Evening star., 1955-03-21
Internal Security Unit
Plans New Probes Of
Reds in Government
tcontinued From First Page)

Reds IN Government
Continued From First Page)
is matched only by his arro-
gance toward the Senate of the
United States"
In San Francisco. Powell said !:
"It's the same old stuff-really
it's just nonsense II they
want me, they can subpoena
me-"
4. That, "in terms of present
knowledge" the most important
underground Communists who
infiltrated the Government were
Alger Hiss, former State De-
partment aide who recently COM
pleted a prison term for per-
jury. and the late Harry Dexter
White, a Treasury Department
official. Both denied any sub
versive activity.
Messages Published
The subcommittee published
for the first time messages ex-
changed by Mr.. Roosevelt and
Mr.. Knox. both now dead. relat-
ing to their decision against
barring Communists from jobs
as radio operators on merchant
ships, and a memorandum from
Adlai E. Stevenson, who was a
Knox assistant. saying there was
q shortage of qualified radio OPP
orators.
The overruling of top naval
officers on the employment of
Communists was testified to by
Rear Admiral Adolphus Station
(retired) at a 1858 public hear
ing.
The report said that subse-
quently, on April IA of last year,
Chairman Jenner received from
former Secretary of the Navy
Robert B. Anderson the Roose-
welt, Knox and Stevenson docu-
ments. The Navy advised the
material had been declassified
under an executive order of
President Eisenhower.
Mr.. Roosevelt's memo to Mr..
Knox, dated May 4. 1912. said:
"The Soviet people in Moscow
are said to have little liking for
American Communists and their
methods-especially because it
seems increasingly true that the
communism of 20 years ago has
practically ceased to exist in
Russia" E.
Tends ITO Disregard Charge"
Mr.. Knox. commenting on a
report he had received from Mr..
6teveson. said in letter to Mr..
Roosevelt:
MY present disposition is to
disregard a charge against the
radio operator who in other re-
spects has done his duty we'll and
obeyed orders, solely because he
Is called Communist. :.
With Russia as our ally, it
seems to me the course l have
outlined above is the only one
we can pursue, although I con-
TESS to you grave doubt as to the
ultimate loyalty of these men if
later difficulty of any kind should
arise between us and Russia.
For some strange reason,
these American Communists
seem more loyal to Russia than
they do to the United States but,
as I said, this difficulty is not
present at the present time, al
though it may be later"
MIR. Stevenson's memorandum,
dated April 80, 1912. was ad-
dressed to the Assistant Secre-
tary of the Navy and said a
naval board headed by Admiral
Station was discharging any
radio operator whose investiga-
ton record is sufficiently con-
vincing on the score of Com
n1unist sympathy, irrespective of
his competence and record of
conduct in his job"
"Only One Element of Fitness"
The problem, Mr.. Stevenson
said. was whether "in view of the
present military alignments, po-
litical considerations and Short
age Of qualified radio operators,
should we discharge operators
because of their political opin-
ions only?" Or, he asked, should
we say that hostile political
opinion is only one element of
fitness and a man must not be
discharged whose record in his
job is in all other respect satis-
factory?"
The position of naval officers
was set out in the minutes of a
meeting held in Mr.. Knox's office
on May 10, 1912.
This document quoted Rear
Admiral S. C Hooper as stress
ing the danger of Communist
Party cells and declaring that
"our temporary military alli-
ance" with Russia was no rea-
son to condone them.
Admiral Hooper had RESPONSE
bility for the safety of commu-