The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1953-03-26
THE WORLD
TODAY
BY JAMES NARROW

thy, who for three years mas Deen
questioning the loyalty and security
of many government officials. has
reached a peak in the case of
Charles E. Bohlen.
He says he is not willing to trust
the judgment of the highest Off
| Gals of government in determining
this mans loyalty but would put
his reliance upon a mechanical de-
vice. 81
Mccarthy, not satisfied with the
opinion of President Eisenhower
and Secretary of State Dulles that
Bohlen is loyal and good security
risk, wants this 4S-year-old State
Department official tested with
lie detector.
Bohlen has been in the depart
ment "a years. He's been investi-
gated by the FBI. Eisenhower and
Dulles have had access to the FIJI
report on him.
Both want him to be American
ambassador to Moscow. They
asked the Senate to confirm him.
The Senate Foreign Relations Com
mittee unanimously approved him
after questioning Dulles for three
hours.
Sen. Wiley, chairman of the COM
mitfee and like MrCarthv. a Wis
consin Republican, said later Dull
les offered to let him see the FBI
file on Bohlen out that he told
Dulles he'd take his word for what
was in the file.
So instead Of showing the file
to Wiley or any other committee
members, Dulles summarized it for
| them. He said nothing in it cast
doubt on Bohlen as a loyalty or
security risk.
Wiley also said Atty. Gen. Brow
nell examined the Bohlen file and
approved him. Yesterday Eisen-
hover stood firmly behind Bohlen,
according to Wiley and Sen. Taft,
Republican Senate leader, who WIS.,
tied the President.
On what, then, does Mccarthy
base his opposition to Bohlen?
McCarthy's No. / reason: the
fact that Bohlen was close to for
mer Secretary of State Dean Ach-
eson. Because of this, Mccarthy
said, he'd still vote against Bohlen
no matter how thoroughly the lat
ter was cleared as security risk.
But he questioned Bohlen as a
security risk. He said there were
Is pages of information in the
FBI file against Bohlen, and so
secret he could not reveal it on the
Senate floor without endangering
the country.
| (McCarthy is not supposed to
have seen this secret file. He
didn't say he saw it. But no sena-
tor asked him how. then, he knew
what was in it. At one point Nc
Carthy talked of "rumors" about
Bohlen.)
But Mccarthy further said that
the State Departments own secur.
ity officer, r.. w. Scott Mcleod,
whose job is checking on the en-
ployes for loyalty and security
disagreed with Dulles in clearing
Bohlen.
Mcleod read, because that was
his job, the FIJI file on Bohlen
and called Dulles attention to the
derogatory information II con-
tanned. Dulles said publicly there
was no difference between him and
Mcleod on Bohlen's fitness.
| Mccarthy called this an untruth
and said he understood Mcleod
had refused to clear Bohlen, al
though he said he hadn't talked
with Mcleod.
4 McCarthy's insistence that the
Senate should hear testimony from
Mcleod raised basic question:
Suppose Mcleod, whom no one
seems able to find now, should
testify publicly he thinks Bohlen
is security risk.
Whose judgment should the SEN
ate accept: McLeod's or that of
| the man who hired him. his boss.
the secretary Of state. Dulles? In
| effect, in wanting Mcleod heard.
Mccarthy was attacking Dulles
judgment.
If. as seems unlikely, the full
Senate should vote against Bob.
len. IT would be the same as q
vote Of no confidence in Dulles
judgment and in that of Essen
hover too.
But IL the Senate thought Dulles
judgment was wrong In such an
elementary matter rs the trust
worthinexs Of one man. Bohlen,
it's difficult to see how the Senate
thereafter could trust Dulles iudg-
ment in international affairs He
might feel then be had no alter.
native 10 resigninE
That's Why McCarthy's attack On
Bchien cuts far deeper than Bob
len. n cuts right into Dulles fit.
ness for his nh