107 Employes Of State Dept Fired, Key West Citizen (Article, July 1953)
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107 [Employees] Of State Dept. Fired In '53
Investigations Result In Action By Authorities
By HARRY SNYDER
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A House committee learned today that 107 State Department [employees] have been fired this year as a result of investigations concerning homosexuality or questionable security.
The information came from R.W. Scott McLeod, State Department security officer, in a letter to the Committee.
It was made public by Rep. Brownson (R-Ind.) who sought the report recently.
McLeod also said--in reply to a direct inquiry--that the department does not have any records identifying the 57 persons who were referred to by Sen. McCarthy (R-Wis) as Communists in a February, 1950, speech.
McLeod said he realized his answer "is not completely responsive." But the fact was, he said, a search of all files has "failed to disclose such a list."
"I might point out that Sen. McCarthy did not identify the individuals except by number in his speech," McLeod added.
McLeod told the committee he was "reluctant" to come up with "a categorical answer" to the question: "Are there any Communists now employed in the State Department?"
"I must always presume," he wrote, "that the Soviets are attempting to penetrate an agency as sensitive as the State Department, and... I may never conclude that their efforts have been unsuccessful.
"I believe that it goes without saying that no Communists, known to the security officer as such, are on the rolls of the department at this time."
Of 107 dismissals this year, 74 followed investigations of homosexuality--54 in 1950, 119 in 1951 and 134 in 1952; dismissals for security reasons--12 in 1950, 35 in 1951 and 70 in 1952.
