Correspondents' View

When President Eisenhower at his press conference (see NATIONAL AFFAIRS) remarked that he was ready to take the judgment of the correspondents in his audience as to whether or not his administration had embraced "McCarthyism," the polling wheels began to grind. The New York Times's Washington Bureau Chief James ("Scotty") Reston promptly set his staff to work calling the 179 newsmen who had been at the conference to find out what their opinion was.

Timesmen reached only half of the reporters, and instead of Gallup-type "yes or no" questions, asked for opinions--which often turned out to be foggy. Nevertheless, concluded the Times survey: "The prevailing opinion . . . was that [Truman's] charge could not be sustained against [Eisenhower], but that it applied" to other parts of the Republican Administration. A representative answer: "I believe I would say that the President has not embraced 'McCarthyism' at all, personally. I do think that Brownell went so far in his accusation as to utilize, even if unwittingly, the McCarthy technique."

Other reporters who thought that members of the Administration had "embraced McCarthyism" pointed mainly to five examples to support their belief: 1) State Department Security Chief Scott McLeod has "exercised his authority in a way that pleased Senator McCarthy," 2) failure of the White House to back Mutual Security Director Stassen in his fight with McCarthy over Greek shipping, 3) distribution by the Republican National Committee of the Jenner subcommittee report on subversion in Government, 4) use of "McCarthy and his activities" by the Republican Party at political rallies, 5) failure of the Administration to denounce McCarthy and his tactics publicly.

But a large majority of the newsmen agreed that personally Eisenhower "has not embraced McCarthyism" because it "is distasteful" to him. Some correspondents divided the Republicans into two groups, which were defined by one reporter as "Eisenhower Republicans and the just plain Republicans. It is now a battle as to who is going to win. Ike hasn't found a way to bring both ends together. Brownell in his [first] speech certainly drifted from the Eisenhower Republicans, but was brought back into line by Ike." A few newsmen refused to comment altogether. Times Reporter Clayton Knowles suddenly remembered that he had overlooked one top Washington reporter. Looking through the window that separates him from Bureau Chief Reston, Knowles dialed a number on his desk telephone, then said into the phone: "Mr. Reston, this is the New York Times, and we are conducting a survey . . . " Said Reston, who had personally opposed polling correspondents during the campaign* because he thought such polls undermined public confidence in the press: "I'm sorry, but I don't believe that newspaper reporters should participate in opinion surveys."

*In a widely reported poll during the 1952 presidential campaign, 19 correspondents traveling with Stevenson favored him with only nine for Eisenhower, while of those traveling with Ike 24 favored Stevenson, seven Ike.

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