STATE DEPARTMENT EMPLOYEE LOYALTY INVESTIGATION WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8, 1950 UNITED STATES SENATE, COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS, SUBCOMMITTEE APPOINTED UNDER SENATE RESOLUTION 231, Washington, D. C. The subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:30 a. m. in room 318, Senate Office Building, Senator Millard E. Tydings (chairman of the subcommittee) presiding. Present: Senators Tydings (chairman of the subcommittee), Green, McMahon, Hickenlooper, and Lodge. Also present: Senators Connally (chairman of the full committee) and McCarthy. Senator TYDINGS. The committee will come to order. I think it appropriate first that the record show why this committee is meeting and what its scope and purpose is to be in these proceedings. Senate Resolution 231, introduced by Mr. Lucas, was considered, amended, and agreed to on February 22, 1950. The resolution reads as follows: Resolved, That the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, or any duly authorized subcommittee thereof, is authorized and directed to conduct a full and complete study and investigation as to whether persons who are disloyal to the United States are, or have been, employed by the Department of State. The committee shall report to the Senate at the earliest practicable date the result of its investigation, together with such recommendations as it may deem desirable, and if said recommendations are to include formal charges of disloyalty against any individual, then the committee, before making said recommendation, shall give said individual open hearing for the purpose of taking evidence or testimony on said charges. In the conduct of this study and investigation, the committee is directed to procure by subpena and examine the complete loyalty and employment files and records of all the Government employees in the Department of State, and such other agencies against whom charges have been heard. The resolution was adopted by the Senate because of certain statements made on the floor of the Senate, on Monday, February 20, 1950, and Wednesday, February 22, 1950. In order that the committee may have all of the evidence that it should properly consider available in the record, the chairman has had the pages dealing with the information and charges and debate on these 2 days culled from the Congressional Record and, without objection, at this point the proceedings of the Senate dealing with this matter will be incorporated by reference in the record. Is there any objection? (None.) They will be incorporated by reference in the record. 1 (The material from the Congressional Record incorporated by reference is as follows:) Pages 2043-2071, February 20, 1950. Pages 2168-2169, 2173-2195, February 22, 1950. Daily Digest, February 27, 1950. Pages 2485-2486, 2523-2524, February 28, 1950. Senator TYDINGS. In the course of these congressional deliberations, Senator McCarthy, of Wisconsin, made certain statements in, I believe 81 different cases, and gave a short account of why he thought each of the cases questioned the loyalty of the individual in each case. Senator McCarthy has been invited by the committee to come before us today as our first witness. I am sure, Senator, that you yourself realize that the individuals who are charged with disloyalty to our Government are confronted with one of the most serious charges that can be leveled at a patriotic or other individual. Senator MCCARTHY. Especially the "or other." Senator TYDINGS. If these men are guilty of these charges, the committee would want to find it out. If they are not guilty, we will want to inform the public accordingly. Unless the chairman is overruled, all witnesses coming before this committee will be sworn. In your own case, as a Member of the Senate, the chairman is not going to compel you against your will to submit to be sworn, but I would like to ask you now if you would consent to be sworn. Senator MCCARTHY. Mr. Chairman, I think it is an excellent idea to swear all witnesses. I do not think we should have anyone take advantage of any immunity, whether it is a Senator, Secretary of State, or what, so I would like to be sworn. Senator TYDINGS. I am glad you said that, Senator. That is the way I feel about it. I think we all ought to feel that way. If you will hold up your hand, I will proceed to swear you. Do you promise that the evidence you shall give in the pending matter before this committee shall be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God? Senator MCCARTHY. I do. Senator TYDINGS. Now, Senator McCarthy, the information you presented to the Senate has been read by all of us, I am sure. You will want to supplement that, no doubt, and comment further on it. Senator McCARTHY. That is correct. Senator TYDINGS. But, before you do, there is one matter that, to make the record complete as of the congressional debate, I would like to ask you about for just a minute. If you will turn to case 14, that you mentioned in the RecordSenator MCCARTHY. Do you know what page that is on, Mr. Chairman? Senator TYDINGS. I will try to find it in a minute. Case 14 is in the Congressional Record of February 20, 1950, page 2051, column 3, and page 2052, column 1. I would like to read this particular case to ask you a question dealing with the other 81 cases. Senator MCCARTHY. Certainly. Senator TYDINGS. I am quoting your remarks: Case 14: This is a case of pressure from a high State Department official to obtain security clearance for an individual with a bad background from the standpoint of security. He was appointed in December 1945 as a translator in the State Department. This is an interesting case, showing the extent to which some of their superior officers will go when they find that some of these very unusual individuals are going to lose their jobs. He was appointed in December 1945 as a translator in the State Department. A report from another Government investigating agency, under date of January 9, 1946, advised that the subject should be dismissed as a bad security risk because he was flagrantly homosexual. He had extremely close connections with other