Evening star., 1953-02-03
Loyalty Boards
To Abolished
By Eisenhower
Security Stressed;
Agencies to Handle
Individual Cases
By Joseph YOUNG


week will issue an executive order
abolishing the Federal Loyalty
Review Board program and re-
placing it with a new Govern
ment employe security program,
it was learned today.
The action follows the Presi-
dents disclosure in his state-of- =
the-Unio message to Congress
yesterday that the Governments
security program will be strength
ened in the various departments
and agencies.
The Federal Loyalty Review
Board has been operating the
Governments loyalty program
for the last five years. The
board will be allowed to dispose
Of pending cases before it is
abolished.
In its place will be a new Fed
eral employe security program,
which will be operated under the
supervision Of Attorney General
Brownell.
Emphasize Security Risk.
The new program will empha-
size security risk. rather than
loyalty cases. although loyalty
cases will also be handled in the
new program.
Each department and agency
will operate its own program.
So far as possible. procedures
will be uniform under a model"
program, to be devised for the
agencies! guidance by the Attor-
ney General.
The program will be far more
inclusive than the present secur-
ity system, which Is limited to
the so-called sensitive" Federal
agencies. The new program will
involve all Federal departments
and agencies.
All present security officers in
Government will be replaced by
new ones in agencies already
having security programs, and
security officers will be appointed
for the first time in the depart
mentS and agencies that have
not had security programs. The
new security officers will meet
with Mr.. Brownell on Monday
to discuss the program.
The program win govern the
employment Of new personnel,
as well as review speedily any
derogatory information regard
ing present employees.
To Reopen Some Cases.
Administration officials said
there is no intention to subject
Federal workers to another loyal
ty check, similar to the 1947-48
loyalty program.
Rather. all cases will be re-
opened where there has been
derogatory information about an
employe.
The emphasis will be on secur-
ity risk cases, since Administra-
ton officials feel that here is
where the threat to national Sc
curity lies. It's felt that most
out-and-out Communists have
been rooted out of Government
but that others who actually
weren't official Communist Party
members may have escaped de-
lection.
Security cases involve persons
who have associations or charac-
ter defects that would cause
them to be poor security risks.
Under the new program en-
ployes accused of being security
risks will have the right to q
hearing before their agency Sc
curity board. The board will be
composed Of Federal employees,
but not Of the employees in the
particular agency. For example,
the Commerce Department Sc
curity board would be composed
of employees from several other
Federal agencies.
Employees convicted by the Sc
curity boards would have the
right to appeal to their depart
ment or agency heads. They
would have no further appeal.
In discussing the pending pro-
gram President Eisenhower told
Congress yesterday:
"These programs will be both
fair to the rights of the indi-
vidual and effective for the
safety of the Nation. They will,
with care and justice, apply the
basic principle that public en-
ployment is not a right but a
privilege"
The present Federal loyalty
program was set up by an
executive order issued by former
President Truman. The various
security programs were created
mostly by riders to appropria-
tions bills adopted by Congress.
President Eisenhower said no
further legislation will be needed
-