Evening star., 1948-08-05
Loyalty Files Will Be Withheld;
Hearing Told Of Uranium for Reds
Inquiries Blocking
Initiation Action,
President Says
BULLETIN

A Senate investigating COM
mittee expressed dissatisfac-
ton this afternoon with en-
ployment records of William
w. Remington, supplied by the
Commerce Department in line
with President Truman'S Or
der. The records were stripped
of any information regarding
loyalty investigations. Mat
thew Hale, assistant solicitor
of the Commerce Department,
refused to answer some ques-
tions regarding the part played
by the White House in the
matter. The committee in
structed Mr.. Hale to telephone
Secretary of Commerce Saw
yer during a brief recess.
President Truman today
branded the Capitol Hill spy
hearings a red herring" and
said they ARE serving no use
full purpose"
He rejected demands of con-
eressional investigators for secret
information from Government en-
ploye and loyalty and investigative
files, but granted requests for cer-
tain types of employment records.
The President was asked at a
news conference If he considered
the spy hearings a red herring .
He replied that he did, and resorted
to the unusual procedure of permit
ting reporters to quote him on the
appellation.
He then read a prepared state
ment declaring that the hearings
are doing irreparable harm to Ger
tain persons" and undermining
public confidence in the Govern
ment
After finishing the prepared
statement, Mr. Truman added the
eXtemporaneous comment that:
They are using these hearings as a
red herring to keep them from do
ing what they ought to do again
permitting direct quotation. BY
they" he obviously meant Repub-
licans in Congress.
The hearings, by both Senate and
House investigating committees, Mr.
Truman continued, have slandered
lot of people who don't deserve it.
He said the inquiries had not re-
vealed any information that had
not been known for a long time to
both the Federal Bureau of Investi-
cation and to a Federal grand jury
in New York.
Won't Yield Confidential Data.
What has been brought out in
testimony before the Senate and
House committees proved INSULT
cient for indictments by the grand
jury against those accused of hav-
ing a part in an alleged wartime
Communist underground here, the
President said.
Mr.. Truman bracketed in his de-
nunciation both the hearings being
conducted by the House Committee
on American Activities under
Acting Chairman Mundt and those
being held by a Senate Expendi-
lures subcommittee headed by SEN
ator Ferguson.
He said fatty that the Ferguson
subcommittee would get no conf
dental information on William w
Remington. suspended Commerce
Department official who has denied
charges that he gave secret data to
Communist spy ring courier.
Data on Naval Discharge Sought.
Senator Ferguson had sought in
formation from Secretary of the
Navy Sullivan on the circumstances
of Mr. Remington's discharge last
year from his Naval Reserve COM
mission as an ensign.
MI Sullivan told the committee
yesterday he was putting up to the
President the question of whether
he could provide the information.
Mr. Truman said today his state
ment was the answer to Mr.. Sulli-
van.
His statement revealed that an
other request for information about
Mr.. Remington would be granted
Senator Ferguson also had asked
Secretary of Commerce Sawyer for
Mr.. Remington'S civilian Govern
ment job record except as to secret
loyalty checks. and Mr.. Sawyer had
put the matter up to the White
House.
The records sought from Mr.
Sawyer were turned over to the
Ferguson subcommittee by Matthew
Hale, assistant solicitor of the COM
merce Dpartment after the Presi-
dents statement. He said he had
removed from them ANYTHING bear
ing on Mr. Remington's loyalty.
Scouts Mundt Assertion.
The "unclassified routine papers
which the President allowed to be
supplied at request of congressional
records include such documents as
records of promotion, efficiency rat
ings, letters of recommendation, etc.
A reporter told the President that
Representative Mundt had said his
committee has good reason to be-
lieve "a Communist spy ring is op-
tSee TRUMAN, Page A-4D
Greeks Compress Rebels