Foreign Relations of the United States, 1952–1954, General: Economic and Political Matters, Volume I, Part 2

A/MS files, lot 54 D 291, “Loyalty Security Appeals Board”

Briefing Memorandum by the Deputy Under Secretary of State for Administration (Humelsine) to the Secretary of State

[Washington,] February 8, 1951.

• Subject:
• Visit of Mr. Hiram Bingham, Chairman, Loyalty Review Board¹

For your background information in connection with your meeting with Mr. Bingham the following may be of interest. Pursuant to Executive Order 9835, March 21, 1947, the Loyalty Review Board, of which Mr. Bingham is the new Chairman, was created within the U.S. Civil Service Commission with reviewing and regulatory powers over Government agency loyalty boards. By regulation, the Department subsequently established its Loyalty Security Board and promulgated the necessary adjudication procedures. The Loyalty Review Board serves as an appellate board; reviews (post-audits) all determinations of the Department’s Loyalty Security Board on the issue of loyalty; and may reverse or remand determinations by the Department’s Board.

On balance the Department’s relationship with the Loyalty Review Board has been very satisfactory.

The record of the Department in handling loyalty matters with the Loyalty Review Board indicates that since the Loyalty Security Board of the Department was established in 1947 it has adjudicated 433 loyalty cases. Of this number none was found to be disloyal. However, under the Department’s security program which is separate from the loyalty program and not under the jurisdiction of the Loyalty Review Board, 5 of these cases were found to be security risks. The Department’s Loyalty Security Board has before it 51 loyalty cases pending adjudication. 54 loyalty cases adjudicated by the Department’s Board are before the Loyalty Review Board for review. 22 loyalty cases adjudicated by the Department’s Board are in the process of being forwarded to the Loyalty Review Board for review.

Inasmuch as Mr. Bingham may mention John Stewart Service, you should know the present status of his case. The Department’s Loyalty Security Board adjudicated Mr. Service’s ease favorably on both loyalty and security grounds on December 1, 1950 and forwarded it to the Loyalty Review Board for review on the issue of loyalty on December 5, 1950. A panel of the Loyalty Review Board has considered the Service case, and it will be brought up for review by the full membership of the Loyalty Review Board about February 12.

Mr. Bingham may also mention the “McCarthy cases”. In this connection, you should know that 41 persons on Senator McCarthy’s list of 81 are presently employed in the Department. Of these 41 cases the Loyalty Security Board has completely processed (in most cases re-processed) 30 cases on the basis of supplemental FBI investigations. Of the remaining 11 cases 9 are presently pending before the Department’s Board and the investigations on the other 2 cases have not yet been received from the FBI.

1. No record of this visit has been found.