Madison County Democrat. (London, Ohio) 19??-1958, 1951-07-24
The World Today
LOYALTY AND SECURITY
BY James NARROW

Senator Mccarthy wrote let
ter to Hiram Bingham, chairman
of the governments Loyalty Re-
view Board. He made a mistake
in addressing it to Bingham.
The Wisconsin Republican want
ed to know why 26 State Depart
ment employees, whom he had in
mind, had not been suspended as
security risks.
Bingham, one-time Republican
senator from Connecticut, replied
that his board handled loyalty
cases, not security cases, because
the two were under different gov
ernment programs:
This is the difference between
the two:
Loyalty-a person fired from
a government job because of dis
loyalty is always a security risk,
that is, a person not safe to have
in any kind of government job.
But he is fired primarily on
grounds of disloyalty, whether he
is in an important or sensitive
job dealing with secret infor-
nation or just a minor employe
who never sees or hears of secret
stuff.
Security-a person considered
loyal to the government may at
the same time be a bad security
risk. For instance. a man in sem
sitive job would be deemed a Sc
curity risk if he drank too much,
talked too much, or was homo
sexual who is liable to be black
mailed into revealing government
secrets under threat of exposure.
The security program is older
than the loyalty program. Presi-
dent Truman started the loyalty
program on Oct. /, 1947 Con-
gress passed a law in 1910 put
ting the security program in mo-
ton.
This is how the two work:
Security-a man considered a
security risk can be suspended by
the head of his agency. For ex-
ample, by the Secretary Of State.
If he's a temporary employe, he
can he suspended and fired with
out a hearing where he coul d
answer the charges against him.
If he's a permanent employe un-
der civil service, he gets chance
to clear himself because the
agency head must give him
hearing.
But if the agency head t h e n
fires him, that's the end of the
story. It's final. The fired m a n
cannot appeal his case any fur
ther.
Loyalty-every agency has a
loyalty board of its own made up
of three or more employees selec-
ted by the head of the agency.
If the board receives informa-
ton causing it to doubt the 10y
atty Of an employee the FB1
does the big investigating job
it writes him a letter listing
the charges against him.
Then it gives him a hearing. II
found okay, he keeps his job. If
the board rules against him., he
can appeal to the head of his
agency If he loses out there, ne
can appeal to the Loyalty Review
Board (LRB), headed by Bingham
and made up of IL men appointed
by the President.
If this board thinks the man is
alright, he keeps his job. If it
doubts his loyalty, he's fired. He
has no further appeal. Cases car
ried to the courts on appeal have
been thrown out.
Unlike courts where the accused
must be confronted by the wit
ness against him and given
chance to question them, when the
Loyalty Boards decide it's better
for the government TO conceal the
witnesses. an accused man never
knows who has given the evidence
against him.
There are no figures available
for the number of people drop
ped from government jobs as Sc
curity risks Each agency ham
dies its own cases. But briefly
here are some figures on I n G
loyalty program:
While the FBI was fully in
vestigating them. 1.744 employs
quit. Another 1,408 quit after the
investigation and while their
loyalty boards
OF SIC people whom the lower
boards thought should be fired.
cases were in the hands of h E
the Review Board ordered 200 re-
stored to their jobs and fired 316.