Evening star., 1950-04-25
Truman Warns PubIiI
On Being Confused
By Gossip Charges
By Robert K. Welsh

By Robert K. Wolsh
The Nation today had a warn.
ing from President Truman to
heed the threat to the United
States through spread Of Com
munist imperialism" abroad and
not to be confused by "sensa-
tional accusations based On gos-
sip. hearsay or hunch." or poll
tics" here.
He told the Federal Bar Asso-
citation last night that Commu-
nists in this country are merely
"a noisy but small and universal
ly despised group" The LOYALTY
program has been IAN outstanding
success" in handling any dangers
OF subversive influences in the
Government. he declared.
More than 1000 men and wom-
en-, including many Cabinet off,
GERS, Supreme Court justices and
congressional and administration
leaders, heard the speech in the
Hotel Statler. Prolonged applause
and a standing ovation greeted
Secretary of State Acheson, tar
get Of much Of the attack by Sen
ator Mccarthy. Republican, of
Wisconsin.
Does Not Name Mccarthy.
Without naming Senator Nc
Carthy, who has charged that
the State Department harbors
Communists and fellow travellers,
Mr.. Truman lashed out at such
criticism.
THE able men charged with
carrying out the loyalty program
know that keeping disloyal per-
sons out of the Government is a
business which must be done care
fully and effectively" he said at
the associations banquet.
They know that the job cannot
be done by publicly denouncing
men as Communists without hav-
ing evidence to support such
charges, or by blackening the
character of persons because their
views are different from those of
the accuser, or by hurting accu-
sations based on gossip, hearsay or
hunch.
They know that no one whose
principal concern was the security
of the country would try to do it
that way"
Implies Motive Political.
p The President implied that poll
tics also may be a motive. Citing
considerable Ignorance and mis-
understanding" about the loyalty
program. even by people he said
should know BETTER" he added:
ut has occurred to me that per-
haps they do know better-that
perhaps there is some element of
politics in their accusations.
Senator Mccarthy commented
later that he could not understand
the Presidents apparent indiffer-
ence to the greatest threat ever
faced by this Nation"
= FBI Chiefs Statement Recalled.
THE most disturbing thing
about Mr.. Truman's talk" he said,
was his apparent delusion that
the entire Government structure
is his own personal toy and that
any one who tries to clean it up
does SO for the sole purpose of
embarrassing Mr.. Truman"
He recalled that FBI Director
j. Edgar Hoover told the House
Committee on Un-American Ac-
tivities in 1947 that Communist
inf1ltration and influence was a
serious menace"
But" Mr.. Truman put in with
a grin. that couldn't be the case"
President Truman emphasized
that any one having information
indicating Communist or other
subversive activity should turn
over such information to the
Justice Department and FBI for
proper investigation and neces-
Sary action.
To Protect Employees.
Defending the Federal loyalty
program, he said it was designed
not only to weed out Communist
or FaScists Of the Silver Shirt or
ku Klux variety" but also to
protect Government employees
against false, malicious or un-
founded accusations.
THE Communists and their
friends, as well as some sincere
idealists, say it is too drastic" he
said. "The false patriots and even
some honest reactionaries say it
is entirely too mild. They want
us to dismiss employees on the
basis of unsupported charges.
Tney actually resent the demo-