Evening star., 1947-12-28
Outline of Procedure by Review Board Set Forth
In Investigating Loyalty of u S. Employees

In Investigating
Seth W. Richardson, chairman
of the Loyalty Revie,O Board OF
the Ciuil Ser0ice Commission,
last night issued this statement,
setting forth in detail the pro-
cedure to be tollo,0ed in inueSti-
eating the loyalty OF Government
employees:
The proposed loyalty program
represents comprehensive effort to
weed disloyal employees out of the
Government service. Due to the i'm
mediate Importance of the program
to the large number of Government
employees and the evident Nation
wide interest in the general subject
of employe disloyalty, I have thought
it advisable, as the program now will
60 into general operation, to present
to the general public an overall pic
ture of approximately what we pro-
pose to do.
I suppose that all good citizens
would agree that disloyal persons
ought not to remain in the employ
of the Government, but keeping
them out or getting them out, pre-
sents substantial difficulties.
Despite efforts on the part Of the
Government, lack of uniformity in
application and responsibility for
action brought about congressional
investigation, which resulted in the
appointment of the President S
Temporary Commission on Employe
Loyalty, which was directed to pro-
pose a program to give adequate
protection to the Government in re-
spect to elimination of disloyal en-
ployes.
X
In due course there followed the
executive order of March 2l, 1947,
which contemplated the establish
ing of procedures. and directed the
creation of a Loyalty Review Board
by the Civil Service Commission, in
aid and furtherance Of such pro-
gram. Congress approved the pro-
gram and appropriated Sll 800 900
to effectuate it.
FBI Will Be Called on
to Make Investigation.
In accordance herewith. the
Civil Service Commission estab-
lished the present Loyalty Review
Board. The board thus established
has now perfected its organization,
adopted rules and regulations for
the board, together with far-reach-
ing rules and regulations calculated
and intended to establish a loyalty
program procedure throughout the
Government.
1t seems obvious that the initial
and essential working basis for
such a program depends upon the
immediate development of a system
of searching employe investigations
in order to ascertain facts relevant
to employe loyalty. The field is
exceedingly broad since there are in
the Government service. and thus
within the scope of the loyalty
program. approximately 100000
Federal employees.
In connection with the required
basic investigation thus referred to
and with the approval of the At
torney General, the board proposes
to turn to the Federal Bureau OF
Investigation for cooperation and
assistance. This bureau has been
az active. dynamic fact-findlng
agency in the Government field for
many years. Under present obJec-
tives. its agent personnel is pade
up. in a large part, of educated
men, carefully selected. and usually
with degrees either in law or public
accountancy. In its investigatlve
work through the years, I think 1t
has met with the general approval
of the country at large. 1t would
be difficult to suggest any other in
>vcstigative agency available to the
board, which would present quail
ifcations in experience, training
and public estimation, comparable
to this bureau.
the aims of the board, the bureau
has established within its own
organization a special course of in
struction for agents who may be
detailed to assist the loyalty pro-
gram. Special regulations and in
structions have been promulgated
with respect to such agents, point
ing out to them that proposed re-
ports of bureau agents in connec-
ton with the loyalty program must
not contain any opinions, recon-
mendationS or conclusions from the
particular agent, that the sole aim
of the agent should be to ascertain
facts properly relevant to the ques-
ton of loyalty, and, what is
particularly important, that the
agent should in no sense act as q
prosecutor, but should be entirely
free to report facts in support OF
LOYALTY, as we'll as facts indicating
possible disloyalty. I am confident
that the bureau will cooperate
fully in preparing reports in line
with these objectives.
Initial Reports Will Be
Reviewed by Bureau Chiefs.
When the report is completed by
an agent, it will then go to the
bureau heads in the regional office
out of which such agent works and
such agency heads will carefully re-
view it, in order to see that the
same is in accord with the controll-
ing directions to the agent, after
which the report will be sent to the
bureau Office in Washington, where
it will again be scrutinized and con-
sidered, and then. and only then
will the report be issued by the
bureau for use in the loyalty pro-
gram. It is the boards hope and
expectation that this system will
bring about uniformity of policy
and avoid any hardships that might
be caused by ill-considered reports.
Under the provisions of the >execu-
tive order, it becomes the duty of
designated Government officials to
appoint loyalty boards for the pur-
pose of giving primary considera-
tion to loyalty cases. 1t may be
generally said that such boards are