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ee a a et ee ee mtn © ee emt ce = Mi te ae Ae a eet ot ‘ee de r. ° ae ge Eesscaaenae - -4 a? Keep the FBI Files Secret _” Sen. McCarthy, who is still trying to prove that the | State department harbors some card-carrying Commu- — nists, insists the FBI files will back him up and de | mands that they be produced for examination. - - FBI Director Hoover and Attorney-General Mc- Grath testified Monday on the prudence of turning over these files to a congressional committee. As had been expected, they strongly oppostd such action. ‘ “They gave excellent reasons for their stand, Mr. ' . Hoover argued that the FBI's loyalty files were incon- elusive, could be quoted out of’ context, or used to thwart truth, distort half truths and misrepresent facts. — Moreover, he insisted, making them public would en- — danger FBI sources of information and undermine ef- fectiveness of the organization. . _ Mr. Hoover, in fact, hinted that he might resign if he were forced to spread FBI secrets before a congres- -_ ee sional committee. As a matter of principle, he said, they should be withheld from all ‘congressional com- - mittees, Mr. M-Grath, supportin Mr. Hoover, contended Con- gress had no constitutional right to order the FBI, as an agency of the executive branch, to make its reports ave lable. . * Regardless of the question's legal aspects, we think Mr. Hoover's stand is clearly correct.- And Sen. Mc- Carthy, in particular, is not an investigator who could — be trusted to examine the FBI's fites, being too much ‘ \ given to shooting off his mouth. , ee a ee pee me _. 7 —_—: ‘ —— errthee GOVE Gare bee? Jal-a32 8-[3t 6d 2H— ee ee ee ee 1 en