Low Point for Joe

A new verb has been added to the American language by G.I.s in Europe. The verb is 'schine,' as in "You're schined from guard duty, soldier, and your chauffeur's waiting."

The reference, of course, is to Gerard David Schine, U.S. Army private,* leading figure in the case of McCarthy v. the Army. Last week in Washington, a lot of politicians were trying to schine out of involvement in the case.

Senator Joe McCarthy alternately battled for a key role in the investigation and mumbled that he hardly cared. In the end, it was not clear whether McCarthy would: 1) continue as a committee member during Senator Karl Mundt's acting chairmanship, 2) yield his place to another Republican while retaining the right to cross-examine, 3) be a witness, or 4) not be a witness. "If I were one of the other six members, I would ask McCarthy to testify," said McCarthy.

One afternoon McCarthy summoned reporters to announce that he had called a meeting of the committee to get on with investigations of Communists. He seemed to have forgotten that Mundt, not he, was the committee's chairman, and that the committee had agreed not to take up any other matter until McCarthy v. the Army was settled. Within an hour, all six of the committee's other Senators objected, and McCarthy announced that the meeting was canceled. Had he yielded to pressure from the other Senators? "Absolutely not," said McCarthy. He said that he had merely forgotten about a previous engagement.

Next McCarthy wanted to change the name of the case. "This isn't my case," said McCarthy, referring to McCarthy v. Army. "This is a case involving my chief counsel and the Army legal counsel."

Some top Republicans, including Party Chairman Leonard Hall and Senate Leader William Knowland, stepped in to say that McCarthy should get off the committee and should not cross-examine wit nesses. Hall had swerved sharply from his attitude of two months ago when he said that McCarthy was a Republican "asset" who should have the party's endorsement.

Last week Hall said: "McCarthy has done more harm than good."

Certainly his effectiveness seemed at a low point. Even the case of Annie Lee Moss had not been made to stick. Army Clerk Moss, who was suspended from her job because of testimony before McCarthy that an Annie Lee Moss had been a Communist, last week was reinstated pending an Army Loyalty Board review.

* In the new edition of Who's Who, Schine lists himself as a former "Lieutenant, Army Transport Service." His A.T.S. service in 1946-47 was as a civilian employee with the "simulated rank" of lieutenant.

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