Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1963-10-03
Trash Of Otepka Searched,
Letter Charging Him Reveals
b EARL II. VOSS
star staff Write

b EARL II. vOSS 4
star staff Writer
A cloak-and-dagger game
inside the security offices Of
the State Department came to
light today when The Star OBJ
tanned q copy Of the letterll
charging Security Evaluator
Otto =. Otepka with paSsingl,
material on loyalty cases to the
Senate Internal Security Sub
committee.
Secretaries and other asSo-
ciates in Mr.. Otepka's office
searched his trash for three
months, the letter revealed, to
obtain evidence against him.
Mr.. Otepka has been the
chief evaluator Of security risks
In the State Department IN
both the Eisenhower and Ken
nedy administrations.
On September % he was no.
titled by John Ordway. chief Of
the Personnel Operations Divi-
sion in the State Department,
that he would be removed from
his post In 80 days. Thirteen
charges were contained in Mr..
Ordway's letter.
Outlines Methods
The letter details how the
State Department obtained its
information on which the |
charges were based In these
words:
%. During the period Of
March 10, 1868 to June 49,
1868. Mr.. John F. Reilly. Depu-
ty Assistant Secretary for
Security. caused the following
procedures to be instituted:
"(a) Mrs. Joyce M. Schneider
secretary to Mr.. Frederick w.
Traband, Supervisory Person.
mel Security Specialist. periodi-
cally observed your classified
trash bag hereinafter referred
to as burn bagO which was In
the possession Of your secre-
tary. Mrs. Eunice Powers. Mrs.
SCHNEIDER and Mrs. Powers
were located in the same room
and across from one another.
"Cb) When Mrs. SCHNEIDER
saw that your burn bag was
full, she would ask Mrs. Powers
II she wanted her Mrs.
Schmelzer) to take your burn
bag to Q Department Mail
Room with Mr.. TrabandS.
"(c) When Mrs. Powers &C.
cepted Mrs. Schmelzer's offer,
Mrs. Schneider would inform
Mr.. Traband Of this fact. Mr..
Traband would then call Mr..
Joseph e. Rosetti. Supervise
~ Security Specialist, or Mr..
(Terrence) shea, Supervisory
General Investigator, II Mr..
Rosetti was not available, and
inform him that your burn bag
was being delivered to the Mail
Room.
ed While G carrying your
burn bag and Mr.. Traband's to |
the Mail Room, Mrs. Schneider
would mark your burn bag with
. red * with Q crayon or
pencil mark and deposit both
burn bags In the Mail Room,
Room 34S7.
Cd Mr.. Rosetti or Mr.. Shea,
and on one occasion, Mr.. |
Robert Mccarthy, Supervisory
Security Specialist, would OBJ
tain your burn bag from the
Mail Room within five to 10I
minutes after Mrs. Schneider
left 1t there and would turn 1t
over to Mr.. Reilly or Mr.. (Da-
vid ~ Belisle Especial Assis-
tant to the Deputy Assistant
Secretary for Security. in
their office, Room 1911. (On
one occasion when Mrs. Powers
herself took your burn bag to
the Mail Room, MeSsrs. RoSetti
and Shea picked it UP from the
Mail Room Immediately after
Mrs. Powers deposited it
there.) Your burn bag was then
transferred to Mr.. Reilly's brief
case.
"Cf). Mr.. Reilly's brief case was
then taken by Mr.. Shea to
Room 14l0. 2612A or 3811 for
examination Of its contents.
Your burn bag was inspected
by Mr.. Shea either alone or
with Mr.. Belisle and-or Mr..
RoSetti.
"(g) The contents Of your
burn bags were carefully exam
ined. All carbon paper or copies
were read by turning the car
bon side toward the light thus
allowing the paper to be read
from the back. Torn pieces Of
paper were grouped together
and then pieced together to
make readable docum ents.
One-time typewriter ribbons
were also read on occasion.