◆ SpookStack

that tee a 5 a nd awaiting a new loyalty hearing, to’ tétriitcar details, wereteiecasséed. The top matter concerned just what cases mentioned by Senator i\McCarthy should be taken up by the board. A board member pointed out that President Truman, in his let- ter to Mr. Richardson from Key West, Fla., on March 28, said he wanted the board to review all cases of past or present employees: of the State Department “against whom charges of disloyalty have been made.” Then the beard talked about . whether it should make a report “on both loyaliy and security, or only in the matter of loyalty.” Part of the minutes say: “The President definitely con-| fined his request to a report only | on loyalty and since the ljetter wag) written his office has advised th chairman verbally that it was onl loyaity that the board was re- questd to consider.” The minites went on to say that some members argued that the board would be going out of its province if it considered security, and suitability. - Past testimony before the Sen- ate Foreign Relations subcommit- tee has made it clear that “security” and “suitability” could embrace everything from whether a man drank so much as to be too taikative about his business to homosexuality, with its attendant anger of blackmail. The board decided it didn’t want make any findings on matters f security because such thing. ight leek out of its files. | Then came the paragraph tha iis sure to be seized up by critic fof the State Department, whic lhas repeatedly in’ ‘tted it employs no Known security risks. "Tt was mentioned,” the para- graph read, “that there are cir- cumstances where the Department; of State must choose a person for: ‘a particular job to be done, and, that in such case, if the person! is the best qualified on other: grounds, the department feels ifj must fake a chance on the fa oat he may be a security risk i yqiestionable on general suit PGR Rte Somebody on the board pointed | ofr tirar bi 286 State ent, employees subjected to full field investigations not one had been declared ineligible for Federal em- ployment on grounds of disloyalty} or on grounds of being a poor se-/ curity risk. (it wasn't clear how many of the McCarthy cases were in the 286.) There was unanimous agree- ment that the board would “flag” a case of homosexual or an ha- itual drunkard, to call it to the resident's attention, without mak- g any finding of its own as to hether the individual were secure r insecure. j "The President could then de cide whether such an employe was a security risk," said the min utes, Other points decided were: 1. The Loyalty Review Board will handle the cases without sending them to lower boards for rimary study. ‘t 2. Where practicable, cases men- oned by Senator McCarthy and reviously reviewed will be studied ;#y the same panel members who ‘oviginally approved ther. 3. A preliminary inquiry indl- cated cuhat full-fledged hearings would be required in twenty-fi¥e cases, out of the elghty-odd casgs that seem to fall under the board's restrictions requiring a study of loyalty only. 4. The board decided not to udy the cases of individuals who ad never been employed, by the ederal government. (This would} m to preclude any atitmore, paren the board of Owe attimore, Far Eastern expert atcused py] Senator McCarthy. Secretary of State Dean Acheson has denied}: Mr, Lattimore was employed by! the department at any time.) The board decided to take jurisdiction over past and present employe of, or applicants for employme with, the Federal government. The board cleare” ttself of a guijt In connection with the “leak” of information that it had decided to ask the State Department to ask Mr. Service to return from the! Far East to appear before a Btate/ [Department loyalty board. f It put the blame for the leak: right_on_the State Department. | ___The minutes on this point read: \ “The chairman (Mr. Richard- som advised that he hei mae 3 personal investigation regarding [same and found that in discussing cases with the State Department over the telephone, in answer to an inquiry the State Department was advised that the Service case: ras being returned to them {ct urther processing. The Sta partment. in turn, apparent! ‘Rave this information to Benato} M cCarthy.”