Evening star., 1951-08-30
Major Senate Probe
Likely Over Secrecy
In Federal Agencies
BY Paul R. Leoch
Cnicago Daily News Service


Secrecy in operation of the Fed
eral Government may be one Of
the major Senate inquiries next
year.
Senator Case, Republican, South
Dakota, former newspaper pub
Usher, wants editors and report
ers to supply him with every in
stance they know about of road
blocks and Illustrations they have
experienced in getting legitimate
news from executive departments.
With that information he in
tends to ask for an investigation.
In the present temper of Congress,
which is unlikely to be changed
when the new session opens in
January, he probably will get it.
ClOying Rubber Curtain
Merely exposing secrecy rules
that have been set up by depart
ment and bureau regulations with
out the backing of law will help
break down the cloying rubber
curtain that blocks making pub
lie records of some operations, Sen.
Case believes.
Senator Case got interested IN
the problem in correspondence
with James S. Pope, managing
editor of the Louisville Courier
Journal. Mr.. Pope is chairman
of the Committee on Freedom of
Information of the American So
ciety of Newspaper Editors.
Last spring, Mr.. Pope'S commit
tee reported to the ASNE con-
vention here that it had made
progress-and also lost tin its
efforts to destroy barriers being
raised between the public and
legitimate information on the
public'S business.
Senator Case asked Mr.. Pope
in a letter if Congress could help
the ASNE in its fight for broad
ening Government information
He got a prompt and enthuSias-
tic yes" in reply.
Cites Department Ruling.
Mr.. Pope'S letter cited a Labor
Department regulation governing
access to its record which says:
Copies of accounts. letters. rec
ordS, files and other documents or
papers shall not be furnished toI
any person except with the con-
sent Of the Secretary (of Labor)
such written consent will peI
granted only to such persons as
may have personal material in
terest in the subject matter"
That was not new to Senator
Case. He recalled that President
Truman a year ago sent a direc-
tive to all departments saying
that they were not to provide
even congressional committees
with certain information. The row
between the President and the
Senate last year over opening
employe loyalty investigation
records has become a classic.
In a recent poll of Washington
reporters the Labor and Justice
Departments were listed as the
most arrogant withholders Of
legitimate public information. MIR.
Pope suggested Case start with
them.
Agree on Defense Work.
Senator Case and Mr.. Pope |
agree that many phases Of de-
fense work should be kept conf
dental. But Mr.. Pope pointed
out that the generals and admirals
are far too prone to classify legi-
innate information as top secret.
Congress could look at its own
practices, Mr.. Pope says. because
of its habit of holding some hear
ings, notably on appropriations.
behind closed doors.
The RFC operated in secrecy
in granting loans until the Senate
inquiry broke open a series ofl
influence and political loans. Now
RFC loans are open for public
inspection, both the granting oil
the loans and the reasons for
granting them.
Secrecy in relief rolls and un-l
employment compensation are bel
ing attacked now in both Houses
of Congress and in at least six
State legislatures, yet the House
has been reluctant to repeal
secrecy laws