The name of Rupert Emerson, professor of Government, was planted in the story which accused Emerson and two other University professors with advocating pro-Comunist policies, the Northwestern Daily charged in a featured story yesterday.

But the United Press, which distributed the article over its wires says mentioning Emerson was just an "honest mistake." Members of its Washington Bureau last night said they could not explain how his name got in the story.

The Northwestern undergraduate paper quoted one of its university's professors, Kenneth W. Colegrove, as saying that he had never mentioned Emerson in his testimony before the Senate Internal Security subcommittee. According to the Northwestern's story, Colegrove said he admired Emerson very much.

Colegrove also told the Northwestern Daily that he had communicated with Emerson, assuring him that he never had brought up Emerson's name in Washington.

Contacted last night, Emerson said he hadn't heard from Colegrave but had heard from Senator Pat McCarran, chairman of the subcommittee. McCarran assured Emerson that his name hadn't been mentioned in the record and that a letter of protest from Emerson would also be added to the record.

Colegrove made no attempt to alter his stand about John K. Fairbank, professor of History, and Edwin O. Reischauer, professor of Far Eastern Languages.