Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-07-10
Security Study

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undertaking.
1t is the work of a special committee
of the Association of the Bar of the City
of New York, headed by Dudley B. BonSal.
The study began some l8 months ago and
was carried forward under grant from
the Fund for the Republic.
This report recognizes the need for an
effective personnel security system in
the Government and in private firms
engaged in work for the Government
which entails access to classified informa-
ton 1t does not lend support to any
OF the smearWord attacks on various
phases of the existing program For
example, it advocates that accused en-
ployeS be given opportunity to cross
examine adverse witnesses unless the
disclosure of the identity of the witness
or requiring him to submit to cross
examination would be injurious to
national security" In other words, the
security of the Nation comes first. Some
tnformerS, faceleSS or otherwise, must
remain unidentified.
At the same time, the report makes
a number of recommendations designed
to play fair with suspected employees and
preserve a maximum of individual liberty.
1t proposes the designation of program
director, under the President, who would
maintain continuous review of the pro-
grams operation. 1t would revise the
personnel security standard, modernize
or abolish the Attorney Generals list of
SubverSive organizations and provide
training for the individuals who ad-
minister the security program. 1t would
set up screening board within the Civil
Service Commission to study complaints
before charges are filed, it recommends
against suspensions without pay, and it
would reimburse employees who may be
cleared for reasonable attorney fees.
There are other proposals, but these are
representative.
The most dubious recommendation
would provide for clearance under the
security program "for all sensitive posi-
tons and for no Others" Sensitive posi-
tionS would be defined as those in which
the occupant (1) would have access to
material classified as secret or top secret
in the interests of national security"
or (2) would have policy making func-
ton which bears a substantial relation
to national security"
This recommendation, if adopted,
would reduce the number of jobs falling
within the scope of the security program
from about 100000 to about 100000.
DiSmiSsals in the nonsensitive area
4,500, 900 jobS-Would be handled under
regular civil service procedures.
This recommendation, although writ
ten at an earlier date follows the line of
the recent Supreme Court ruling in the
Kendrick NJ Cole case. There is one main
objection to it-Government officials most
closely concerned do not think the regular
procedures are adequate to protect the
national interest in the so-called non
sensitive areas.
Philip M. Young chairman of the
Civil Service Commission, has made the
strongest statement to this effect He did
this last week in letter indorsing pro-
posed legislation which, despite the courts
ruling, would make the security program
applicable to all civilian Government
jobs. (The court majority had taken the
position that Congress, in enacting the
was based, intended it to apply only to
sensitive jobs)
In this letter Mr.. Young discussed
some of the adverse effects of the Cole
decision At the time of the ruling there
were II cases pending in which employees
had been suspended from nonsensitive
jobs. All of the individuals have been
restored to duty. One of them was a
member of the Communist Party in 1945
and was press director Of the Paul Robe
son Club of the Communist Party. Mr..
Young also estimated that there are
some 280 cases in which individuals re-
moved as security risks will seek restora-
ton to duty, with back pay, as result
of the Cole decision. Thus, for example,
the Post Office Department may be COM
PEELED to reinState four people who we're
members OF a Communist cell in the New
York post Office. These cases and others
like them according to Mr.. Young, will
have to be handled under some other pro-
cedure than the security program-some
other procedure which he thinks will be
less desirable from the point of view
OF both the Government and the in
diyidual. Consequently, he favorS legis-
lation which would continue the security
program and make it applicable to all
employees until the report of the Commits
sion on Government Security becomes
available next spring.
Tt,is commission waSset up by Con-