Evening star., 1948-08-05
TopCommerce0fficia|
Declared Warned on
Hiring Of Remington
Attorney Says He Told
Duvid K. (. Bruce of
Espionage Investigation

A Senate investigating sub
committee heard today that a
top Commerce Department Off
cial was told that William w.
Remington was under investiga-
ton for possible espionage at
the time of his appointment to
an important position in the de-
partment.
Samuel Klaus, State Department
attorney and investigator on loan
to the Commerce Department, said
he notified David K. E. Bruce, then
Assistant Secretary of Commerce,
of the spy inquiry the day Mr..
Remington was appointed head Of
the program and planning staff of
the Export License Division.
His testimony came after Chair
man Ferguson of the Senate group
assailed the Governments loyalty
checking system. and Representa-
tives Busbey, Republican, of Illi-
nois, charged before a House COM
mittee that the Civil Service COM
mission is wholly unfit" to handle
the loyalty program.
Meloy Defends System.
Lawrence v. Meloy, executive sec
retary of the Civil Service Commits
sions Loyalty Review Board, de-
Tended the system before the Fer
guSon subcommittee.
Mr.. Busby, testifying before the
House Committee on Un-American
Activities, asserted that the fault
for keeping many loyalty suspects in
Government jobs for long periods
rests squarely" on the Civil Service
Commission.
The Senate committee before which
Mr.. Klaus appeared is attempting
to find out why Mr.. Remington. now
under suspension from his Com
merce Department export license
job pending completion of an Off
cial investigation. was allowed to
transfer from one Government job
to another while under FBI investi-
CATION. Mr. Remington was named
in testimony before the committee
by a self styled former Communist
espionage agent-Miss Elizabeth T.
-Bentley-as one of number of Gov
ernment officials who supplied her
with information.
Received Vague Answers.
Mr.. Klaus said that when he in
formed Mr.. Bruce of Mr. Reming-
tons involvement in the espionage
inquiry, Mr.. Bruce told him he would
notify Immediately Mr. Remington's
superior, Thomas C. Blaisdell, jr.,
now Assistant Secretary of Com
merce.
However, he told the committee,
for several months he received only
vague answers to his inquiries as to
what was being done about MI,
Remington.
Mr.. Klaus. who was loaned to the
Commerce Department to set up an
enforcement division for export con-
trolls, said he heard accidentally that
Mr.. Remington was taking the Com
merce position in March and Il felt
that the information I had was Of
the greatest Importance to the
whole program"
He said he went to Mr.. Bruce,
who now is in Paris on an assign
ment for the ECA, and that the
latter told him some questions had
been brought out about Mr.. REM
ington that he thought had been
satisfactorily cleared up
Was Concerned About Remington.
/ Mr.. Klaus said part of his job was
to see that goods assigned for ex-
port to certain country did not go
elsewhere and that he became in
creasingly concerned about having
Mr.. Remington in the position.
In his appearance before the
House Committee. Mr.. Busbey de-
manded that the committee call
Civil Service Commissioner Arthur
/ H. Fleming and other top officials
to answer their actions"
/ Mr.. Busbey's criticisms paralleled
(See COMMUNISTS, Page AL