Evening star., 1953-02-04
Service Had Access
To Confidential Job
Files, Witness Says
By Gornett D. Homer

Senate investigators were told
today that John S. Service,
career diplomat since discharged
on a finding of reasonable
doubt" about his loyalty, had
unlimited access in 1949 to con-
fidential Foreign Service per-
tonnel files in the State Depart
ment.
Mrs. Helen B. Balog, super
visor of the Foreign Service file
room at the department, also
testified before the Senate Gov
ernment Operations Committees
Investigating subcommittee that:
la letter containing deroga-
tory information about an en-
,ploye was ordered burned in
either 1851 or 1852. Chairman
Mccarthy said this was clearly
an illegal act" and he wants to
find out who ordered it.
baltimore Letter Missing.
2. She once discovered that a
letter of recommendation from
Owen baltimore regarding a
Foreign Service staff officer she
identified as Frank Schuler was
missing from the files.
8. Under the present "defec-
tive" filing system in the depart
ment, there is no way of tell
ing whether or how much other
material may have been removed
from the personal files or de-
Stroyed.
4. At one time she had a lot of
trouble with people in new re-
cruitment branch putting perm
anent files in file jackets of a
type destined to be destroyed
after the passage of time, but
this situation now has been
6moothed out.
5. Mrs. Balog said she was
told "just the other day" that a
move was under way in the de-
partn1ent for a complete survey
Of the filing system looking to-
ward its improvement. She could
not say whether this was started
before or after the Senate COM
mittee started investigating.
Dulles to Get Testimony.
Senator Mccarthy told Mrs.
Balog he was referring all her
testimony to the new Secretary
of State, John Foster Dulles.
He added that he wanted to
know about it if there should
be any attempt to intimidate
her or future witnesses in the
probe of what he has called mis-
management of State Depart
ment files.
Il assure you that this COM
mittee is in position to protect
It's witnesses, 4" Senator Mccarthy
said.
He explained that he was
making this assurance because
he had heard that a General
Services Administration empleye,
who had testified before the com
mittee in a closed session, was
told later by his superiors that
"it was unwise"%to give such
testimony. Is
Hearing Resumes Tomorrow.
Senator Mccarthy adjourned
the hearing shortly before noon.
He told reporters it would con
tinue tomorrow when the nrst
witness would be Vladimir Tou-
manoff, RusSian-born natural
lied citizen, who was named by
Mrs. Balog as a recruitment
officer involved in the allegedly
improper merging of permanent
applicant files.
Mrs. Balog testified she was
told late in 1948 to add the name
of Mr.. Service to officials author
lied to have access to and re-
move files under her jurisdiction.
She said that on quite a
number of occasions" he asked
her to leave the keys with him
so he could work in the file room
at night.
Senator Mccarthy pointed out
that this was after the 1945
arrest of Mr.. Service by the
FBI on charges of giving con-
fldential documents to Amer
asia magazine editors. A Dis
trict grand jury cleared Mr..
Service of that charge.
Loyalty Board Found Doubt"
Because of his activities in
the Amerasia case, however, the
Civil Service Commission Loyalty
Review Board several months
ago there was a reasonable
doubt" about Mr.. Services
loyalty. AS a result, he was dis
charged.
Senator Potter, Republican. of
Michigan asserted that with the
record Service had for documents
sticking to his fingers, it was like
putting an arSoniSt in charge of