Evening star., 1948-03-02
by the Associated Press

by the Associated Press
A report blasting the head o1
the Governments Bureau o1
Standards as lone of the weak
est links in our atomic security
spurred two congressional COM
mittees into action today.
DR.. Edward U. Condor, the 46
year-old scientist so accused by 1
House Un-American Activities Sub
committee, retorted:
This is gratifying information be.
cause I'm absolutely reliable ane
therefore we have nothing to worry
about. The country can relax
To an accompanying charge thai
he knowingly or unknowingly en-
tertained and associated" with al.
legged Russian spies, DR.. Condor
commented to a reporter:
That's just too vague to talk
about. I certainly didn't do il
knowingly"
Before Atomic Committee.
The case was due to come under
discussion at closed meeting to-
day of the Senate House Atomic
Energy Committee. Chairman Hick.
enlooper said this was arranged
sometime ago as a routine session
but that he assumed the House
groups report would stir discus
sion.
Senator Hickenlooper said he die
not anticipate any statement from,
his committee, however. He re-
called that Dr.. Condor acted as
scientific adviser to the group while
it was drafting the law setting ur
the Atomic Energy Commission, ano
said nothing occurred during thai
association to bring up any sus-
picion of any kind
Representative Elston, the tor
House member on the joint com.
mittee, called for immediate steps
to find out if the blouse commit
tee's) report is accurate"
ANY one connected with atomic
energy apd tinged with communism
should be removed" Mr.. Elston said
He added that he had no prior
knowledge of the case.
Thomas May Call Meeting.
Meanwhile, from Walter Reed
Hospital, where he is under treat
ment for a stomach ailment, Repre-
sentative j. Parnell Thomas, Repub-
lican, of New Jersey indicated he
may call a bedside meeting of the
full House Committee on un-Amert-
can Activities.
Mr.. Thomas said the committee
could not be convened today be-
cause some members were out OF
town. He added it would be called
together just as quickly as possible
Mr.. Thomas heads both the full
group and the three-man subcom-
mittee which has been investigating
the Governments atomic energy
program for more than a year.
The purpose of the hospital meet
ing would be to send the subcom-
mittee report formally to President
Truman and to the Commerce De-
partment, under which the Bureau
Of Standards operates.
At Key West, where Mr.. Truman
Is vacationing, neWsmen were told
the President would have no COM
ment.
The House group contended that
the Bureau of Standards-as the
testing ground for some of the Ma
tion's top secrets-"has become the
target of espionage agents of nu-
merous foreign powers"
Recommended by Wallace.
In its formal report made public
last night, the committee noted that
DR.. Condor had been appointed
head of the bureau November S, 1945,
on the recommendations of Henry
Wallace, then Secretary of Com
merce.
Discussing Communists. the re-
port said:
In this country they haven't
gotten as far as they did in Czecho-
slovakia, but they got pretty far,
because they got a man as Vice
President of the United States and
he is now their candidate for Presi-
dent, and he is the same man who
recommended DR.. Condor as di-
rector of the Bureau of Standards. :"
The committee said the situa-
ton as regards DR.. Condor is not
an isolated one"
There are other Government off,
cials in strategic positions who are
playing Stalin's game to the detri-
ment of the United States" it de-
clared. THE evidence before our
subcommittee indicates very
strongly that there is in operation
at the present time in the United
States an extensive Soviet espion-
age ring.
ITO permit this ring to continue,
In view of the high atomic prizes
which they are seeking is folly, and
can only lead to ultimate disaster" A"
Removal Suggested.
The Un-American Activities group
recommended that DR.. Condor
either be removed or a statement
should be forthcoming from the
Secretary Of Commerce setting forth
the reasons why he has retained
DR.. Condor in view of the deroga-
tory information which he has had
before him"
In Secretary Harriman's absence
from Washington, Undersecretary
william C. Foster isued a statement
saying the Commerce Department S
Loyalty Board had conducted a
hearing "as a result of questions
that had been raised regarding DR..
Condor"
I'm its report, dated February "a,
1948," Mr.. Fosters statement con-
tinued. "the board stated its unani-
(See CONDON, Page A-3D