McCarthy to Summon Security Files Chief, Evening Star (Article, February 1953)
Full Text
McCarthy to Summon Security Files Chief in Missing Data Inquiry
By the Associated Press
Senator McCarthy, Republican, of Wisconsin today marked Carlisle Humelsine, Deputy Undersecretary of State, for questioning in a spreading investigation of the State Department.
Mr. Humelsine is the man in ultimate charge of the department's security operations and its collection of secret files--from which witnesses have sworn that documents have mysteriously disappeared.
Missing Reports Cited.
In three days of public hearings, the special investigations subcommittee which Senator McCarthy heads received testimony that a special agent's report on a suspected Communist and some reports on [employees] with "unusual morals" are missing from personnel files. It also heard that a derogatory letter about an [employee] was ordered burned by an unidentified high official.
Senator Mundt, Republican, of South Dakota, a member of the subcommittee, announced he will "ask that Dean Acheson himself be called if Humelsine testifies that he acted under orders in not correcting this appalling situation."
Senator McCarthy set no date for hearing Mr. Humelsine.
The subcommittee's inquiry is in recess until February 16. Senator McCarthy said it will resume with "some extensive questioning" of Vladimir I. Toumanoff, who yesterday testified that "I think it is a good idea" to withhold him from the department promotion boards the knowledge that a man seeking promotion is a homosexual.
Views on Moral Cases.
Mr. Toumanoff is assistant chief of a division which grades Foreign Service [employees'] performance on the job. He insisted it is the State Department security division's business--not that of promotion boards--to deal with cases of homosexuals.
If the promotion seeker "is in fact a homosexual, he probably wouldn't be in the Foreign Service," Mr. Toumanff said. "He would have been fired."
The State Department said yesterday it has waged since 1947 "an aggressive program to detect and rid itself of such [employees]."
Mr. Humelsine has been Deputy Undersecretary of State for Administration since the days when Gen. George C. Marshall was secretary. Secretary of State Dulles reportedly has invited Mr. Humelsine to remain in that post, but Mr. Humelsine has agreed publicly to stay only temporarily.