State Department Morale High, Evening Star (Article, April 1953)
Full Text
State Department Morale High
Elimination of Some of 'Rotten Apples' in Foreign Service Is Welcomed by Career Personnel Who Are 'Clean'
Contrary to the impression which has prevailed after a number of Foreign Service officers were dismissed or forced to resign, the morale of State Department officials--particularly the professional diplomats--has improved. These men have known for some time that there have been and still are a number of rotten apples among them. Their elimination is helping instead of damaging the prestige of their profession. An average of seven [employees] now is being dismissed every week. Out of consideration for their future in private life, the Secretary of State accepts their resignations or requests to retire.
In spite of the espirit de corps which exists to a great extent among the career men, nobody objects to the removal from the service of men guilty of perversion, even if sometimes these men have a high professional rating. The Secretary of State is determined to have a high standard of morality in our diplomatic corps. There have been a few cases when requests for resignation were sent to individuals who were not perverts, but were known to be either excessive drinkers or fond of a great number of illicit love affairs.
These are all bad security risks these days. Homosexuals are exposed to blackmail; the others are either easy victims of attractive espionage agents or talk too much after having absorbed too much alcohol.
So far, the present dismissals--although their tempo will be accelerated in the next few months to speed up a thorough cleaning out of undesirables--are not the result of new investigations made by W. Scott McLeod, director of personnel and security of the department. He and his staff have had time only to "look around" and poke their noses into files which have existed in the State Department for a number of years. They brought them out, evaluated them, and discovered to their surprise that a number of officers who should have been fired long ago had actually been cleared and given promotions. Some reports from the FBI and other investigating agencies containing highly derogatory and positive information were just filed away and allowed to gather dust in the safes of the department. Recently a prominent Senator return enraged to his office from a session with the Secretary of State and other high officials. He told his colleagues that a record containing the full confession of a Foreign Service officer had been played for him. This record had been obtained early in 1952, and the pervert, instead of being instantly separated from the service, was cleared a few weeks later for an important job abroad.
The instructions given by Secretary Dulles to Undersecretary of State Donold Lourie are that no party political considerations must enter into the evaluation of the files of the Foreign Service officers.
In spite of the pressure for ambassadorial jobs for deserving Republicans who have been out of office for over 20 years, a substantial number of career men have either been maintained in their posts or have been now given diplomatic missions. The paramount condition for the appoint of these persons is that they must be "clean." As a matter of fact, this requirement applies also to the patronage appointees. An FBI field investigation is required before the name of any new chief of mission is sent for confirmation to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The temporary agreement with the Secretary of State that in certain cases his personal certification in lieu of the security clearance has now been rescinded because such practice may be harmful to the individual himself as well as to our prestige abroad. Mr. Dulles, in order to expedite the sending of ambassadors abroad, pledged himself to recall the appointee if within 60 days after his confirmation the FBI report showed derogatory evidence.
Members of Congress who check on foreign policies, or who hold the purse strings of the Nation, have been greatly worried for a number of years over the unhealthy situations which existed in the State Department. They are not satisfied that things are improving. The forthcoming forced retirement of several hundred Foreign Service officers and [employees], coupled with a drastic curtailment of expenditure which would further reduce the personnel in that top-heavy agency, will necessarily provide a better rounded Foreign Service.
The men who have devoted the better part of their lives to the diplomatic service of the United States are equally satisfied, since only undesirables or incompetents will suffer from the so-called "purge." They have felt for some time that a few rotten apples had brought one of the most important agencies of the Government into disrepute, and they have been praying for the thorough clean-up which now is in progress to re-establish the confidence of America in its Foreign Service.
