Evening star., 1953-01-02

tee found that many Of the,
high paying jobs were filled
on political or personal patron-
age basis. While some overseas
employees are eminently qualified
for their assignments, others are
woefully lacking in ability or ex-
perience, it was found.
What shocked the committee
members the most was the high
salaries and luxurious living of
Federal workers overseas.
Committee members said most
employees live in expensive apart
ments or houses and have their
own servants. Some have three or
four domestic employees including
several maids. cook and a but
Ter. Even stenographers have
their own personal maids, it was
found.
The employees can afford the
best foods and wines, and they
entertain lavishly, the investiga-
tors say. ..ss..- .- .~..~-,
The committee points out that,
in addition to their regular salaries
(most of them high, the employees
also collect cost-of-living and liv-
ing quarters allowances.
The cost of living allowance is
from 10 to Is per cent Of an en-
|ploye's base salary. And the living
quarters allowance ranges from
81 500 to $4,000 year. The higher
an employees salary, the higher
his living quarters allowance.
AS if this isn't enough. employees
in some areas are also given a
hardship" allowance.
Even the average stenographer
overseas earns $4,000 a year or
more. Based on a $500 annual
salary that most of them start on.
they also receive a 10 to Is per
cent cost-of- living differential,
plus $1,000 year for living quar-
terS.
The investigators also found
that some American officials got
their European girl friends on the
American payroll as stenog-
Iraphers. clerks or secretaries. They
uncovered records which showed
that as these officials moved from
country. to country on different as
signments, they took their girl
friends with them and got them
new jobs on the Federal payroll.
State Department and Mutual
Security Agency employees and
their families get full round trip
expenses to come home every two
years for 60-day vacation. De-
tense Department employees over
seas are now trying to get these
travel benefits as well.
The committee heard more than
one high-salaried employe COM
plain that it would cost him as
much as $3.50 of his own salary to
meet his annual living expenses!
Apparently these employees felt
that every penny Of their living
expenses should be provided by
the Government in even larger
ost-of-living and living quarters
allowances.
Even so, committee members say
that overseas employees make no
effort to disguise their delight
over their good fortune. mot a
single employe we talked to ex-
pressed any desire to come back
to the United States" one Of the
investigators reported.
Senator Johnston said many
employees admitted that they have
been on the payroll for six months
or more before doing any work
or knowing what their duties were
or who their bosses were.
Senator Johnston said that. in
other cases employees have been
kept on the payroll for months
after their work had been COM
Ipleted.
One of the committees staff
members had this to say:
Our employees overseas are
making us. more enemies than
friends among the Europeans.
Some of them, Of course, are sin
cere and Woodworking.
But there are far too many
|high-paying jobs among our en-