Evening star., 1954-05-11

been asSailed as a sinister menace
to American liberties, an enemy
of criminal reformation. a col
lege trained fiat foot" and
political partisan.
What has been the end re-
suit? Mr.. Hoover and the FBI
This is the lost OF three stories on
J. Edeor Hoover and the FBl written
BY o Pulitzer prize winning reporter.
still command a place Of high
prestige.
Over the years Mr.. Hoover has
run a gantlet of more criticism
and emerged with fewer scars
probably than any other man in
public service.
His is one of the strangest and
most absorbing stories in all Of
official Washington where "bu-
reaucrats" come and go - but
where Mr.. Hoover remains year
after year in a position that
seems almost impregnable.
Used To 1t, Now.
What does Mr.. Hoover himself
think of this criticism?
I'm used to it now," he said
in an interview. I'm not as SEN
sitive any more-except when I
think the criticism is unjust and
unfair.
As I see our responsibility, it
is to protect the American people
and to see they are guaranteed
their rights accorded by the Con-
stitution. We are just as inter-
ested in proving innocence as
establishing guilt"
The instructions given to FBI
agents in the matter of observ-
ing civil rights are stern. Agents
are admoniShed not to step be-
yond the boundaries of Justice
not to give even an impression of
bullying or to cast suspicion
on any one through their acts
and manner of questioning. This
is a matter of record.
The argument hinges on how
we'll these written instructions
are observed. On this score, Nor
ris l.. Ernst, sometimes counsel
for the American Civil Liberties
Union. wrote in the December,
1850. Readers Digest:
"A real smear campaign has
been carried on against Hoover's
work. Those who feared the
bureau-as I once did-will be
glad to know the facts. The FBI
is unique in the history Of ma
tional police. 1t has a magnif1-
cent record of respect for indi-
vidual freedom. It invites docu-
mented complaints against its
agents. It has zealously tried to
prevent itself from violating the
democratic processes.
Among liberals, I am by no
means alone in this opinion. A
while ago Roger. Baldwin, former
director of the American Civil
Liberties Union, wrote to j. Ed
gar Hoover: 1t seems to me that
your bureau has accomplished an
exceedingly difficult task with
rare judicial sense
For me, that sums up the rec
ord"
The Ernst article carried the
title: why I No Longer Fear
the FBI."
Not a Scandal Yet.
Scandal has never touched Mr..
Hoover in all his years as FBI
Chief-and neither has it in
volved the FBI.
A long standing complaint is
that the FBI is moving in the
direction of becoming a "secret
police" What is the truth in
this?
Mr.. Hoover himself brushes of
such a suggestion as an alb
surdity and points to his record
Of consistently opposing propo-
sals-Some originating in Con-
gress-that the FBI become a
national police force.
Twenty years ago it was pro-
posed in Congress that each
State send two men here for
FBI training (the candidates to
be chosen by the Governors).
Then these agents would return
to their States and act as "rov-
ing" FBI men within the States
boundaries.
Mr.. Hoover regarded this bill
as the opening wedge in a move
for a national police force. He
issued instructions to his bureau
saying: Il do not want to be a
party to any such fantastic and
ridiculous plan Be particu-
larly careful that by no stretch
of the imagination any one CLEANS
any information from us that
will place us even indirectly as
encouraging any such program"
Mr.. Hoover had been in the
Department of Justice only a
short time. as a special assistant
to Attorney General A. Palmer
Mitchell. when critics first as
sailed him. This was in connec-
ton with the so-called Palmer
raids of the early 1920s.
In those raids. FBI agents, act
ing on warrants issued by the i'm
migration Bureau, swooped down
on aliens in mass roundup of
alleged suspects in the anarch-
ist terrorism that followed World
War I.
More than $500 aliens were ar
rested. Agents broke into houses
in the middle of the night. Sus-
meets were herfled nv the him.