Evening star., 1952-12-31
Acheson Defends
Associates Accused
OF Letting Him Down
Continued From First Page.J

tion on the witness. The chair
man said that several years ago
he worked vigorously in the House
to prevent Mr.. Acheson's salary
from being cut.
THAT one action" Mr.. Ache
son laughed, marks you as o.
great statesman"
When Mr.. Acheson left the room
amid an exchange of New Year
greetings, the subcommittee called
Assistant Secretary Of State John
D. Hickerson. AS the State De-
partment official directly in charge
of U. N. affairs, Mr.. Hickerson
testified the department obtained
no evidence "justifying a conclu-
sion that there was spying or
espionage on the part of American
citizens employed by the U. N.
Like Secretary Acheson, Mr..
Hickerson defended the operation
Of the departments screening
process for United States employees
of the U. N. He said he was con-
tident it would be greatly improved
under the pending executive order.
Also, like Secretary Acheson. he
said the department was not try
ing to make excuses or seek SYM
pathy, but was trying to do the
best job it could under difficult
conditions and restrictions in the
u. N. as well as in this country.
Before Mr.. HickerSon took the
stand, Mr.. Acheson disclosed that
he was not aware until last
October that department officials
often took from six months to
three years to supply U. N. Sec
retary Trygve Lie with lnforma-
ton about United States employees
on the U. N. staff.
Defends Arrangement.
Mr.. Acheson also said he did
not know until last october that
his department in 1949 worked
out an informal method provid-
ing some confidential information
of that kind to the u. N. He
said he did not disapprove Of
the arrangement. Moreover, he
defended it.
Another major disclosure at the
start of today's session. was that
Mr.. Acheson received personal in
structions from President Truman
not to give certain information to
q Federal grand jury in New York
City last fall.
That refusal, as well as a further
refusal in letter by Mr.. Acheson
to the subcommittee yesterday,
was one Of the several reasons why
the subcommittee called him for
questioning today.
Mr.. AcheSon explained there was
nothing new in this policy, so far
as the President and he were con-
Cerned. It was essentially the same
as the stand taken when the State
Department early this year refused
to give q congressional commit
tee much the same type of infor-
nation, he said.
Wanted Evaluat0rS' Names.
In the present instance, the
House subcommittee, as well as the
Federal grand jury which was in
VeStigating subversives in the U. NJ,
wanted the names of subordinate
State Department employees who
evaluated, cleared and transmitted
to the U. N. the information con-
cerning United States citizens on
the U. N. staff.
When Mr.. Acheson was asked
about testimony of other witnesses
yesterday that many United States
citizens Of questionable loyalty areI
still holding U. N. jobs despite ad-
verse reports by the FBI in recent
years, he replied:
mo national security question
is involved here. I am speaking.
of course, Of the United States
people in the U. N. who were in
vestigated. That does not mean
it's good thing to have that kind
of people in the U. N. Americans
in the U. N. should be Of the
highest loyalty to the United
States and to democratic prin-
ciples.
Not Dealing With Secrets.
"They were giving the United
States a black eye and q bad
reputation in the U. N. They
shouldn't be there. But they were
not dealing with United States
Government information that
would endanger our national
security"
Representative Keating, Repub-
Iican, Of New York interrupted to
remind Mr.. Acheson that some of
the American citizens recently
discharged from the U. N. staff, ),
mainly as result of the grand
jury's report December 2, previ-
The Won4hor