◆ SpookStack

John E. Peurifoy, Esquire Deputy Under Secretary — Department of State Washington, D. C. Dear Mr., Pevrifoy: 4 J, This is in reply to your letter dated May 1, 1950, inquiring ac te the accuracy of a statemunt alleged to have bean made by J. Edgar Hoover, Divector, Federal Buréau of Investigation, at the time of the arrest of John 8, Service and other suspects involved in the so-called "Amerasia" case. You are advised that Mr. Hoover did not make the statement which hae been attributed to him, Yours Sincerely, PEYTON FORD The Assistant to the Attorney General 27: Aeetebeaily = EXCERPTS FROM GENERAL SNOW'S LETTER TO THE NEW YORK HERALD TRIEUNE _ (Referred to on page 3) ; Because of the reputation of the New York Herald Tribune for fair end obfgective reporting, I am teking the liberty of calling your attention to the headings of two articles which appeared in your issues of May 3 and 4, respectively, regarding the conduct of the John 8. Service case by the Loyalty Security Board of the Department of State, of which I am Chairman... . Nor 1s it true that Mr. Service is being given any illegitimate aGventace in the matter of access to papers, Mr. Service has not been given and will not be given access toa the loyalty or personnel files which were gathered by the FBI and other investigatory bodies and which were refused vy the President to the Senate Committce. Mr, Service is entitled, -however, as a matter of elementary fairness to see and put in cvidence, any reports or other papers in the files of the State Department which were prepared by him or in connection with the missions on which he served, which may be material to his defense, Action by the Department of State is necessary to permit him to chow them to counsel, To dete, the only confidential documents on which this action has been taken are documents actually written by Mr. Service himself. This is all there is to that part of the story. . ., . ' ‘The Loyalty Security Board of the Department of State is a judicial body set up for the purpose of giving to an employee : . accused of disloyalty, or of being a security risk, a fair hearing. While under the reculetions he has n>. opportunity to confront and . eross-éxamine witnessea who nave given confidential information ts - ~ ; the Board, or even to see a transcript of their satatements, he is advised of the substance of the accusations, and must be given a - fair opportunity to defend himself, not only by his own testimony, but also by the production of any witnesses or of any documentary evidence that may tend to establish his innocence of the accusations. The Board has an obligation to give him the fullest opportunity to repare and present his defense, -