Evening star., 1954-05-29
Dr.. Bunche Cleared
OF Any Suspicion Of
DisIOyaIfy 10 U. S.
BY the Associated Press

NEW YORK, May ga Fed
eral board yesterday cleared DR..
Ralph Bunche. 49. top American
official in the United Nations
Secretariat, of any suspicion Of
disloyalty to the United States.
DR.. Bunche, the first Negro to
win, a Nobel Peace Prize, had
undergone two days of question:
ing by the board in secret ses-
sion.
The board, set up last July
% to investigate United States
citizens employed by the U. NJ.
announced the decision through
its chairman. Pierce j. Gerety
Of Southport, Conn.
Mr.. Gerety told a news con-
ference that the six members,
after two meetings with DR..
Bunche, unanimously reached
the conclusion that there is no
doubt as to the loyalty Of DR..
Bunche to the Government of
the United States" Mr.. Gerety
would not say what the allega-
tions were that had led to the
hearing.
TOp-Ranking American.
DR.. Bunche is the top-ranking
American in the U. N. as prin-
cipal director of its Department
of Trusteeship and Information
from on-self-governing terri
tories.
He is slated to become under
secretary to Secretary General
Dag Hammarskjold. He worked
out the 1949 U. N. armistice
which stopped Arab-Jewish war
fare in Palestine.
DR.. Bunche had spent almost
all of Tuesday and Thursday in
secret session with the board at
the Federal Building here. Man
ming johnson and Leonard Pat
terson. Negro ex-Communists
once on the party's National
Committee, also were known to
have gone before the board.
During his two days before
the board, it was learned, DR..
Bunche and his attorney had
the opportunity to question Mr..
johnson and Mr.. Patterson.
Reads Statement.
Mr.. Gerety, speaking to a
dozen reporters at headquarters
of the United States delegation
to the U. NJ, would not disclose
anything that went on at the
hearings beyond the fact that
DR.. Bunche was there. He was
asked whether any perjury action
against any witnesses would fol-
low. He replied: II don't think
I'm prepared to say at this time"
A statement he read to the
reporters said the board "as a
matter Of justice to the individ-
uals concerned does not
disclose any information con-
corning its proceedings"
The statement added, how
evers that since word of the
Bunche hearings had got out.
the board decided to depart
from it's policy in his case and
to make a prompt and public
disclosure of its decision.
DR.. Bunche was notified in
formally of the decision even as
1t was being conveyed to Secre-
tary of State Dulles to be handed
over to Mr.. Hammarskjold.
Halls Quick Decision.
Mr.. Hammarskjold had lunch
with DR.. Bunche and issued a
statement calling him IAN honor
to the organization which he
serves" He said he was glad to
hear of the quick decision on
one "who has always had my
unreserved confidence as a man
of outstanding integrity"
DR.. Bunche's counsel, Ernest
A. Gross of New York, also at
the luncheon, said board men,
bers were "fair and courteous
in their diligent search for the
truth" and "the hearings were
thorough and the results just"
"Dr. Bunche," Mr.. Gross added, |
welcomed the opportunity to
cooperate with the board in it's
efforts to determine the truth
or falsity of the allegations made
against him"
The latest report from the |
United States delegation to the
U. N. shows that 1873 American
employees of the U N. had been |
cleared by May / and that 1862 |
still were under investigation. !
DR.. Bunche presumably was in
this latter group until yesterday.