the pre
Korea prices only the actual in
creases in costs. And the manu
facturer and processor must sup
ply OPS with proof that their
costs have risen.
May Squeeze Some Merchants.
Mr. DiSalle admits the orders
may squeeze some merchants and
manufacturers. But he says the
orders should eliminate the profi
teering some businesses have en
gaged in the last nine months.
Both orders will replace the
* *
(See CONTROLS, Page A-5.)
Far-Reaching Search
For Government Reds
Begun by Senators
McCarran Subcommittee
To Do Most of Its Work
In Closed Sessions
By Joseph Young
A new and far-reaching search
for Communists in the Govern
ment and armed forces has been
started by the Senate Internal
Security subcommittee, it was dis
closed last night.
Committee members predicted
that the investigation—to be con
ducted largely in secret—would be
the “most fruitful” yet under
taken by any committee in Con
gress to uncover subversives in
Federal positions.
The subcommittee is part of the
Senate Judiciary Committee. It
was organized last month. Chair
man McCarran of the committee
also is chairman of the security
subcommittee.
Several units have been estab
lished within the subcommittee to
delve into subversive activities.
Senator Eastland, Democrat, of
Mississippi is heading the unit in
vestigating possible Communists
in Government and in the mili
tary forces.
Senator O’Conor, Democrat, of
Maryland heads the group that
will investigate penetration by
Communist agents from abroad.
“Legislative Maginot Line.”
Senator O’Conor declared:
“The evidence which we have
thus far accummulated establishes
beyond any doubt that the Com
munist network in the United
States is inspired, organized, con
trolled and directed in large part
by those foreign agents who are
sent here under diplomatic im
munity and who are working
feverishly to destroy us.
“So cunning are the tactics with
which the Communists in this
country are constantly seeking new
avenues of expression and escape
from detection that one might
wish it were possible for us to
build a ‘legislative Maginot line’
to protect the American people
from Communist activity.”
The other members of the sub
committee are Senator Smith,
Democrat, of North Carolina, and
Republican Senators Ferguson of
Michigan, Jenner of Indiana, and
Watkins of Utah.
Not a Fishing Expedition.
Thus far, Senator Ferguson is
the only other committee mem
ber assigned to work with Senator
Eastland on the investigation of
possible Communist infiltration
into Government agencies and the
(See COMMUNISTS, Page A-7.)
Senate Probers Get RFC Data
On Elder Michaux Housing Loan
Government loans for a Wash
ington housing project headed by
Elder Solomon Lightfoot Michaux,
Negro evangelist here, in 1944,
attracted the attention of a Senate
subcommittee investigating the
Reconstruction Finance Corp., a
subcommittee official said yester
day.
The subcommittee some time
ago asked RFC for information
about those loans but plans no
formal inquiry, he explained. The
request, he added, was one of
many during the last year in con
nection with the subcommittee's
study of possible influence and
favoritism in RFC.
RFC approved about $3 million
in loans for the housing develop
ment begun in 1942 on the site
of the old Benning racetrack at
Kenilworth and Hayes avenues
N.W. The project was taken over
in 1944 by Mayfair Mansions, Inc.,
of which. Elder Michaux was pres
ident.
George E. Allen, a former Dis
trict Commissioner and later an
RFC director, and Elder Michaux
were on the board of directors of
Mayfair Gardens, Ine., before the
reorganization in which the proj
ect was taken over by Mayfair
Mansions, Inc.
When Elder Michaux took
charge of the project in June,
1944, according to records pub
lished at the time, the Federal
Housing Administration insured
the mortgage held by RFC.
Mr. Allen told a Senate subcom
mittee considering his RFC nom
ination in 1946 that he had turned
over his stock in Mayfair Man
sions, Inc., to Elder Michaux’s
church.
Elder Michaux and Mr. Allen
could not be reached for comment
last night. Elder Michaux is pas
tor of the Church of God of the
Gospel Spreading Association.
Yanks Smashing
At Chinese Red
Fortified Line
Defenses 5 Miles
Deep Protect Key
Enemy Positions
By the Associated Press
TOKYO, Sunday, March 11.—
Three American divisions today
pushed close to a Chinese Red
fortified line, 19 miles long and
5 miles deep, defending the key
enemy position in Central Korea.
