Mum's the Word

With the anticipatory air of a man eager to be a martyr, Columnist Leonard Lyons bustled into Manhattan's federal court last week. As he had proclaimed in his column, he was ready to go to jail rather than reveal the sources for items about Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, condemned atom bomb spies. Sample item: the Rosenbergs could still win leniency if they told all they knew about atom spying.

Federal Judge John C. Knox had already ruled that Lyons must reveal his sources--if the items were relevant to the case (TIME, May 14). When Judge Knox became ill, Judge Henry W. Goddard took over. Like Judge Knox, Judge Goddard brushed aside Lyons' argument that the relationship between a newsman and his sources is (as Lyons had contended) as privileged as the communications between lawyer and client. Ruled Judge Goddard: "Newspaper correspondents must answer pertinent questions if they are relevant .. ." Then he dashed any hopes of martyrdom for Columnist Lyons, ruled that his items weren't relevant and Lyons didn't have to tell.

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