REPUBLICAN PLAN

Press, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 26395, 13 April 1951, Page 7

REPUBLICAN PLAN

Move to Impeach

Mr Truman

(Rec. 11 p.m.) WASHINGTON. April 11

Democrats in the United States House and Senate to-day blocked an immediate vote on inviting General MacArthur to address Congress. The House Republican Leader (Mr Joseph Martin) said it was too early to tell whether Republicans, as a group, would back his impeachment move. He said any action would await the outcome of the proposed foreign policy investigation. The House of Representatives can prefer impeachment charges against a President by a majority vote of the ,218 members, but two-thirds majority of the Senate would be required to convict the President on the charges and remove him from office.

There was no indication that the Republicans could pick up the substantial block of Democratic votes they would need to obtain an impeachment. On the contrary, key Democrats were supporting Mr Truman solidly. The situation was in sharp contrast to that prevailing last year when the Secretary of State (Mr Acheson) was under fire. Scarcely a Democrat voice then was raised in Congress on his behalf.

The Repub’ican National Chairman (Mr George Gabrielsen) indirectly advised Republican Congressmen to avoid any challenge to the President’s action on constitutional grounds. “Obviously Mr Truman had a right to dismiss General MacArthur,” he said in a forma] statement. “What the American people question is his judgement. The removal solves nothing except to confirm the policy of appeasement towards Communism in Asia.”