Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1948-09-23
'0verworked A|ibi'
Charged by Ferguson
In LoyaItyCheck Delay
By Don S. Warren


ate Expenditures Subcommittee
investigating the Governments
loyalty program today accused
Attorney General Clark of using
IAN overWorked alibi'-lack of
funds-in an attempt to excuse
inefficiencies and delays in
making loyalty checks on Fed
eral employees.
Senator Fergusons statement was
made after Mr.. Clark accused Con-
gress of failing to provide needed
laws for dealing with subversive
elements
The Attorney Generals remarks
were made in speech yesterday
before the American Hotel Associa-
ton convention here in which he
said I'VE have the fifth column on
the run in the United States" He
promised that subversive elements
will be attacked with every legal
weapon we possess. when and where
it raises its hideous head despite
the lack of laws to deal adequately
with the problem.
Mr.. Clark's contention that lack of
funds was hinderfng the loyalty
investigation program was made in
an, earlier exchange with Senator
Ferguson.
Commission Moves Cited.
In his latest contribution to the
running verbal battle with the At
torney General, Senator Ferguson
cited recent moves of the Civil
Service Commission to prove the
subcommittee contention about
gaps existing in the program.
Changes the csc ordered this
month to tighten up the system fer
wedding Communists and other sub
verSives out of Government posts,
he said, ARE a most eloquent an
swer to any careless charges the
attorney general may make"
These moves, he said. came "as 8
result of the subcommittee investi-
CATION.
The constructive nature of the
report (of the subcommittee is best
attested to by the fact that the COM
issued revised instructions
to departments and agencies of the
executive branch the Michigan
Senator said, putting into effect
the major recommendations in the
report"
Arguments by Mr.. Clark as to lack
of funds are disputed by the record,
Senator Ferguson asserted. Con-
tentions that the subcommittee
made incorrect, misleading. unfair
and. uniformed" statements, he
added, are without merit
At the same time, Senator Fer
guson served notice that, as soon as
FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover re-
covers from his pneumonia attack,
the subcommittee wants him to
testify in closed sessions. The Fer
guson statement described him as
probably the best informed Govern
ment official on subversive activities.
espionage and the effectiveness of
the Government workers loyalty
checks.
Protests Curb on Hoover.
On this point, Senator Ferguson
protested that Attorney General
Clark had failed to grant repeated
requests that Mr.. Hoover be per-
mitted to testify. He linked this
with actions by President Truman,
which, the Senator said, had blocked
subcommittee efforts to obtain addi-
tional data on the loyalty program.
The FBI. which is charged with
the responsibility of making all of
the field Investigations, Senator
Ferguson added, has not COM
planned of any lack of funds In
fact. he continued, its work load
for the first year of the loyalty pro-
gram was based on an estimate of
more than 45. 900 full field investiga-
lions. but since only $50 were in
itiated that year. it correspondingly
reduced its budget for the next
fiscal year.
The Civil Service Commission
also was cited to show that funds
we're not lacking. Senator Ferguson
said it had almost $1,000, 600 of I'M
expended funds earmarked for the
loyalty program at the end of the
last fiscal year on June 80. He
quoted testimony by CSC Chair
man Mitchell before members of the
Senate Appropriations Committee
to the effect that estimates of the
agency for both the fiscal years
l948 and 1949 had been too high. u
Al MILL