Some Affirmative Suggestions for a Loyalty Program

HAVE had an ample amount of hysteria in regard to the Loyalty Program. Much of it has been caused by a lack of concern about facts; hysteria usually develops from ignorance. The statistical facts are simple. Congress decided to remove from Civil Service at uthe exit end" the Department of Defense, the State Department and the Atomic Energy Commission. In other words, in these areas a person may now lawfully be fired under mandate of Congress without any accusation and without any hearing. It is interesting to note that many who were top officials in the Roosevelt administration have indicated that they are in favor of abolishing Civil Service at the exit end in all departments, for all employees in sensitive areas, or in fact, all employees in important positions. This has long been urged regardless of the factor of security or loyalty, and has been supported by worthy citizens as a measure to improve the service in various large government departments. True enough, it has the capacity of resulting in a spoils system. Congress voted money so that the FBI could make reports on the two and one-half million government employees operating in other agencies in the government. Under the Atomic Energy Act, the FBI also reports on employees. The latest figures indicate that there was no evidence of hysteria on the part of the FBI. It did its job as ordered, and, interestingly enough, decided up to May 5, 1950, that only about 11,813 employees of the two and one-half million merited full investigation. The balance of about 2,490,000 were