Nature of U.S. Security Program Permits Anti-semitism, Maslow Says

A Senate subcommittee investigating the Federal employees security program was told by a spokesman for the American Jewish Congress today that the arbitrary nature of the security program made it possible for security officers with an anti-Semitic bias to pin security risk labels on innocent Jews.

The witness was Will Maslow. In reply to a committee member’s question of whether anti-Semitism was a factor in the security program, Mr. Maslow said evidence of anti-Semitic prejudice was found in the Fort Monmouth cases where many Jewish employees were fired. Some were later reinstated after Jewish groups had pointed out the disproportionately large number of Jews branded as “risks.” A Fort Monmouth security officer charged with anti-Jewish bias was removed from his job after Jewish groups demanded a government review of events at the station.

Mr. Maslow told the committee that Jewish organizations had urged the Secretary of the Army to probe the handling of the Fort Monmouth incidents. He noted that the Army refused.

The committee was to have heard two witnesses involved in the firing of Wolf Ladejinsky, but the witnesses failed to appear. They were Milan D. Smith, executive assistant to the Secretary of Agriculture, and J. Glen Cassity, the security officer of the Department of Agriculture. A subcommittee spokesman said they would be called again. If they refuse to respond a second time, subpoenas may be issued.

Mr. Ladejinsky was fired as a security risk by the Agriculture Department after he was cleared by the State Department. The Agriculture Department subsequently withdrew its charges. Ladejinsky is now employed by the Foreign Operations Administration which is now under the State Department.