Major American Jewish organizations, testifying before a Senate subcommittee, called today for a commission to investigate the government loyalty-security program in an effort to end abuses and to bring the program into balance as between government security needs and civil rights of individuals. The organizations which testified today were: American Jewish Committee, American Jewish Congress, Anti-Defamation League and Jewish War Veterans.
Abraham J. Harris, former U.S. Assistant Attorney General, testifying for the American Jewish Committee, told the Senate Subcommittee on Reorganization that his organization endorsed legislation calling for a Commission on Government Security, consisting of two Senators, two House members, two representatives from the Executive branch, and six persons from private life. Mr. Harris pointed out that the Committee for many years has felt strongly the necessity for protecting America’s internal security while exercising care not to destroy American civil liberties.
Mr. Harris submitted as one of the major areas for the proposed commission’s concern, this question: “To what extent has the use of secret information, ‘protected’ witnesses, and lack of confrontation and cross examination contributed to the appearance of racial bigotry or religious bias and prejudice in charges made by concealed informants#” He also enumerated other problems which call for the attention of a Commission on Government Security.
POSSIBILITY OF ANTI-SEMITIC MOTIVES OF ACCUSERS CITED
In a statement made by Will Maslow, on behalf of the American Jewish Congress he called for re-assessment of the security-Ioyalty program and backed the proposal for a joint Congressional inquiry commission. Mr. Maslow reviewed the Chasanow, Ft. Monmouth and Ladejinsky cases and charged that the security program facilitated the operation of anti-Semitism and other prejudices at various levels.
The Chasanow and Ft. Monmouth cases suggested that flimsy charges of disloyalty, later disproved, were filed against Jews while similar evidence against other employees was not considered significant, Mr. Maslow said. Since the accused employees never learned the names of their traducers, “it was not possible to establish conclusively the anti-Semitic nature their accusers’ motivations.” Hence, suspicion of anti-Semitism remains.
Mr. Maslow suggested that a bi-partisan commission would study how “opportunities for the operation of racial and religious prejudice could be effectively eliminated.” The Congress statement also urged investigation of a number of other points.
Judge David A. Rose, chairman of the ADL Civil Rights Committee, told the subcommittee that a survey made by his organization pointed up the “unnecessary hardship and heartache” resulting from current security procedures. Judge Rose favored the establishment of a bi-partisan commission of Congressmen, Administration leaders and private citizens to review completely the Federal security program.
Judge Rose said there was “justification and need” for a Federal security program. However, he recommended a “workable standard” to replace the current principle that a government workers’ continued employment must be, as required by the Eisenhower Executive Order, “clearly consistent with the interest of national security.”
Leon Sachs, national judge advocate of the Jewish War Veterans, said recent months provided “enough proof of weaknesses of security program” to demand “that changes be forthcoming.” He cited the Chasanow, Ladejinsky and Ft. Monmouth cases as example of his view “that proper safeguards for protecting the individual” are lacking in the security program.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
