Longines Chronoscope/01-03-1954

Narrator
It's time for the Longines Chronoscope, a television journal of the important issues of the hour, brought to you every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, a presentation of the Longines-Wittnauer Watch Company, maker of Longines, the world's most honored watch, and Wittnauer, distinguished companion to the world honored Longines.

Frank Knight
Good evening, this is Frank Knight. May I introduce our co-editors for this edition of the Longines Chronoscope: from the CBS television news staff, Larry Lesueur and Winston Burdett. Our distinguished guest for this evening is the honorable Charles. E. Potter, United States Senator from Michigan.

Larry Lesueur
Senator Potter, you are not only one of the youngest men in the Senate, but I guess you know about as much about the Army as anyone else in the Congress since you were wounded three times and lost both your legs in the last war in the Colmar Pocket. Now, as a member of Senator McCarthy's investigating subcommittee, do you think his handling of an Army general, General Zwicker, could be damaging to Army morale?

Senator Charles E. Potter
Well, Larry, let me put it this way, I believe that any person, whether he be a member of the military service or a plain civilian, deserves the utmost respect before a senatorial committee, he deserves the respect that a appearance before a senatorial committee would deserve.

Lesueur
I see. Well, Senator Potter, in that secret luncheon with some of the members of the subcommittee which Army Secretary Stevens attended, I wonder if you could tell us what really happened at that luncheon? There's been a great deal of conjecture about it, and many reports, but I refer to the one in which the so-called memorandum of understanding was written in which Secretary of the Army Stevens thought he was defending the army. Now could you tell us just what happened there?

Potter
Well, Larry, I'd be happy to. First I want to say that due to a prior engagement, as a matter of fact, it was an engagement where I was a host to some--to the television--future of the television industry, where they presented awards to some young people for an essay on the voice of democracy, I was late at the meeting, and I only attended about the last half hour of that luncheon. And I'll be very frank with you, stating that I'm sure Secretary Stevens and myself had no idea that this memorandum would cause the furor that it did. I think that--I think that Secretary Stevens had every right to believe that military personnel and any personnel under his command would receive utmost respect from the committee. I don't know that necessarily is a result of the luncheon but from his talk with the various members of the committee. At that time I recall when I arrived on the scene, there were some changes made on the memorandum. It wasn't debated, it wasn't discussed particularly, I know that Secretary Stevens made some changes. So I'm convinced the Secretary along with myself had no idea that it was a--that it was a retreat on his part. I think of the core--the core of the entire memorandum, which has been lost in the shuffle, so to speak, was the fact that stating that the Army would do the investigating. In other words, the Army would continue the investigation which they had underway prior to Senator McCarthy's investigation and that the Army would report its findings to the committee. Now I--it seems I had assumed, and I think that was the position of the Secretary, that that wasn't necessarily a concession but that was the orderly way to do business, that the Army would do its own investigating in this case and report its findings to the committee and the committee could do as it saw fit with the material that was turned over to the committee by the Army.

Winston Burdett
Well, Senator, the Republican Policy Committee of the Senate has voted unanimously a study of the rules governing investigating subcommittees. Now what do you expect this will produce? Any new rules or curbs on one man inquiries?

Potter
Well I think your one many inquiries is a--I don't think it's a good practice. I doubt if you'll find any member of the Senate that will agree that we should have one man inquiries or investigations. You must realize one practical factor however, that for example I'm a member of at least nine subcommittees. For example just this morning I had a--I attended a hearing of the McCarthy subcommittee. But at the same time I had two other committees that were meeting. Now you can just divide yourself so far. And you've had and is a common practice in having one man subcommittees. But it's not desirable, and I think particularly with a sensitive committee such as this committee that it is most desirable to make every effort possible so that there'll be more members of that committee on hand.

Lesueur
Senator Potter, in the light of this shooting which took place in Washington today, I think we all agree that the country has been in a rather high emotional state over the tussle between Senator McCarthy and the Army. Now, do you think that there should be additional security given to Congressmen and Senators like yourself?

Potter
Well, I'll say this, Larry, that it's a little distressing to have people shooting from the gallery when you can't shoot back, you know, a little different than on the front. But as far as what additional security we can impose, I'm a little doubtful. I think probably the best thing we can do is for the individual members of Congress to be a little more careful as to who they give gallery passes to. I don't think—we certainly shouldn't restrict the public from attending the sessions of Congress and it's impossible to, or impractical to, frisk everyone that steps in the gallery so I think about the only thing we can do in that case, we need to use a little more discretion in passing out the passes to the gallery.

Lesueur
That's about all that can be done?

Potter
I believe so.

Burdett
Senator, we understand that you are going to investigate Communist atrocities in Korea. Is this going to be a one man inquiry?

Potter
Well, you know, I just concluded a hearing on Korean war crime atrocities and unfortunately that was a one man hearing, because I'm (illegible text) committee and the other Republican members were engaged in other endeavors. However this inquiry, all members of the committee have been invited and I sincerely hope that they will be in attendance. It's a hearing we plan on starting next week.

