Evening star., 1951-02-25

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Smith. secretary and staff director
Eof the Senate Minority 4 Policy
Committee, says his staff goes on
perhaps three missions" IA year
where Senators want more infor-
nation than they can get through
correspondence. These investiga-
ftions. he explained, are so conf
Dental that they are not even
revealed to any other Senator, but
the one who requests the informa-
ton. He added, however, that
I'VE don't do any sleuthing."
One legislator said he and a
number of his colleagues rely on
investigations made by lobbyists
on the theory that the lobbyists
don't dare give them any misin-
formation for fear Of losing a
spokesman.
Touch Every Field of Activity.
In all, the Investigations made
for and by legislators touch on vir-
tually every field of activity, with
Government workers-past, pres
Ient and prospective-as the most
likely focus of their attention.
In the executive agencies. the
Government workers are under
constant investigation. too. but the
agents of the executive agencies
branch out into virtually every
phase of life.
While its difficult to draw a line
between investigation and study"
on Capitol Hill, the same applies
to investigation and enforcement
work in the Government. All of
them-whether they're studying,
enforcing or investigating-are
asking questions the public is ex-
pected to answer.
Latest quarry of the Government
man is the housewife, who is sup
posed to be paying and reporting
old-age benefit taxes. But the
farmer, the banker, the teacher.
the employer. his workers. and
their neighbors are equally likely
to face a Government man.
10000 Are Special Agents.
The departments are interested
either in screening personnel OF
in enforcing the many laws Con-
gress has given them to enforce
Wherever there's an agency with
confidential files or the power t.
spend money, there will be security
officers and auditors checking or
the loyalty and integrity of work.
ers. And wherever there's law
there will be someone checking on
compliance with it.
| Exactly how many people are
primarily concerned with investi-
cation in the executive depart
ments is virtually impossible to
discover-partially because agen-
cies like the armed services are re-
luctant to talk about the size OF
their security forces but also be-
cause some agencies use nom
descriptive titles like analyst" to
cover the activities of their investi-
gators.
While more than $4,000 persons
earn their living as Government
investigators, the number who
sometimes make investigations or
report non compliance totals
closer to 100000. And that's not
including the evidence-hunting
legislators and their staffs.
In fact. there are so many de-
mands for investigators that an
experienced one can take his pick
of variety of jobs. M .
t Investigation has become a
business in itself-variously con-
sidered a maker and breaker OF
regulations. a necessary part Of
making laws and-in some cases
ran aid to reelection. 1t has
also been considered a deterrent
to some people who would rather
make a good living in private in
dustry than face the bright dor
television) light of a congressional
investigation.
TOMORROW: When indi-
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