individuals with the same tendencies and who were active members of Communist front organizations, including the Young Communist League. I think this is interesting, Mr. President. I asked one of our top intelligence men in Washington one day, "Why do you find men who are so fanatically Communist? Is there something about the Communist philosophy that attracts them?" He said, "Senator McCarthy, if you had been in this work as long as we have been, you would realize that there is something wrong with each one of these individuals. You will find that practically every active Communist is twisted mentally or physically in some way." Senator MCCARTHY. Let me interrupt you there, Mr. Chairman. The "or physically" should not be in there. I was quoting accurately. I do not agree with the "or physically." I think a vast number of people have physical defects. I have some myself. I do not think that makes a Communist. Let's make that clear. I wanted to make that clear as we go through it. Senator TYDINGS. It is reported in the Record. I have read the Record as it is reported. The State Department's own security agency recommended the discharge of this employee on January 22, 1946. Now this is the part to which I would like to draw your attention. I will repeat that. The State Department's own security agency recommended the discharge of this employee on January 22, 1946. On February 19, 1946, this individual's services were terminated with the State Department. Subsequently, on April 1, 1946, the action discharging this individual was rescinded and he was reinstated in his job in the State Department. In this case a CSA report of September 2, 1947, is replete with information covering and this is the point the attempt of a high State Department official to induce several individuals who had signed affidavits reflecting adversely upon the employee to repudiate their affidavits. The file shows that that high State Department employee even went out and personally contacted the individuals who signed the affidavits and asked them, "Won't you repudiate them?" This individual, according to the security files of the State Department was a very close associate of active Soviet agents. As to whether he is in the State Department at this time or not I frankly do not know, but in view of the fact that he was reinstated, I assume that he is. Now, the purpose of reading that is this. Is this man who was in the State Department, this high State Department official whom you allege tried to doctor the records, one of the cases of the 81 that you brought before the Senate, or have you referred to him here only to substantiate the facts in case 14? Senator MCCARTHY. I am afraid, Mr. Chairman, that you will have to let me go through these cases as I have them documented, and we will get to that case. I think we will have to wait until we get to that case, and I can assure you we will get to it. I have other cases documented for your information this morning. I am going to ask the committee to do this, if I may. As I discuss one case, let's try and stick to that case, and I assure you we will get to all of them without any trouble at all. I will be unable to jump, say, from case 1 to case 72 back to case 58. As of this time I can assure the Chairman that all the information which he wants on case No. 57 will be gotten to him, but I frankly cannot give him that information now, because I haven't arrived at that case this morning. I am sure we won't get to that case this morning. Senator TYDINGS. Just a minute. Just a minute. Just a minute! All I am asking you is this. This is a very serious chargeSenator MCCARTHY. Very serious. Senator TYDINGS. That a high official in the State Department is tampering with the records to protect people who are charged with disloyal activities. Senator MCCARTHY. That is right. Senator TYDINGS. What I would like to know is this: Is he one of the cases that you are going to bring before this committee, or is he just incidental in this case? You can certainly tell me that. Senator MCCARTHY. I will bring his name before the committee and give the committee all the information. Senator LODGE. I would like to express the hope that Senator McCarthy will get the courtesy everyone gets, of being able to make his own statement in his own way, and then be subject to questioning. Senator TYDINGS. The only reason I am bringing this out now is, we want to hear Senator McCarthy. We have put this all in the record. I have read over all of these cases three or four times, and studied the possible ramifications of them. I would like to know whether we are to hear this as a collateral matter of proving case 14, or whether this man himself is to be charged with disloyal conduct as a separate case. You can certainly answer that, and then we can leave it. Senator MCCARTHY. I will answer that. I will give the committee all of the information which I have. If the committee decides this man is disloyal, all right. If they decide not, it is up to the committee. There will be no information held back from the committee, and I want to thank the Senator from Massachusetts very much. I would like to be allowed to proceed and present the information in an orderly fashion, and the committee can be sure that any questions they have to ask will certainly be answered. I will answer that question, Senator, that you will be given all the information on the case. Senator TYDINGS. Let me ask the questions, Senator McCarthy. I am at least charged with the responsibility of conducting this hearing, and I prefer to conduct it as I want it conducted and as the committee wants it conducted, rather than to have you tell me how to conduct it. I will be glad, and we will give you full and free opportunity to present anything you want to present. All I am asking you now is, do you know the name-I do not want you to tell it--but do you know the name of this particular high State Department official who is allegedly aiding disloyal persons in the State Department? Do you know the name? Senator MCCARTHY. Mr. Chairman, when we get to case No. 57 I will give you all of the names in that case. No names will be held back. |