The Phoenix Jewish news., 1955-01-14
Bios In
Custer
Probed

WASHINGTON, (JTA)-
The Wolf Ladejinsky case
with it's anti-semitic over
tones-was still very much
at issue this week, even
though the embattled gov
ernment economist got full
security clearance and a
new job.
Ladejinsky, a Russian Jewish
'emigre, was appointed to a key
post with the Foreign Operations
Administration in connection with
a land reform program in Wet
Nam. Nevertheless Jewish organi-
cations continued to evidence a
lively concern over the anti-Jewish
aspect of the affair, and a full
scale investigation by Congress is
pending.
The case became public two
weeks ago when the agriculture
department announced Ladejinsky
was being dismissed. He had been
on the state department payroll
for years and had received Secur-
ity clearance from that depart
ment. AS agricultural attache at
the u. S. embassy in Tokyo, he
was considered one of the leading
agricultural economists in the Far
East. He had inaugurated many
significant land reforms in Japan.
Called Risk
Last summer, under a govern
ment reorganization plan, Lade-
jinsky's job was transferred to the
agriculture department. 1t was
that departments clearance sys-
tenn which found him a security
risk" citing the fact that he had
worked for Amtorg, the Soviet
trading organization, in 1881 and
had three sisters in Russia. The
ruling was made despite the fact
that Ladejinsky had written sew
eral anti-Communist articles in
magazines.
The Jewish aspects of the case
came to the fore with the release
of letter by Milan D. Smith,
executive assistant to Secretary of
Agriculture Ezra Taft Benson. The
letter, written by George Witt,
White Russian businessman, as
perSed American Jews of Russian
descent.
Benson, who was visited by
delegation of representatives of
the American Jewish Committee
and the Anti-Defamation League of
B'nai Birth, expressed his regret
at the letters release but contin-
ued to support Smith. He stoutly
resisted all attempts to GUST Smith
from his post.
Benson Is Sorry
Benson told neWSmen at a press
conference that "I want it clearly
understood that 1 deplore the i'm
plications of the anti-SemitiSm is
sue that has been raised because
of the unfortunate use of the Witt
letter." He said he had discussed
the matter thoroughly with Smith
and was convinced that Smith
"did not intend in any way to cast
aspersions on any group of citi-
ZenS when he unfortunately dis
cussed the Witt letter with report
ers." Benson called the release of
the letter matter of poor judg-
ment" and said, "Mr. Smith is
sorry. So am l." He also praised
Jewish employees of his depart
ment.
With the Witt letter apparently
repudiated, the question of why
Ladejinsky was denied clearance
was once again an open one.
1t was over the "unsolved" as
poets of the case that agitation
continued. The American Jewish
Congress, citing the Ladejinsky
case and the previous cases of
Abraham Chasanow, who was
eventually restored to his Navy
Department post, and the "a scien-
lists at Fort Monmouth, who were
recently cleared, called for "a
comprehensive revision" of the en-
tire security program to the end
that the program might "serve its
legitimate purposes and prevent
the free play of anti-semitism and
bias. :"