Evening star., 1947-01-18
Congress Action Seen
To Guard u. S. Secrets
Overall Bureau Now Collecting
Foreign Intelligence Items
Bv Jaw G.. Hayden

Overall Bureau Now Collecting
Foreign Intelligence Items
By Jay G.. Hayden
The frequently rejected executive re-
quest for passage of an act to protect
Government secrets is coming up again
this year under change Of auspices
that may add greatly to its chance OF
adoption.
Bills to this end, heretofore, generally
submitted by the Justice Department,
have been blanket affairs, applying 70
variety of Government activities and
allowing much wider executive discre-
ton as to what should be designated as
top secrets" than Congress was willing
to grant.
The difference now is that the United
States, for the first time, has an over
all bureau for the collection of foreign
intelligence, an international spy system,
revelations from which could seriously
endanger our relations with foreign
governments.
Intelligence Authority, directed by 1t.
Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg, with the
Secretaries Of State War and Navy and
the Presidents Chief of Staff, Fleet
Admiral William D. Leahy, its Board
of Governors.
One of Gen. Vandenberg's greatest
handicaps in his task of co-ordinating
and expanding the Governments intel
ligence agencies has been an almost
complete lack of protection against
leaks. Under existing law filching Of
official secrets is unpunishable no mat
ter how serious the disclosure may be,
unless intent to harm the Govern
ment" can be proved.
Example Recalled.
For example, when an Army officer,
in course of the war, was caught in the
act of photostating vitality important
military plans in the basement of his
residence, he went unpunished. There
was no proof that he intended to use
the documents in way harmful to the
Government, and without such proof
the most that could have been done in
the way of punishment was court
martial for conduct unbecoming an
officer, with possible penalty of demo-
tion or discharge from the Army. The
offender being a reserve officer, these
possibilities could have caused him no
great alarm.
Several times recently reports. pur-
porting to have come from our foreign
embassies and obviously intended to be
-
paper columnists or radio commentators.
In addition to disturbance of relations
with foreign countries, which such pub
ications have created, they may help
foreigners in tapping our codes Of secret
communication. The easiest way to
decipher telegraphic code obviously
is to get the message in original form
and, later, match it against the message
decoded.
At the present time any Government
clerk can copy documents and pass
them to outsiders with no fear Of pun
ishment, so long as it cannot be estab-
lished that the purloining was done
with direct intention to injure the
United States
The Why Of Opposition.
1t doesn't do much good to spy out
and coordinate foreign information
unless the resultant reports can be
passed around among various officials
having to do with formulation of policy
the President and his cabinet Secre-
taries and leading members of Congress,
for example. But because of their fear
Of leaks, the officials receiving foreign
intelligence frequently have hesitated
even to tell the President about some
messages. Handing on such informa-
tion to members of Congress, under any
circumstances, has been taboo.
Opposition to secrecy laws has been
based mainly on fear that officials
might use them for self-protection, or
to pillory political enemies. There has
been much talk to the effect that au-
thority to throw people into jail for
revealing secrets would facilitate estab-
lishment Of an American OGPU or
Gestapo
Gen. Vandenberg fully recognizes
these objections, but he believes they
have no validity so long as the Secrets
Act" is confined to reports coming from
government agents abroad. To this he
thinks there might be added, under
careful safeguards, military and naval
information essential to national de-
fense. On the latter score the atomic
bomb secret would be open to flchers,
once the war is declared over, except.
for the special protection provided by
the recently passed atomic energy con-
troll law
North American Newspaper Allianee)