The Communists rushed in re
serves to replace losses of 30,000
in four days.
The enemy defense line ex
tended from a mountainous area
south of* Hongchon, a Red Army
headquarters, west for 19 miles
to the Pukhan river.
The United States 1st Marine
Division, moving methodically over
ridges within 8 miles of Hongchon,
rammed for the first time into
the Chinese 298th Division.
Officers said this was the only
reserve division of the Chinese
66th Army which has headquar
ters at Hongchon. Its other two
divisions already were in the line.
Operating west of the Marines,
the United States 1st Cavalry and
24th Divisions neared defenses in
depth still being hastily fortified
by the Reds.
In Western Korea, the United
States 25th Division expanded its;
bridgehead north of the Han
River. •
Reds’ Losses Mount.
Flame-throwing tanks in the
bridgehead poured a fiery death:
on Reds hiding in caves. Other
Reds who chose flight were mowed
down by machinegun crews.
The United States 8th Army
estimated today that 4.988 Reds
were killed or wounded in ground;
action across Korea yesterday. It
earlier listed enemy casualties for
the previous three days at more
than 25.000.
Red losses mounted in all sec
tors of a 70-mile front where the i
United Nations divisions were
carrying the fight to the enemy.
A field dispatch today from
east-central Korea—the trackless
mountain area east of Hoengsong
—said the United States 2nd
Division has closed a trap on an
undetermined number of Commu
nists. This was accomplished by
seizure of dominating terrain 6
miles northeast of Hoengsong,
Eighteen miles east of Hoeng
song, the United States 7th Divi
sion stormed Mt. Taemi, a height
of more than 3,000 feet. One thou
sand North Koreans resisted the
Americans from rock emplace
ments and dugouts studding the
sides of the height.
The outcome still was in doubt.:
The doughboys fought with bay
onets and hand grenades up Mt.
Taemi Friday, only to be forced
back Friday night.
Big Battle Brewing.
But the big battle appeared to
be brewing before Hongchon. That
highway hub and enemy assembly
center is 55 miles east of Seoul.
The 1st Marines driving up the
road north from Hoengsong and
the 1st Cavalry moving northeast
up the road from Yongdu both
were reported about 8 miles from
Hongchon.
Eighth Army headquarters said
the 1st Cavalry had run into mine
fields as the troops approached
enemy positions in depth on both
sides of the Yongdu-Hongchon
road.
United States 24th Division
troops on the 1st Cavalry’s left
(west) flank also neared the forti
fied line.
Air observers reported the Reds
were busy building new fortifica
tions along the Hongchon River
which skirts the southern edge of
the city of the same name.
Defenses Flank Road.
These would extend the depth
of the fortifications to more than
5 miles. The Reds are known to
have prepared them on both sides
of the Yongdu-Hongchon road be
ginning at Yangdogwan. That
town, 8 miles southwest of Hong
chon, is the approximate frontal
position of the 1st Cavalry.
Far East Air Force planes went
out today in support of the Allied
offensive after pummeling enemy
communications with 850 sorties.
Despite unfavorable weather,
United States 5th Air Force
planes last week flew more than
3,750 sorties, the biggest such
week of the war.
Stunned by an intense artillery
barrage which preceded last
week’s crossing of the Han east
of Red-held Seoul, the enemy
still had not recovered sufficiently
there to put up a hard flghv
The 25th Division troops were
(See KOREA, Page A-4.)
ross, Honor Medal Holder,
Ordered Back in Service
By th* Associated Press
SIOUX FALLS, S. Dak., Mar.
10.—Col. Joe Foss, the flying ace
who shot down 26 Japanese planes
and won the Congressional Medal
of Honor in World War II, today;
received orders to report to the
Central Air Defense Force, Kansas
City, March 16. '
Col. Foss served in'the Marine
Corps during the last war. This
time he’ll be in the Air Force.
Col. Foss has been chief of staff
of .the South Dakota Air National
Guard. He unsuccessfully sought
the Republican nomination for
South Dakota Governor last
summer.
