Evening star., 1955-07-03


The announcement of
in a letter to Senator CarlS'
member of a Senate Civil
tigating the employe security
program. Senator Carlson made
the letter public.
Mr.. Benson said he had taken
steps to make sure "our record
will not show Mr.. Ladejinsky as
a security risk"
Mr.. Ladejinsky. a Russian
born land reform specialist, was
fired late last year from a post
as agricultural attache In Japan.
Mr.. Benson acted then on
grounds he considered Mr.. Lade-
jinsky a security risk, although
Mr.. Ladejinsky had previously
been cleared by the State De-
partment before agricultural at
taches had been shifted to Agrj-
culture Department Jurisdiction
Was Cleared by FOA
Mr.. Ladejinsky denied all allie
cations against him. After a
considerable furor arose over
the matter, the Foreign Opera
tions Administration, headed
by Harold E. Stassen, gave him
security clearance and hired him
to work on land reform in mdo-
China. FOA now has gone out
of existence and its functions
have been taken over by the new
International Cooperation Ad-
ministration under the State
Department.
Mr.. Benson said in his letter
to Senator Carlson he recognized
the Ladejinsky case was "re-
viewed by two agencies more ex-
perienced in security than this
department"
He added he also recognized
"as expressed in my statement
at a news conference on January
S, 1855, that it will always be
true with respect both to quail
flcations and to security that
reasonable men may not take
the same view as to a particular
person. 1t is possible for two
equally reasonable and conscien-
tious men to reach different con-
clusions.
The Secretary said 'in these
circumstances and to emphasize
our feeling that the previous Sc
curity decision made by this de-
partment should not continue to-
be a permanently effective, and
particularly since Mr.. Ladejinsky
is an employe Of another agency.
I have given instructions that
the memorandum record Of the
decision and the press release of
December % which announced
1t both be cancelled so that our
record will not show Mr.. Lade-
jinsky as a security risk"
Procedures Reorganized
Mr.. Benson said also that
when the decision on MIR. Lade-
jinsky's appointment as an ag-
gricultural attache was made
last year, the security procedures
in this department were being
reorganized and we now have
better coordination all through
the Government"
Mr.. Benson's action was FORE
shadowed last week when he
conceded at a news conference
he had probably been "a bit
too hard" in his press release last
winter in which he announced
he would not continue Mr..
Ladejinsky as agricultural at
tache in Tokyo.
In that release, Mr.. Benson
said Mr.. Ladejinsky has been a
member Of 'two Communist
front organizations" and that
for security and technical rea-
sons he could not allow the land
reform specialist to remain in
the attache post.
Democrats critical of the Eli
senhower administrations en-
ploye security program have
used the Ladetinsky case to
point up their criticisms.
New Four-Man Group.
Mr.. Benson's letter, dated yes
terday. was In reply to q request
from Senator Carlson for the
Secretary's comments, not only
on the Ladejinsky matter, but
also on changes which have been
made In Agriculture Department
security procedures.
The Secretary said he had set
up a new four-man "high-level
policy group" to screen all ad-
verse security recommendations
submitted TO him for final de-
ciSion.
Il am sure" he said, that
this group appreciates the sensi-
tive factors in dealing with Sc
curity cases and recognizes that
the decision is important from
the point Of view of the individ-
ual az well as the Government. /"