Speed-Up Effort By State, Nome Nugget (Article, May 1953)
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Speed-Up Effort By State To Oust Old Acheson Team
WASHINGTON (AP)--Sen. Mundt (R-SD) disclosed Thursday what he called a "highly accelerated" State Department effort to eliminate "members of the old Acheson team" from top policy positions.
Mundt said the Senate subcommittee was informed at a secret meeting this week that Secretary Dulles has "replaced over 50 persons in key positions for policy reasons alone." A few involved shifts from policy to non-policy posts, he said, but resignations accounted for the rest.
In addition, Mundt said, the administration has removed or obtained the resignation of 49 others "for reasons of suitability, security or homosexuality" since the GOP took over Jan. 20. Another 112 applicants have been denied jobs since then on the same grounds, he added.
Mundt, an outspoken critic of former Secretary of State Dean Acheson, complained recently of a slow turnover of top State Department jobs to men more "in sympathy with the new administration."