Evening star., 1949-06-02
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IByHickenIoope
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mainder leaving Of their own vo
lition would be only 50.7 per cent
4. The committee called
closed session for 2:30 pm. MI
Wilson indicated on the stand tn
commission expected to present
report at the closed session OF
the lost uranium at Chicago. NJ
time was set for the next publi'
hearing.
Senator Hickenlooper said !
was only fair to state that mos
of the employees given this emer
gency clearance on a file checl
without full FBI investigation
later proved to be good citizen
and trustworthy"
1T is not the mass Of people
who infiltrate-it is the occa'
sional one who slips through,
Senator Hickenlooper continued
And it is entirely possible they
could be cleared as emergency
cases and have from so to 80 day.
before a complete checkup."
Few Later Questioned.
At one point, Mr.. Lilienthal
with the trace Of smile. observed
II am glad indeed to have Sen.
ator Hickenlooper's comment thai
most Of them were in fact loyaI
and patriotic citizens. Since thi.
list included an emergency clear.
ance for Gen. Dwight D. Eisen-
hover, I am sure he will be glao
to know there is no blanket COM
plant. In fact. there are very
few about whom any question de.
veloped."
Senator Hickenlooper broke ir
with this sharp retort, Before this
Is over I'll have a few others who
do not have the standing Of Gen
Eisenhower, who were cleared"
Later, while Mr.. Volpe was de.
Tending the adequacy Of the com.
missions system Of relying on q
QUESTIONABLE from the applicant
for a job. and then having the
QUESTIONABLE with O 'fingerprint
checked against the FBI files. the
general counsel said the "diabolica
individual" Senator Hickenloopel
had referred to "is not going tt
expose himself" to an FBI file
check.
Dispute on Meaning Of Law.
HE could get In for go or 81
days, then get on a Polish boat Il
leave the country and q British
court would free him." Senator
Hickenlooper shot back. obviously
referring to Communist Gerhard
Eisler's escape from the United
States.
Senator Hickenlooper also OBJ.
served that there are millions o.
persons In the country Whose
fingerprints the FBI does not hav,
in making these preliminary clear.
ance checks.
"You would be surprised how
few there are" Mr.. Lilienthal re-
piled.
The controversy, which enliv.
ened today's hearing, boiled dowr
to a dispute between Senator
Hickenlooper and Mr.. Lilientha'
over the meaning Of the phrase
emergency clearance" in the
Atomic Energy Law Of 1916. ane
whether it is safe to take employe,
into atomic energy work for so Of
80 days on the basis Of this emer.
gency screening.
"Our problem" said Mr.. Lilien.
thai, was one Of judgment. thai
is, we had to weigh the response.
bility we owed the country to in.
crease its security by rapid prog.
ress Con the Atomic Energy Pro.
gramD against the calculated risl
involved in a preliminary screen.
ing for so, 90, or 100 days.
After reeling OF his statistics or
emergency clearances," Senator
Hickenlooper declared:
I'm the face Of all the publicity
which is issued to the American
public relative to atomic security
consider this conduct OF. TIN
Atomic Energy Commission anc
its chairman, David e. Lilienthal
to be brazen effrontery; consider
it to be q violation of the lettel
and spirit Of the Atomic Energ,
Act Of 1916. It is high time thu
facts were known"
Senator Hickenlooper, who for
merly headed the Congressiona
Atomic Committee, said that h'
had demonstrated" with the com
mission about clearance in "ex
tensive correspondence dating bacl
in 1947. He added that he hat
been told that the Acc was keep
ing emergency clearances ito th'
minimum.
Reasons given for the higl
number Of emergency clearance
were (A) the newness Of the or
ganization and CD the length O
time involved in the investiga
tion," Senator Hickenlooper added
The Senator said that tn,
Atomic Energy Act clearly In
tends that the FBI must" con
duct an investigation and make ,
report to the Acc as to tn
character. loyalty and associa
tions" Of the individuals seekinl
employment. He said this ais
was the intent Of the committe'
in drafting the act. and added:
! I'VE felt that IN these Troubles