Evening star., 1954-12-31
By [. Edgar Primo

BY l. Edgar Prino
The Agriculture Department
today appeared to be in q dizzy
spin over the dilemma Of the
LadejinSky case.
Some harassed officials con-
cede that the department
has been a virtually sta
tionary target for the hay
makers being thrown at it from
an amazing array that includes
Republican and Democratic
members of Congress. State De-
partment spokesmen. farm lead
ers and japanese politicians.
They now seem to be casting
about for a way to counteract
the results of their own
handling of the case of Wolf
Ladejinsky. a farm expert as
signed to the Tokyo Embassy
who was fired as q security risk
earlier this month.
If Russian-born Mr.. Ladejin-
sky would call for his re-employ-
ment rights. the machinery for
security hearing would be set
In motion. That could provide
a way out.
Mr.. Ladejinsky, however. has
given no indication that he will
seek unemployment with the
Agriculture Department. right
given him under the law that
recently transferred agricultural
attaches from the State De-
partment to Agriculture.
"a hearing at least would
settle the caseA-for better or for
worse" one weary official said.
And even if it was for the
worse, it would be better" he
added. Presumably he meant
better than the present state of
affairs.
AS there is no time limit for
Mr.. Ladejinsky to apply for re-
employment. the department,
having made its decision, has no
more routine steps to take in the
case. But if it decides to heed
the protests. Secretary Benson
could appoint an impartial board
of outstanding citizens to review
the case and come up with a
recommendation for him.
Yesterday, the confusion and
dispute over the Ladejinsky case
developed further after Milan
D. Smith, IS, executive assistant
to Secretary Benson, talked to
reporters.
Mr.. Smith repeatedly said the
State Department. which cleared
Mr.. Lauejinsky, had not re-
evaluated security data on the
55-year-old farm land expert
on the basis of the criteria set
forth in President Eisenhower's
new program.
But Scott Mcleod, State De-
partment security chief, was
quickly quoted by newsmen as
denying this with an assertion
that he had personally done so
last April.
Mr.. Smith who left an Oregon
food processing business Decem-
ber / to join the Department,
got into another hassle when q
newsman wrote that the official
had cited a letter written to Mr..
Benson by a White Russian
emigre, George M. Witt, indus
trial editor of a New York pub
lication called American Ex-
porter" as justification for the
Secretary's action in the Ladc-
jinsky case.
Letter rs Background.
Mr.. Smith told The Star that
the letter was not intended for
publication. He said he allowed
newsmen to read it so they could
see how a man who had first
hand knowledge of the Soviet
trading company, Amtorg. judged
a person who might have worked
for it.
He said also that Mr.. Wits
opinion on the matter Of some
one visiting Russia in 1899 to
see relatives might be worth
having.
Two of the charges against
Mr.. Ladejinsky involved the
above points. He worked as an
interpreter for Amtorg in 1891
and he visited the U. S. S. r. to
see his three sisters in 1889.
Pointing out that the Witt let
ter arrived at the department
after the decision on Mr.. Lade-
| jinsky had been made, Mr.
Smith denied using it as justif1-
cation for Mr.. Benson's action
He said that any other mat
| tiers not associated with the two
points above that were men,
| toned by Mr.. Witt were not
pertinent and he did not bring
them to the attention Of the
newsmen.
Mr.. Smith said the Witt letter
had been photostated for in
ternal distribution. He denied
that there was any plan to dig.
| tribute copies to the press. y
| However, once the story was
broken. the Departments in
formation Office made the letter
available to newsmen with the
admonition that it was to be
regarded merely as background
material and it Should not be
considered as necessarily repre-
senting the Departments view
point"
Gives Opinion In Letter.
Tn hi~ laffar AFR Witt so{rl