McCarran Hits Lack of Candor, Evening Star (Article, April 1953)

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McCarran Hits Lack of Candor On State Department Firings

By Cecil Holland

Senator McCarran, Democrat, of Nevada today accused a State Department official of a "lack of candor" in testifying about the number of persons in his office who have been dismissed as security risks on morals grounds.

The charges was directed at W. Park Armstrong during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on the department's $130,521,337 revised budget for the fiscal year starting July 1.

Senator McCarran became outspokenly irked when Mr. Armstrong appeared unable to come up immediately with figures on those fired from his office after testifying there have been some dismissals. Mr. Armstrong is a special assistant handling confidential political intelligence work for the department.

Tells of Two Discharges.

Under prodding questions by Senators McCarran, Dirksen, Republican, of Illinois and Ellender, Democrat, of Louisiana, Mr. Armstrong testified that two persons have been discharged within the last three weeks on security grounds involving morals.

One of the persons, Mr. Armstrong said, had been with the department for three or four years, and the other for two or three years. Their names were not revealed.

Mr. Armstrong insisted that he would not necessarily be informed as to the reasons why some of his [employees] were leaving the department. This brought a sharp retort from Senator McCarran, who asked, "why are you trying to avoid answering?"

"Lack of Candor."

Then, bluntly, Senator McCarran asked:

"How many have been removed for homosexuality?"

Mr. Armstrong replied that he did not know and that such information should come from R. W. Scott McLeod, the State Department's security officer.

During the exchange Senator McCarran said at one point:

"My impression is greatly affected by the lack of candor and the lack of frankness by this witness."

Senator Dirksen said the committee is having difficulty in placing responsibility within the department. As a result of the exchanges, Mr. Armstrong said he would confer with Mr. McLeod and give the committee a statement on the dismissals.

He said that the two dismissed within recent weeks were the only ones he could recall who have been discharged during the current fiscal year.

Senator Mundt, Republican of South Dakota said earlier he sees some signs that the State Department is speeding up the dismissal of holdovers from the Democratic Truman administration.

"Several recent steeps provide encouraging evidence that the change-over is being rapidly stepped up," Senator Mundt said.

Mr. McLeod disclosed to the committee the "separation" of 19 [employees] from the payroll on homosexual charges since he took over March 3.

He said there were 14 "separations" for other reasons and four resignations on security grounds by [employees] who quit rather than face charges.

Another witness, Undersecretary of State Donald B. Lourie, said Charles W. Thayer, brother-in-law of Charles E. Bohlen, Ambassador to Russia, was "separated" from the department on the basis of morals charges.