Evening star., 1948-09-05
Will Use Names of
Known Members Of
Subversive Groups
By Miriom Ottenberu

The names of Government
employees known to the House
Committee on American Ac-
tivities as members of subver-
sive organizations will be used to
test the effectiveness of the
Governments loyalty program, it
was learned last night.
The committee plans to call top
officials of the loyalty program for
an accounting" in the course of
it's next series of hearings.
In questioning these officials, it
was learned, the committee will pull
some names out of its own files to
find out if these cases have been
subjected to a loyalty check.
A committee spokesman estimated
that the committees files contain
between 100000 and 100000 names.
1t was also estimated that hundreds
of those in the files named as men,
bers of subversible organizations
are now working for the Govern
ment.
Keeps Cross Index.
The committee maintains a cross
index listing each individuals men,
bership in organizations which the
Attorney General has labeled sub
Versive.
The committee, 1t was learned,
wants to find out how many Com
munist front organizations a per-
son has to belong to before loyalty
boards consider there is sufficient
cause for discharge.
Loyalty program officials will be
asked how many cases have been re-
viewed since the program was set
up, what are the yardsticks by
which disloyalty is measured and
how many persons have been dis
y.
Outside of maintaining the Com
munist-front lists and investigating
specific cases that tie up with its
hearings, the committee has not
made wholesale investigations of
Government employees. 1t has taken
the position that with staff of five
investigators, it could not carry on
the interviewing, surveillance and
checking necessary to such a pro-
gram.
Feels Others Should Aid.
Although the August spy hearings
involved Government employees, the
committee repeatedly is more in
terested in communism wherever 1t
shows itself rather than in limiting
its investigation to Government
agencies. 1t has taken the position
that other Congressional commit
tees-such as the House Civil Serv-
ice Cornmittee-should concentrate
on Communist Sympathizers in the
Government.
On the other hand, the commit
tee is trying to establish the need
for legislation based on q present
danger Several of its proposals
particularly affect Government en-
ployment. 1t has not yet presented
evidence of disloyalty or espionage
among currently employed Govern
ment workers.
Since it does not have access to
loyalty files, the committee does not
know how much investigation has
been done on cases in the commit
tee files. 1t considers membership
in subversive organizations evidence
of the possibility that a person is
disloyal or is in fact a Communist.
Hearings Resume September Is.
BY calling loyalty officials, the
committee repeatedly hopes to get
a picture of the present extent of
Communist infiltration into Govern
ment.
After closed sessions this week, the
committee is scheduled to resume
open hearings September Is. Half
a dozen different inquiries are on
the agenda for the public sessions.
One of these inquiries repeatedly
centers on third Communist spy
ring involving Government en-
ployes. So far, the committee has
refused to say whether the alleged
spy ring operated before, during or
after the war. Committee sources
have indicated that the spy ring
had to do with passing along atomic
bomb secrets to the Soviet.
Before getting to new business,
however, the committee plans to
complete the two cases that occu-
pied it last month-the story of a
prewar Communist underground as
told by ex-Communist Whitaker
Chambers and the story of two
wartime espionage rings of Govern
ment employees as related by Eliza
beth T Bentlev former Communist