Evening star., 1949-06-02
Acc Clearance Called Violation
By HickenIooper at Hearing

r at Hearing
times and because of the vital
necessity for security. such provi-
sion of law was necessary to pre-
vent dangerous infiltration OF oul
atomic energy program"
Turning to the emergency
section of the law. Senator Hick-
enlooper quoted Webster's Die
tionary as saying that an emer-
gency is IAN unforeseen combina-
ton Of circumstances that call for
immediate action"
MY opinion of the meaning OF
emergency and the opinion of
Mr.. Webster's in regard to same
is not. however, the opinion Of the
commission" Senator Hicken-
looper commented.
FBI File Check Explained.
Mr.. Volpe was asked by Chair
man Mcmahon to explain just
what the temporary FBI file check
consists Of.
The lawyer said the employe
fills out a QUESTIONABLE, giving his
own identity. which is sworn to
and accompanied by his finger
prints. This is sent to the FBI for
a check against its files. II the
report indicates any derogatory
information. emergency clearance
is not granted. Mr.. Volpe said.
Senator Hickenlooper asked Mr..
Volpe If he did not recall one case
of a man. whose name was not
revealed by the Senator. who filled
out a questionnaire and "it turned
out later" he had been a Commu-
mist.
Mr.. Volpe replied that was not
an emergency case. but involved
an individual who had been en-
the Manhattan District Project
in l943, and was rechecked later
when the Atomic Energy Com
mission was set up.
"Our fear has been that II any
group wanted to get a subversive
in they would use some one who
had not been a member Of the
Communist Party" Mr.. Volpe
continued.
Can't Falsify Finger Prints.
That's the point" Senator
Hickenlooper interjected. But
1t is no excuse for not taking lull
precautions. A file check is not
an investigation"
Suppose a man gives a false
name on the questionnaire?" asked
Senator Hickenlooper.
II am sure the FBI is on to that
trick and to others we are not
aware Of" Mr.. Volpe answered.
Senator Mcmahon joined in to
say an applicant might give false
name but could not falsify his
flngerprints.
At one point Mr.. Iilienthal con-
fronted Senator Hickenlooper with
q tribute the Senator recently paid
to the atomic program as a whole
during hearings May IL before this
same committee on the confirma-
ton Of Gordon E. Dean and Henry
De Wolf Smyth as new members
of the Atomic Energy Commission.
Reads Hickenlooper Statement.
Mr.. Lilienthal read from those
hearings the following statement
by Senator Hickenlooper:
II might say, Just to clarity the
situation, that I think the record
of loyalty and character In this
whole project, from the Manhat-
tan district down to the present
time, through the present COM
mission, has been Of an unusually
high order. I think the percen-
| tage Of undesirable people who
would have occasion to have ac-
cess to restricted data is remark
ably low and indicates standard
that probably could not be ex-
celled and perhaps not even
equaled among any other group
Ioy class of people. So do not
take the attitude that everybody
is bad"
Groves May Be Called.
Meanwhile. it appeared that the
investigation may branch out Into
comparison of military and
civilian control despite the original
intention of Senator Hickenlooper
to confine It to his charge Of "in-
credible mismanagement" against
Mr.. Lilienthal.
There was q report from SEN
ate sources that 1t. Gen. Leslie
Groves. who headed the Army's
Manhattan District atomic prof.
ect, may be called later to
answer Mr.. Lilienthal's claim that
the atomic energy program had
Isbogged down" when his commits
sion took over from the military
authorities more than two years