Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-01-24
I Committees Press
Civil Service for
Security Firing Data
By |. Edsor Primo

IIC NAVA 0CA SOAtAAAA4ooAOAA
yesterday was under heavy pres
sure from two congressional
committees for detailed informa-
tion-repeatedly denied to the
press on administration released
figures on the number Of persons
dropped from the Government
payroll under the new personnel
security program.
In q letter to csc Chairman
Philip Young. the House Un-
American Activities Committee
requested a breakdown by agency
Of the 1,456 persons the White
House says were fred or forced
to resign in the May 27-Septem-
Der 80 period in 1858. AS this,
data Is readily available, the
committee asked for q reply by
tomorrow.
The House Civil Service Com
mittee went further. but its
chances of getting what it wants
probably are much simmer.
Breakdown Sought.
This group requested q COM
plete breakdown by cause Of the
1900 employees separated from
May q, when the program
started, to December 81. It
wants to know how many of
these persons were Communists
or were suspected Of subversive
associations.
President Eisenhower told
press conference last month that
he did not think such a break
down would be made, but said
the decision was not final. Last
Thursday. Attorney General
Brownell. who is credited with
setting up the security system,
parted questions by newsmen
on this point and suggested that
the CSC be queried. The CSC
has maintained that the agencies
themselves would have to pro-
vide such statistics.
-Four agencies have announced
their share Of the 1856 figure
the Post Office. Navy and State |
Departments and the Veterans
Administration. The total Of the |
four amounts to about 760.
Details to Be Asked.
The Un-American Activities
Committee is primarily inter-
ested in the number Of sub
versives dismissed. It plans, |
however. to put the question to !
each agency when it gets the |
preliminary information from |
the csc.
The administration has been !
under fire for failing to dis
tinguish between suitability dis
missalS (drunks. sex deviates,
timetables. liars, immoral per- |
sons and the like) and loyalty |
eases.
Although Government officials |
concede most persons confuse
security" and "disloyalty." they
have not budged in their refusal |
to separate the categories in |
public announcements.
Republican leaders, including /
Senator Mccarthy, of Wisconsin, |
and Gov. Dewey. of New York,
have implied that most Of the
dismissals involved the question
OF Communist associations or
disloyalty. Others, including
Gen. Eisenhower. have mem
toned the security dismiSsals in
the same breath with q discus
sion Of the Communists-in-Gov-
eminent issues.
Survey Is Cited.
One Republican member Of |
the House Civil Service Commit |
tee-Representative st. George,
of New York-has said that she |
has been reliably informed that !
not more than 10 per cent of the |
1,456 cases involved the question |
Of loyalty.
In a recent survey, The Star |
disclosed that some persons in |
cluded in the l ,456 total had left |
the Government before the new |
program started while others
had resigned voluntarily or had
been released In routine reduc-
tions-in-force without any
knowledge Of derogatory infor- |
nation against them.