Evening star., 1950-03-20
Legislation Studied
For Commerce Dept.
Firing Of Red Suspect!

su VI NS
Legislation is being considered
to give the Commerce Depart.
ment authority to dismiss sum-
marily employees considered a baC
security risk, it was disclosed to-
day.
This was revealed in published
hearings Of a House Appropria-
tions subcommittee considering
the departments 1851 budget re-
quest. The hearings also dis
closed:
l. Seventy-on of the Com
merce Department 10000 en-
ployes have been fired or have
quit as a result of the loyalty
program.
2. A Bureau of Standards Off
cial, whose name was not dis
closed, supervised areas of secret
work for Is months before he re-
ceived loyalty clearance.
"HOneycOmbed" With Reds.
The reports on the loyalty dis
missals led Chairman Rooney OF
the subcommittee to declare that
the Commerce Department, and
not the State Department cur
rently under Republican. attack
is 1.-The outfit which is honey
combed with people belonging tc
the Communist Party"
Bernard Gladieux. executive
assistant to Commerce Secretary
Sawyer, told the subcommittee
the department has had 369 10y
atty cases.
OF this number, 273 employees
were cleared. II were fired and
Is cases are still pending.
Mr.. Gladieux said 26 of the
273 persons who were found in
nocent of disloyalty charges nev-
ertheless had been designated
as security risks" Another SIX
employees in the Is pending cases
have been adjudged security
risks"
Subcommittee members were
sharply critical OF the practice o.
allowing security-risk employs
to continue on the job. MIR. Gladi'
eux replied than none of thest
workers are allowed to handle
classified information and art
placed in routine jobs.
When subcommittee member
suggested that it would be vel
to fire these security-risk en-
ployes, Mr.. Gladieux replied:
- I'VE are probably on very du
bious grounds in this whole Sc
curity business. 1t has bothered
us a lot because we have no au
thority to designate some one as
security risk. For example, whel
the Loyalty Review Board clear
an individual on appeal and doe
not find reasonable grounds TO
believing he is disloyal-in SOM
cases we can say: All right, WI
have to accept this decision as tt
loyalty, but in our own discre'
tion we are going to designate the
employe as a security risk even so.
Suggests Rider to Bill.
MIR. Gladieux said the depart.
ment had no authority to desig-
nate employees as security risks.
II have always feared that II
would be challenged successfully
he said. ,.I,,....
Chairman Rooney suggested q
rider on Commences appropria-
tions measure to give the depart
ment the authority to fire en-
ployes summarily on security risk
charges.
Mr.. Gladieux pointed out that
the department had sought per-
mission from the Budget Bureau
to be included in the pending bill
before Congress which would give
military and security agencies the
permanent authority to fire en-
ployes summarily for security rea-
sons. The measure is now being
Studied by the House Civil Serv-
ice Committee.
A breakdown of disloyal en-
ployes in the department showed
that eight were, in the Bureau Of
Standards, four in the Coast anc
Geodetic Survey, six in the Civi
Aeronautics Administration. six ir
the Weather Bureau, seven in tht
Office of the Secretary, % in thu
Census Bureau, two in the Paten
Office, 13 in the Inland Water
ways Corp. and three in the Bu'
reau of Public Roads.
or these employees, 80 per cen
were found to be members of tht
Communist Party and the othel
were members Of Communis
fronts, Mr.. Gladieux said.
1 He added that the names o!
II Headquarters for
IL T~o-wru %&ra&rh