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February 22, 1944
CLASH OVER FCC PROBE MAY MAKE IT A CAMPAICN ISSUE
A fight that has arisen between Washington newspapers and columnists over the Congressional investigation of the Federal Com¬ munications Commission may focus so much attention on the investiga¬ tion that what started out as an inquiry into the conduct of Chairman
James L, Fly and the FCC may become a campaign issue involving the entire question of Government control of radio and the freedom of the air. Breaking under the very eyes of the President and Congress in newspapers they read every day, the sensational developments of the inquiry have been brought to the attention of official Washington causing such questions to be asked as: "Why is the President refus¬ ing to allow witnesses to testify?" "Is the Administration trying to hide something?"
To the extent of fifteen or twenty editorials the Washington Post published by Eugene Meyer, has been backing Chairman Fly and
the Commission as has Drew Pearson, Blue Net commentator, and Post
columnist, David Lawrence in the Washington Evening Star, and the Washington Time s-He raid have been taking the other side of the contro¬ versy, We have from time to time reprinted their various views.
Now comes Willard Edwards in the Tlmes-Herald with the declaration that the Administration fears that the Congressional in¬ vestigation of the FCC if permitted to continue will "destroy the New Deal" and that this is at the bottom "of a bureaucratic conspir¬ acy to stifle the quiz". It is predicted that the finishing blow to the investigation will come with the forced resignation of the Com¬ mittee counsel Eugene L, Ge.rey. There was also a report that Representatives Wigglesworth, of Massachusetts, and Miller, of Mis¬ souri, minority members might likewise resign from the Committee.
Frank C, Waldrop followed through in the Time s-He raid, which is published by Mrs, Eleanor Patterson, a cousin of Ccl. Robert R. McCormick, of the Chicago Tribune, and is one of the so-called Axis newspapers, with:
"Mr. James Lawrence Fly is a very bad guy in his present job as Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission and should be fired by the President or legislated out of office by Congress if the President won't act,
"Mr. Fly is a misfit and a failure. If he is not kicked out, the nation stands to lose radio’s part of something very valu¬ able and something never appreciated quite enough until it is long gone and that is, free speech.
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