Lesueur
I believe the communiques have said, Senator Potter, that there are three thousand Americans alive, or possibly imprisoned, in Korea. Do you actually think they are alive and imprisoned there?

Potter
Well, we have this information, Larry. We know, for example, that the Communists captured eleven thousand five hundred Americans during the Korean War. We also know that as a result of Little and Big Switch they returned to us about thirty five hundred POWs. We have fairly conclusive evidence that about five thousand Americans were either murdered or died in Korean--in Communist prison camps. So that leaves about three thousand that are not accounted for. We do know that there are some American prisoners of war that are still held behind the Iron Curtain against their will. Now, how many of that three thousand are in that group, I don't know. But that is the endeavor that's the purpose of our investigation.

Lesueur
Well we certainly have an obligation towards these men. What do you intend to look for, what can you do first off?

Potter
Well, one of the first things we're going to do, this week we're having representatives from the Department of State, the Department of Army, the Department of Air Force, and other interested government agencies to meet with us in executive session to funnel our information into one source, to find out just what information we have. Ever since the end of the Korean War, there have been fragments of information, but it hasn't been correlated in one place. Now, here's what I'm hoping, you say, well, what are we going to do with this information? I'm hoping that we'll be able to tie down as best we can, the approximate number of prisoners of war that are held back there, and to, I think we can probably determine about where they are. Now, I hope then we can get this information to our Ambassador to the United Nations, Henry Lodge, and it would seem to me, and this is maybe prejudging the case, but it seems to me that we will then be in a position then to say then to the Soviet Union or to the Communists in the UN, we know that we we're not holding any Communist POWs, neither are our allies, so we invite an impartial inspection team to come in to our country to look to see for themselves to see whether we're holding any Communist prisoners of war, but by the same token we demand that we have an opportunity to appear behind the Iron Curtain to visit your prison camps to find out about the American prisoners of war which we know that you're holding.

Lesueur
In other words, at least we will be going into this thing with our hands clean, whether we get (illegible text).

Potter
Absolutely, absolutely.

Lesueur
Senator Potter, I want to get back to the original thesis regarding this investigation of communists in the army. Now it seems to me we've been operating in this sort of a cloud land and it's very hard to pin anything down on in the recent happenings between Stevens and Senator McCarthy. Do you think the Communist Party should now be outlawed so the army can really take some sort of action on it?

Potter
There's no doubt about it, Larry. Today we're operating in a sort of a--in the area of contradiction. We say on one hand, that the people will say, well, the Communist Party is a political party, it's allowed on our ballots in certain states. Well then, in the same token, we tried communists under the Smith Act. So now I think that, today, I think there's no reason why any person should be so naïve to join the Communist Party without knowing what he's belonging to. It's an international conspiracy dedicated to overthrow our form of government. We might just well recognize it and to outlaw the Party.

Lesueur
Thank you very much, Senator Potter.

Potter
Thank you.

Lesueur
Glad you were here tonight.

Potter
Well, I'm happy to be here, Thank you, Larry.

Knight
The opinions you have heard our speakers express tonight have been entirely their own. The editorial board for this edition of the Longines Chronoscope was Larry Lesueur and Winston Burdett. Our distinguished guest was the honorable Charles E. Potter, United States Senator from Michigan.

Knight
A Longines Watch makes the most distinguished gift, for a Longines is not alone one of the very finest watches made anywhere in all the world, but, equally important, it's the watch of highest prestige. now consider these beautiful Longines ladies' watches. Here are superb examples of the watchmaker's exquisite art. Diamonds, where used, are of the finest quality. Meticulous hand finishing gives that final touch of perfection. For men, Longines has created a watch for every need and purpose: shockproof, moisture resistant, automatic watches for rugged (illegible text) handsome dress watches for business and formal-ware, each style with impressive good taste. And every Longines watch, whether for a lady or for a gentlemen, is made to the unique Longines standards of excellence, which have won for Longines ten World's Fair grand prizes, twenty eight gold medals, highest honors for accuracy in fields of precise timing, and yet you may buy and own or proudly give a Longines watch for as little as seventy one fifty. So see your authorized Longines Wittnauer jeweler agency, and remember that throughout the world no other name on a watch means so much as Longines, the world's most honored watch, the world's most honored gift. Premier product of the Longines Wittnauer Watch Company, since 1866 maker of watches of the highest character.

Knight
We invite you to join us every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evening at this same time for the Longines Chronoscope, a television journal of the important issues of the hour, broadcast on behalf of Longines, the world's most honored watch, and Wittnauer, distinguished companion to the world honored Longines.

Knight
This is Frank Knight reminding you that Longines and Wittnauer watches are sold and serviced from coast to coast by more than four thousand leading jewelers who proudly display this emblem: Agency for Longines Wittnauer watches.

Produced

and Directed by

ALAN R. CARTOUN

Longines Chronoscope
is a
CBS Television
Network Production