Vinson Reveals New Draft Bill,
Putting 3-Year Limit on Law
House Plan Also Sets 4-Million Man
Ceiling, But Withholds UMT Commitment
By George Beveridge
Chairman Vinson of the House
Armed Services Committee last
night unwrapped a revised draft
bill which would place a three
year limit on the authority to
draft men for military service.
If the draft were still needed
after June, 1954, under the bill,
the burden would be on the ad
ministration to convince Congress
of the need.
In addition, the new measure—
which differs sharply from the
version passed by the Senate Fri
day—would impose a 4 million
man strength ceiling on the armed
forces and give Congress a chance
to rule later on specific details of
a permanent universal military
training program.
The Senate also approved a
4 million military strength ceil
ing, over strong protests from
defense leaders.
Mr. Vinson said he would urge
committee approval of the bill'
tomorrow, in the hope that it
can clear the Rules Committee
on Tuesday and be called to the
House floor on Wednesday.
In re-writing the measure, Mr.
Vinson is reported to have* met1
--
(See DRAFT, Page A-3.1
Railroad Pay Dispute
Closing Steel Plant
Of Jones & Laughlin
Official Says Slowdown
Will Have Pittsburgh
Works 'Flat' Tomorrow
By the Asiociated Preis
PITTSBURGH, Mar. 10.—Hit
by a "slowdown-' strike of con
necting railway employes, the huge
Pittsburgh works of Jones and
Laughlin Steel Corp. will be "ab
solutely flat” by Monday morning,
a spokesman said tonight.
The shutdown make about 12,
000 steel workers idle.
Mediation efforts in Washing
ton, which began late Friday,
broke up tonight without a settle
ment.
Meetings of Government medi
ators, MonongaheljE connecting
railway employes, and representa
tives of the Brotherhood of Rail
road Trainmen will resume in
Pittsburgh Monday.
Intra-Plant Road.
The Monongahela is an intra
plant railroad that hauls materi
als inside J. & L.’s Pittsburgh
mills. When it quits running, the
plant quits running.
Jones and Laughlin said tonight
it is making a "progressive shut
down.”
Four of the company’s six blast
furnaces already are down. The
other two are being "fanned”—
that is, kept warm so that they
can be put back into use in a
matter of hours. The 16 open
hearths are being cooled off and
will be practically down by morn
ing. The blooming mill will be
mainly out of operation tomorrow.
Koaa operated Dy Army.
A spokesman for Jones and
Laughlin reported to the Army
that the railroad workers “slowed
down because of a wage dispute.”
The railroad was seized by the
Army several months ago because
of a labor dispute.
The spokesman added:
“The men take so long to throw
switches and do other routine
work that it’s impossible to oper- \
ate.”
Officials of the union made no
comment.
Admiral Ben Morrell, president
of J. & L„ told the Army the slow
down had reached the point where
continued operation of blast fur
naces would “result in serious
danger to life and property.”
The railroad is a subsidiary of
the steel company and has about
1,000 workers, half of them mem
bers of the BRT.
"Slight Chance" of Snow
Forecast for Tonight
As a reminder that winter is
still on the scene, the Weather
Bureau warned that there is a
“slight chance” of snow tonight.
On the other hand, it might rain,
the forecaster said.
It will be sunny most of the day,
with the temperature in the mid
40s, the forecaster said. The sky
will begin to cloud over in the
afternoon. Tomorrow will be
cloudy and cold.
I
Committee Showdown
Due on Plan to Link
Troop Issue and Draft
House Republicans to
Push Amendment on
Curbing Commitments
By J. A. O'Leary
A showdown may come in the
House Armed Services Committee
tomorrow morning on the Repub
lican move to tie the troops-1 or -
Europe issue to the new draft bill.
Representative Arends of Illi
nois, Republican whip, said some
GOP member will offer an amend
ment to the draft bill, banning
troop commitments to Western
Europe until both branches of
Congress authorize the commit
ments. The move was recom
mended by the House Republican
Policy Committee Friday.
Several Republicans on the
House Armed Services Committee
made it clear yesterday that the
amendment is not designed to
prevent any American ground
troops from being assigned to Gen.
Eisenhower's European defense
command, but to make sure Con
gress will have a voice in making
the decision.
Rayburn Dubious of Plan.
