Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-04-28
1T FINDS ITS WAY
By L. EDGAR pRINA


I'VE wouldn't be able to stay in
business overnight If 1t weren't for
The Bureau"
This statement was made to this
reporter some time ago by for
mer special agent of the FBI who
then was a staff investigator for
a congressional committee dealing
with communism and subversion.
His statement is in direct conflict
with the FBI's position that 1t does
not violate q presidential directive
and make available confidential
security information to the Con-
gress. And 1t is in conflict with dis
chalmers from congressional COM
mittee members. who say they do
not have access to FBI data.
The evidence is clear, however.
that confidential FBI information
does find its way into committee
files by some means.
The issue Of congressional use Of
executive agency security informa-
ton has been raised again by the
international controversy over the
case of Herbert Norman, the Ca
madam Ambassador to Egypt. who
jumped to his death recently in
Cairo. The United States Senate
Internal Security subcommittee
shortly before had REARED charges
that he had had Communist asso-
Citations. subcommittee Counsel
Robert Morris, in making the accu-
sations, referred to report by
"a security agency" A storm Of
protest was heard in Canada, where
1T was charged that information
provided by the Canadian govern
ment to the United States execu-
tive agencies had found its way
to the Senate subcommittee.
The former agents statement
about congressional reliance on the
FBI is exaggerated. Congressional
Red-hunting committees have de-
veloped cases Of their own, with
little or no help from the FBI or
other executive investigative arms.
Fuchs cose on Exomple
One such recent example in
volved the disclosures Of Herbert
Fuchs. a former law professor at
American University. He told the
House Un-American Activities
Committee of. his IL years in the
Communist Party and named as
sociates in three underground cells
in the Federal Government in the
l930s and l940s. In another case
of some note, Whitaker Chambers
turned over his famous pumpkin
papers" -evidence which helped
send Alger Hiss to prison-to the
same committee.
But the ex-agent's basic point is
a valid one. Without access to in
formation developed by FBI and.
to a lesser extent, military intelli-
gence operatives-data which. by
presidential directive. they are not
supposed to have-Communist-
hunting committees would find it
difficult to carry on.
I'VE have eight or nine investi-
gators" the then committee staff
member said. How could we pos
sibly build UP all the cases we have
had without outside assistance? 1t
Just could not be done. We would
have to keep lots of people under
surveillance. but how could We do
it with our small staff? The FBI
has between 5000 and 5000 special
agents"
Most Of the executive investiga-
tive agencies maintain close liaison
with the two congressional Red
hunting groups. each Of which has
had former FBI agents on its staff
for years.
The un-American Activities Com
mittee In 1854 had four former
bureau agents and one ex-Secret
Service operative on its staff Of
investigators. The FBI has had
one or more special agents
assigned to cleaning data from the
extensive files of the Un-Ameri-
can Activities Committee since the
l940S.
Information developed by the FBI
which finds its way to the commit
tees does not necessarily have to
come directly from the Bureau nor
does it have to be a formal report
or memorandum. It can be passed
by word-of-mouth tips and sum-