Evening star., 1951-12-19
Truman Underscores
DisapprovaI Of Gifts
For U. 5. Employees
ByCeciI Holland

Dy&eCtt f1Olion0
President Truman has made 1t
emphatic that he doesn't want
Government employees to accept
favors, gifts. unusual loans or en-
tertainment.
AS a pre-Christmas aftermath
of congressional disclosures of
scandals in the administration,
Mr. Truman made known his
views about gifts and favors yes
terday while withholding any de-
tailed announcement of how he
expects to wage a much-heralded
cleanup campaign.
He expressed them in a letter.
made public by the White House,
to Raymond H. Foley, Federal
Housing administrator. The let.
ter was in reply to one written
by Mr.. Foley setting out his own
agency's efforts to close the door
on influence peddlers.
Il think the policy you have set
out with respect to the acceptance
OF gifts by employees is wise one,"
Mr.. Truman wrote, land I believe
this is the correct policy for all
the Government"
This statement was made in
respect to Mr.. Foley's letter saying
that long ago he had issued a
detailed list of practices which
the persons working for him must
avoid. Mr.. Foley added that he
had followed this up this year
with a pre-Christmas warning
even more specific" than in the
past.
Employees, he explained, are for
hidden to take "any favor, gift,
unusual loan or discount, gratui-
touS service, entertainment or any
other thing of value" from any
one who could expect in any way
an official favor.
Mr.. Foley said he had directed
his staff to make this policy
known to any and all who might
be inclined to bestow gifts on
them. If any gifts are received,
he added. the recipient should
send them back firmly but cour-
teously.
He said he also had cautioned
his employees against accepting
even an invitation to lunch with
out making sure "it will not result
in embarrassment to the agency
or to themselves"
Monthly Statement.
Housing agency employees, Mr..
Foley said. are required to file a
monthly statement on any non
Government employment. busi-
ness activity or investments which
might be subject to questioning
by any one on grounds Of pro-
priety. He added that a COM
pliance staff has been strength
ened to see that the rules arel
carried out.
Mr.. Truman praised Mr.. Foley
for his efforts and said:
Because of the general public
Interest in this subject ak the
present time. I believe your Aetter
should be made public as an ex-
ample of the manner in which
this problem has been dealt with
In the past, and is now being
dealt with by the Government"
The current congressional inves-
tigation of tax scandals, princi-
pally by the House subcommittee
headed by Representative King,
Democrat, of California, has
brought out numerous instances
Of officials accepting favors, ex-
penses-paid vacation trips and
gifts.
White House Target.
In the past the White House
itself has been the target of criti-
cism on the same score. A Senate
inquiry brought out that two pres
idential assistants - Donald S.
Dawson and Matthew Connelly-I
had received favors. Before that
1t had been brought out that Maj
Gen. Harry H. Vaughan, the Pres
ident's military aide, once received
a number of home freezers and
passed them on to various public
figures.
Mr.. Truman withheld any an
nouncement on the plans he has
for a house cleaning within the
administration in which Federal
Judge Thomas F. Murphy of New
York is expected to take a lead
ing role. The President conferred
briefly yesterday with Frank E.
Mckinney. chairman Of the Demo-
cratic National Committee, who
told reporters they touched on
the corruption matter"
Meanwhile. the King subcom-
mittee planned to question Henry
w. Grunewald, mysterious Wash
ington figure, in a closed session
tomorrow. Grnewald has figured
in the subcommittee's inquiry into
the sensational $500.000 shake
down story related to the House
group by Abraham Teitelbaum,
wealthy Chicago attorney. |!