Administration leaders will fight
the effort to inject the issue into
the draft bill, and Speaker Ray
burn has said he does not think
the House will go that far.
Chairman Vinson avoided a
prediction of the outcome, but
Representative Brooks, Democrat,
of Louisiana, answered, “I would
think not,” wThen asked if the Re
publican move would succeed.
‘‘I am supporting Gen. Eisen
hower in this critical time," said
Mr. Brooks. “We’ve got to if we
want to prevent World War III.”
The Louisianan said the draft
(See FOREIGN POLICY, Pg. A-3.)
Truman Is Worried
Over Efforts to Curb
His Military Power
Reported Concerned .
Over Effect on Defense
And Atlantic Allies
By Joseph A. Fox
Star Staff Correspondent
KEY WEST, Fla., Mar. 10.—
President Truman and top ad
visers are worried over budding
congressional efforts to tie the
administration's hands on the size
of the United States armed forces
and the sending of troops to
Europe, it developed today as Mr.
Truman passed the first lap of his
contemplated three - week work -
and-rest visit here.
They are bothered, it was re
ported reliably, not so much by
the proposed curbs themselves, as
by their effect on the North At
lantic Pact allies, and on the de
fense program at home. Strenuous
efforts will be made to remove
them.
Two moves in the Senate this
week caused the trouble. First was
the action of the Senate Armed
Forces and Foreign Relations
Committees, in adopting a reso
lution to the effect that Mr. Tru
man should consult with Senate
and House before sending to
Europe more troops than the four
divisions tentatively planned. Sec
ond was Senate action yesterday
in adopting a 4-million-man ceil
ing on the size of the armed forces
which military chiefs have warned
would be a “gamble with the Na
tion's security" and an aid to Rus
sia.
Neither Move Is Final.
Neither move, of course, is yet
final. The resolution on Con
gressional “approval” of dispatch
of troops abroad only continues
a long-standing running fight be
tween the President and Con
gresisonal foes, and is still subject
to ratification by the Senate and
House.
The Senate “ceiling.” written
into the new manpower bill, must
also gain House approval.
According to some sources, ad
ministration officals believe that
these moves would tend to dampen
the ardor of Atlantic Pact nations1
for the rearming program, and
also might have a bad psycholog
ical effect on the people at home
by leading them to think that the
necessities of the situation are not
so great as they have been por
trayed.
President Truman plans his first
meeting with the press since leav
ing Washington, sometime next
week, and will have the opportun
ity, if he so desires, of making
known how strongly he feels about
the matter. He is expected to
take it up also on Monday, at the
(See TRUMAN. Page A-7.)
Under Decentralization
Go and They'll Buy Your House,
Stay and They'll Give You a Job
Real estate and manpower
scouts are keeping the telephone
wires humming these days as a
result of the Government’s decen
tralization program.
There is no conflict between the
two—the real estate people want
the homes of Federal workers who
might be leaving Washington, and
the manpower hunters want to
latch on to workers desiring to re
main here.
But competition within the
ranks of each has been sharp
since the announcement a few
days ago that 5,183 Federal-ites
would be affected when their jobs
are transferred elsewhere.
Things began popping soon
after The Star published inter
views with many who vowed they
would, or would not, go along
when their agencies or sections
are moved 60 to 90 days from now.
Jingling telephones kept pace
with jangled nerves of personnel
afficers at the affected agencies,
rhe pleading voices at the other
end were other personnel direc
tors, wanting to snap up any tal
ent determined to stay in Wash
ington, and therefore about to be
unemployed.
And those real estaters were on
the job, too.
“The newspaper couldn’t have
been on the street 40 minutes be
fore I got a call from one want
ing to buy my house,” said one
potential emigree.
The Bureau of Standards office
where he worked soon was buz
zing with inquiries to other work
ers, many of whose names were
not in the newspaper.
Mrs. Harry G. Boydstun, 2409
N. Florida street, Arlington,|
answered her house phone at 4
p.m. Thursday—the day the
newspaper story appeared—and
sot a jolt.
“I see you have advertised your
house for sale,” said the real es
tate agent. Mrs. -Boydstun hadn’t
(See DECENTRALIZATION, A-5.)i
Beran Banished,
Fined by Czechs;
Priest Gets Post
Archbishop Ordered
To Live Outside of
Prague Archdiocese
By the Associated Press
PRAGUE, Czechoslovakia, Mar.
