Evening star., 1953-04-22
Unfair and Untrue

Attorney General Brownelps criticism Of
the present loyalty program before the Amer1-
can Society of Newspaper Editors included some
statements that simply are not true. The loyalty
dragnet had some loopholes. But there was no
factual basis for Mr., Brownells statement that
"this discredited program was completely un-
successful" and that e.. it sought to probe the
employees mind to establish a narrow test of the
employees loyalty"
The record shows that the program was
anything but completely unsuccessful" The
fact is that a great deal was accomplished-in
the face of considerable resistance from within
and without the Federal agencies. While the
program was ''discredited" by some critics
notably the Communists and some non-Com-
muniSts sincerely concerned over the risk OF
injustice to innocent employes-the program was
denounced as often for its severity as for its
weaknesses.
The Loyalty Review Board-soon to be
abolished under a new.security-r plan which
will provide no appeal beyond the head of
department, according to reports-has good
reason to be proud of its achievements. Its
chairman, Hiram Bingham, recently gave some
figures which show that the loyalty effort has
been far from failure. Is it fair to brand as
complete failure program that, according to
Mr. Bingham, has checked on the loyalty to
the Government of million persons; that has
resulted in more than 1900 Investigations by
the Federal Bureau of Investigation during the
course of which nearly 1000 employees decided to
leave the Federal service; that has produced
more than $4,000 cases before departmental
loyalty boards, of which more than 1900 were
closed during the proceedings by reason of
resignation of the suspected employees and an
additional 600 ended in rulings against the
employees? Was the Loyalty Review Board
failure in view of its record of $40 appeals
considered and its postauditing of thousands
of cases, in some of which the clearances granted
by lower boards have been overruled?
Mr.. BrownellS mind-probing sally is equally
unjustified for the fact is that the Loyalty
Review Board under law and executive orders,
has confined itself to examining not suspects
mind but his known statements, actions and
Affiliations. It is the policy Mr. Bingham re-
peatedly has announced, not to condemn an
employe for his attitudes and associations Of
many years ago, but to establish whether he
Is knowingly and actively associated, now, with
Red fronts on the Attorney Generals black list
and whether he has other associations or &C
tivities tending to raise a reasonable doubt as
to his loyalty.
Whatever the merits or otherwise Of the
administrators new security program, Mr..
Brownell inspired no confidence in his own
judgment by his unqualified condemnation of
the good work which Mr.. Bingham and his
associates have been doing in trying to safe
guard their Government. The slurring remarks
of the new Attorney General are a poor reward
for those who have done their best to ad-
minister the loyalty program wisely and effec-
tively-especially in view Of the fact that many
of these administrators are respected lawyers
who have served on the loyalty panels at very
substantial personal sacrifice.