Evening star., 1950-02-23
Senate Broadens Hunt
For Communists in
State Department
By Cecil HoIIond

The Senate Foreign Relations
Committee today prepared for
full-scale investigation of charges
that Communists are employed in
the State Department.
The Senate, after hours of de-
bate, voted for the investigation
yesterday. At Republican in
sistence it gave the committee
far more authority than that
sought by Democratic leaders.
Amendments accepted reluc-
tantly by Senate Majority Leader
Lucas to the inquiry resolution he
sponsored included:
l. One by Senator Ferguson,
Republican, of Michigan direct
ing the committee Ito procure by
subpoena" the secret loyalty files
and employment records of Gov
ernment workers facing charges.
Would Broaden Inquiry.
2. Another by Senator Ferguson
extending the investigation to past
as we'll as present employees of
the department.
3. One by Senators Morse of
Oregon and SaltonStall of MaSsa-
chusetts, both Republicans, call
ing for public hearings on any
formal charges of disloyalty
against any individuals.
Senator Lucas said the COM
mittee would require several days
to get the investigation under
way. It was indicated that spe-
cial staff would have to be set up
to assist in the investigation and
that its probable cost would be
$4,000.
Senator Mcmahon, Democrat,
of Connecticut, is expected to head
a Foreign Relations subcommittee
to make the inquiry.
May Withhold Files.
While agreeing to the Fergu-
son subpoena amendment, Sena-
tor Lucas indicated that Presi-
dent Truman and other officials
may refuse to make available to
the committee the confidential
loyalty files. They have been
denied congressional groups in
the past.
The investigation resulted from
charges by Senator Mccarthy,
Republican, of Wisconsin,, in a
series of cross-country speeches
and on the floor of the Senate.
He indicated in the Senate de-
bate yesterday that his informa-
tion alleging that group of Com
munists are employed at present
in the State Department came
from some one in the department
itself.
Senator Lucas said the Wiscon-
sin Senator should take the wit
ness stand in public and disclose
his information and the source.
Refuses to Give Names.
Under no circumstances" Sen
ator Mccarthy replied. will I
give the names of State Depart
ment employees who helped me
get this information"
He said he would guarantee"
that the investigation, if properly
handled, would turn up some
Communists in the department.
It was the second investigation
started in the Senate during the
day. Earlier, the Senate Com
merce Committee voted unani-
mously to take up a request by
Senator Malone, Republican, of
Nevada for an inquiry into the
Bureau of Foreign and Domestic
Commerce, a division of the Com
merce Department, and Michael
Lee, one of its officials.
Senator Malone charged last
week that Mr.. Lee is Manchu-
rian-born Russian who had used
his position to delay shipments of
war supplies to Nationalist China.
He said that the officials name
formerly was Ephraim Zinovi Lib
erman and that his application
for American citizenship had been
turned down three times before
being granted after he married an
American woman.
The Commerce Department said
Mr.. Lee had been investigated
fully and that it welcomed the
investigation. It will be made by
a subcommittee to be named by
Chairman Johnson.