10.—The Communist government
announced tonight it had banished
Archbishop Josef Beran, Catholic
primate of Czechoslovakia, frcm
the seat of his archdiocese because
of his "negative attitude to church
laws.” He has been replaced by
a "patriotic and democratic” pal
ish priest.
Archbishop Beran, a foe of any
interference by the Communist
government in church matters,
was ordered by the State Office
for Church Affairs to live outsice
his Prague archdiocese and to nay
a fine. The announcement did not
state the amount of the fine,
whether the primate had been re
move! from Prague, or his present
whereabouts.
No Word for 13 Months.
The archbishop was punished by
the administrative penal organs,
a kind of court, under the ad
ministrative penal law, the an
nouncement said. The news was
released l)y the official Czech
news agency and broadcast by the
official Prague radio.
While there has been no word
directly from the 62-year-old
primate for 13 months, the gov
ernment announcement appeared
to have quieted, at least temporar
ily, rumors that he might be tried
like the primate of Hungary,
Josef Cardinal Mindszenty, who
was sentenced to life imprison
ment. At the same time it seemed
to indicate that Archbishop Beran
had not ceased his resistance to
government moves against the
hierarchy.
(The National Catholic Wel
fare Conference Information
Bureau in Washington said last
December that its sources had
confirmed reports the arch
bishop had been taken from his
residential palace and im
prisoned.)
UASi liCtKI III rcuiuaiji 1«7JV.
Archbishop Beran has not been
seen outside his 150-room 16th
I Century hilltop palace in Prague
since June, 1949, when he went
into seclusion and was reported
under virtual house arrest. Fre
quently he sent out letters to his
parish priests, but there has been
no such - letter since February,
1950.
The Government announcement,
accusing Yfle prelate of having
shown an “unco-operative atti
tude,” disclosed that the metro
politan chapter, or priests’ organi
zation of St. Vitus’ Cathedral,
the archbishop's seat, had received
the resignation of the primate’s
vicar general, Dr. Bohumil Opa
trny, at a meeting Thursday. The
chapter then unanimously elected
Father Antonin Stehlik, a rela
tively unknown parish priest, as
vicar capitular for the Prague
archdiocese. This meant that
Father Stehlik had been placed
in charge of the archdiocese, since
the capitular title is applied only
to a person who takes over a
vacant see pending the selection
of a new archbishop.
Selection Hailed.
The news agency said the elec
tion of Father Stehlik had taken
place under the chairmanship of
Archbishop Beran’s own suffragan
bishop, Dr. Antonin Eltschker,
adding:
"It is therefore possible to call
this act of the St. Vitus Chapter
e happy step which will surely be
a new aid for good co-operation
between state and church.”
The principal church law which
the Communists have adopted and
to which the announcement re
ferred puts priests, in effect, in the
pay of the state and gives tne
state oversight of church admin
istration, property, communica
tions and appointments.
Faither Stehlik was formerly
parish priest of St. Anthony’s in
Holesovice, a Prague suburb. His
appointment has the approval of
the state office for church affairs,
headed by Communist Deputy
Premier Zdenek Fierlinger. It is
this office which has taken over
most of the affairs of the Catholic
church, over the opposition of the
Czech hierarchy and the protests
of the Vatican. All appointments
to church posts now must be ap
proved by Fierlinger’s office.
“The new vicar capitular,” said
(See BERAN, Page A-5.i
Two High Schools Meet
In WMAL Contest
How does your knowledge of current
events compore with that of Wash
ington's high school students?
To find out, listen to "Quiz 'Em on
the Air" from 2:30 to 3 p.m. today
on WMAL, The Evening Star station.
Anacostia meets McKinley in this new
weekly radio quiz series, sponsored
as a public service by The Star and
WMAL, in co-operation with the Dis
trict Board of Education.
Also hear Jim Berryman, Pulitzer
Prize winning Star cartoonist, tell the
students how he develops an idea into
a finished cartoon. Mr. Berryman is
judge and guest speaker for this
week's quiz.
Radio Programs, Page C-8-9
Complete Index, Page A-2