Evening star., 1953-07-01
Successors Ready,
Two on Claims Unit
Refuse 10 GET Out

The two Democratic member:
OF the International Claims Com.
mission are challenging anew
President Eisenhower's right tc
fire them without a hearing, anc
1t was not certain today if they
would heed the White House
edict and get out.
The President told the two
holdovers in the $4,000 posts
last week that he was naming
their successors to take over this
morning. But Chairman josiah
Marvel, ir,, hurting a charge OF
politics at the administration
told Gen. Eisenhower in a letter
yesterday:
I'VE DO not believe you have
the legal authority" to name q
cutoff date for their service.
Want to Finish Work. -
Chairman Marvel and his aSso-
ciate, Commissioner Raymond S
McKeough, a former Member of
Congress from Illinois, have con-
tended that their jobs were to
last until the commissions work
is completed some months hence
A check at the commission
this morning disclosed that
neither the outgoing nor in
coming commissioners were at
their desks. In fact, few peo-
pie were. Since the agency's
funds were not continued by
Congress at the end of the 1858
fiscal year yesterday, termina-
tion notices have been sent out
to a number of staff members
and only those awaiting reas-
signment elsewhere are still on
duty.
The commission was set up in
the Truman administration to
handle the claims of American
citizens growing out of the ma
tionalization of property by
Yugoslavia and Panama. There
Is about SIG million in Yugoslav
funds to be paid out, and $400,-
900 from Panama.
New Funds Expected.
According to law, the Yugoslav
claim must be settled by March
10, 1854. There is no terminal
date on the Panama negotiations,
and remaining staff members
said they believe the commission
has authority to continue opera
tions as long as there are claims
pending.
They indicated a belief that
appointment of two new COM
missioners indicates the admin
istration intends to find operat-
Ing funds from some other
source.
The fight with the White
House was barred by the commits
sion last week when Chairman
Marvel wrote to members of
Congress and to claimants doing
business with the agency, charg-
ing that an effort was being
made to force the resignation of
the commissioners by denying
funds to the agency. The chair
man explained that the demand
for their resignation had come
from Sherman Adams, Presi-
Dental assistant. who said the
President wanted new faces in
the commission. They spurned
the request.
Successors Are Named.
On Friday. the President wrote
the commissioners, saying that
he was acting under the law and
fixing their terms to end June
30. He also announced the ap-
pointment of successors, desig-
mating Harold B. Teegarden, a
hearing examiner of the Securi-
ties and Exchange Commission
to be acting chairman, and G. w.
Spangler, of the Claims Division
of the Justice Department, to be
an acting commissioner.
In disputing the Presidents
power of unrestricted removal,
Chairman Marvel said in his
letter:
1--WE do not believe you have
the legal authority to proceed in
the way you have selected.
The act creating the COM
mission does not vest III you the
power OF removal. Il does ap-
pear to give you the authority
to fix the terms Of the commits
sioners, but you nave not done
that. We dc not believe YOU can
legally fix a date of termination
SO as TO defeat the plain lam
guage Of the statute requiring
hearing ana notice before re-
moval."
Fear Political Pressure.
AS a postscript, the chairman
said that the work Of the COM
mission rs more important than
the political controversy for
which your administration is re-
sponsible. and added:
I'VE are now afraid that po-
litical and personal influence
may enter a field in which deci-
sions have been made without
any outside influence"
While the two commissioners
were refusing 10 discuss their
next step. the possibility was
seen that they might file suit
in the Court of Claims for pay
during the statutory life of the
commission. which is scheduled
to die March 10. 1854.
Levee Exceeds Greet WoII
NEW ORLEANS Tho oraa