Evening star., 1952-03-06
Senate Probe Likely
On Acheson Reversal
Of Security Risk
By Gornett D. Homer

security riSk" finding by q de.
partmental board.
Senators McCarran, Democrat
Of Nevada, and Ferguson. Repub.
lican. Of Michigan, said there viii
be an inquiry by q Senate com.
mittee to take sworn testimony
from Mr.. AcheSon and others.
They said the investigation
could be conducted by either tht
Senate Internal Security subcom:
mittee or an Appropriations sub.
committee handling State Depart.
ment funds. Senator McCarran il
chairman of both groups and Sen.
ator Ferguson a member Of both
Emphasis on Club Case.
Senator McCarran said it should
be q very broad inquiry, but with
particular reference to the case
Of o. Edmund Club, career dip
lomat who retired on q pension
last month after the State De-
partment announced that he had
been cleared of any loyalty OF
security risk charges.
Reports that Mr.. AcheSon had
reversed the departments Loyalty
and Security Board to clear Mr..
Clubb were brought into the open
by Senator Ferguson during an
Internal Security subcommittee
hearing last week. The State De-
partment refused to say through
what channels" Mr.. Club had
been cleared.
Noting that the matter "has
been much agitated in the press
since then, Mr.. Acheson volun-
teered a lengthy explanation of
the case at his weekly news con-
ference Yesterday.
Assumes Responsibility.
The Secretary said he was
responsible for reversing a board
conclusion that Mr.. Club was q
security risk. He stressed that
the board found there was not
any doubt about Mr.. Clubb'S
loyalty to the United States. This
finding still may be reviewed by
the Civil Service Commission
Loyalty Review Board.
Mr.. Acheson said Mr.. Clubb ap-
pealed the adverse security risk
finding to him as the final arbiter.
Explaining that he did not have
time to go over the entire record
personally. he said he designated
lone of our most experienced and
trusted Foreign Service officers
to review the case as his deputy.
This officer concluded that Mr..
Club was not a security risk. Mr..
AcheSon said he read the officers
opinion very carefully" and Il
adopted his conclusion-I am re-
Sponsible for the ultimate judg-
ment that Mr.. Club was not q
security risk"
Refuses to Name Officer,
Mr.. Acheson refused TO identitS
the officer who reviewed the kSSe
foF him.
THE reason that Iwill not do
It," he said, "is that it makes it
infinitely more difficult for me to
get people to take on these highly
disagreeable decisions made by
people in the department. If they
are to be made the center of pub
lie controgersy, they hesitate q
do it.
II think that if I am going to
get the best advice and help that
I can, in fairness to the people
who work for me I must take the
attitude that they are working
under my direction, which is the
case; that I am responsible, and
that, therefore. I do not defect
any criticism which may arise
from me to somebody who has
been good enough and patriotic
enough to come in and help me
with a very disagreeable task"
The Secretary said he did mot
want to speculate" about whether
he would name the officer to a
Senate committee.
Says Discussion Forbidden.
Mr.. AcheSon refused to discuss
the substance of the charges
against Mr.. Clubb, saying he was
forbidden to do so by President
Truman's orders setting up the
loyalty program.
Mr.. Club, long specializing in
Far Eastern affairs as a career
diplomat, had been one Of the tar
gets Of the Communists in Govern
ment charges of Senator McCarty,
Republican, of Wisconsin. Whit
taker Chambers, former Commu-
mist courier, twice told congress
sional investigators that Mr.. Clubb
had visited the offices Of the Com
munist magazine New Masses
during the 1930s.
Mr., Clubb had explained that
he visited the magazine Offices as
part of an effort to re-orient him.
self about conditions in this coun-
try when he was home on leave
after long service in the Far East.
Mr.. Acheson'S refusal to discuss
the charges came in response to
a question asking Gould you say
that the reason it was possible to
reverse the decision of the Secur-
ity Board had to do with the fact
that the reason that the board
had some doubt as to security did
not actually deal with the basic
charges that were lodged against
Mr.. Club to begin with?"
Mccarthy Charge Denied.
Mr.. Acheson denied as utterly
and absolutely untrue" a charge
by Senator Mccarthy that he had
intervened in the case with the
advance understanding that Mr
Clubb would retire when cleared
Mr.. Club, formerly $12,400 a
year director of the Department. s
Office of Chinese Affairs, gets q
$500 a year retirement income
the department estimates.
Senator McCarran said he will
look into the possibility of cutting
of Mr.. Clubb'S pension when the
Senate acts on State Department
appropriations.
The Senator added that In