Evening star., 1948-03-15
Loyalty
Continued From First Page. }

to be referred to the President, WHIT
will determine in the public interes
the nature of the response to b,
made in the particular case"
White House Press Secretar!
Charles G. Ross, who gave copie
OF the memorandum to reporters
was asked If it was an outgrowth O.
controversy between the House Un,
American Activities Committee ane
Secretary of Commerce Hartman
over records relating to DR.. Edward
U. Condor, director of the Nationa
Bureau of Standards.
Mr.. Ross said, Il should not sax
1t was the .outgrowth of any specific
thing-it covers the whole situa-
ton"
The House committee, which re-
Gently made public a report charg-
ing DR.. Condor with knowingly OF
unknowingly associating with alleged
Soviet espionage agents, has de-
manded that the Commerce Depart
ment turn over to 1t files on which
the departments loyalty board
cleared Dr. Condor.
Mcdowell to Offer Bill.
Secretary Hartman refused to re-
lease the files, including an FBI
report from which the committee
had quoted portion in its original
charges against DR.. Condor.
Before the White House statement
Representative Mcdowell, Republi-
can, of Pennsylvania had proposed
that Congress giKessits two top off,
cers&poWer to eolApelaany Govern
ment agspcy hand over seEIet
papers. Mr.. Mcdowell said that as
a result of the controversial Condor
case he was writing a bill to give
that authority to the Speaker o1
the House and the presiding officer
of the Senate.
The measure will have the back
ing of the House Committee on Un-
American Activities, of which he Il
a member, he said.
Some departments have volun-
teered information on loyalty in
quiries,
Assistant Secretary of State Peu-
rifoy last week offered to turn over
to a House expenditures Subcom-
mittee the full FBI report on Ham
ilton Robinson, director of the State
Departments Office of Controls.
This offer was made at hearing
called at the request of Representa-
tive Busbey, Republican, of Illinois
who had charged that Mr.. Robinson
should have been removed from
office long ago and questioned him
closely about his association with a
second cousin who had been under
investigation for alleged leftist ten
denotes.
Not Entered in Record.
Mr.. Peurifoy said the FBI report
was highly Commendatory of Mr..
Robinson, aside. from a mention of
the second cousin He handed the
report to Mr.. Busbey, but Mr.. Bus
hey said he had no intention Of
asking that it be put in the record.
President Truman's memorandum
today said it was necessary to pre-
serve strict confidence concerning
loyalty records "in the interest of
our national security and welfare,
to preserve the confidential charac-
ter and sources of information fur
nished, and to protect Government
personnel against the dissemination
of unfounded or disproved allega-
tions."
1T is necessary ALSO" his men,
orandum added. "in order to insure
the fair and just disposition of 10y
atty cases.
For these reasons, and in accord
ance with the ong-establishec
policy that reports rendered by the
Federal Bureau of Investigation anc
other investigative agencies of the
executive branch are to be re.
garded as confidential, all reports
records and files relative to the 10y.
atty of employees or prospective en-
ployes dncluding reports of such in
vestigative agencies), shall be main
tanned in confidence, and shall no
be trS nitted or disclosed eXcep
as re, ed in the efficient conduc
of business"