HEAT'S ON STATE DEPARTMENT IN OTEPKA CASE

Document Type: 
Collection: 
Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 
CIA-RDP75-00149R000600040127-5
Release Decision: 
RIPPUB
Original Classification: 
K
Document Page Count: 
1
Document Creation Date: 
November 11, 2016
Document Release Date: 
December 15, 1998
Sequence Number: 
127
Case Number: 
Publication Date: 
October 4, 1963
Content Type: 
NSPR
File: 
AttachmentSize
PDF icon CIA-RDP75-00149R000600040127-5.pdf135.76 KB
Body: 
EI.ZA:D OCT 4 1963 Sanitized - Approved For Release : C CPYRGHT FOIAb3b ad-On Clash Seems Inevitable Hem's On State, CPYRGHT CPYRGHT partment In Otepka Case Senate subcommittee, were study the staffi.g of Ame- filed aboinst Otepka on Sept. 1Sy. 'cans on international organi- 23 by John Ordway, chief of -~ ATTV Coln T - a real can of worms in its: investigation of the State'. Department's move to dis, credit and oust Otto Otepka, 48, chief of the evpluatjon division in the department's Office - 4f,Securitty. Tn` diggingnto the Otepka. case,ttle Set, ,t probers have micovered a backstap_effort within the State Department to clear the way for a: num- ber of former, security risks, including Algex',Htss, to worm `their way pack onto the government's payroll, as either employes or, consul- tants. According to WOY'i'i' test'- mony before, the subconunit- tee, one of the: central figures in this maneuvering is Har- lan Cleveland, assistant sec- retary of state for Inter- national affairs. Cleveland touched off th bitter security row.within th department by appointing number of persons with ques gable security background to ai advisory committee t Kennedy, a personal friend of P, eilly.' Otepka,' a civil service and State Department officer for more than 2Q years, has one of the most outstanding records.in his field, of work in the government. He was: re- sponsible for sending foreign service officer Irving C. Scar beck to jail for parsing U.S. secrets tq,the Sovlgts, and fn,- 1 11, lltram W ie investll;atm lanfl its c ri6C1 with for S at.c; , Dgpiaj1Cnt's Cuba" polio. l'rL all,.his investiga- tiohs, the ecords show that he has Ae tgover backu and in Prothe ?I,{hf% w,l lance der I s Ott lance. T mate st -n.o? ,rill tee now' to give O t epk=i pctlon., the same Sanitize ftppral k tteR eat ec GIA$ 00149R000600040127-5 Rusk, pleading that he was too busy tth negotiations P11", -rP4,fiPd in nients of the advisory com- genus witness vv w . i'~~ ! tel l flotise,:and signed by William H. Prubeck, special assistant secretary and executive sec- retary of the department." This document c o n t a i n e d Information about security risks within the department. * * ' learned that Senate investi- -So SERIOUS 'were Otep- gatots had questioned. him, ' ka's revelations to the Senate under subpena, about security Internal Security Subcommit- risks in the department. tee that Secretary Rusk and Charges of "misconduct," a score of other -State De'- lnv lving the alle ed turning bartinen ' f ici a um- s o ei delayhtjlis appe'ara,,ce. While~`+.he senators rnari- aged to' tIll FReill,; and two of this a es,LL all othe~? State Department officials have . beef} forbidden to appear before the subcommittee without advance a p p r o v a l frotn Secretary Rust;. This gag-order has now s.et the stage for the bitterest head-on clash be,.'recn the State Department, and a Sell- ale committee since the days of the date Senator. Joseph .,TcCar i (iy. Whil?^ the Senate probers headed by Senator James O. Eastland, (D., Miss.) chair- man, and Senator -Thomas Dodd +D., Conn.) don't have the reckless zeal of McCar- thy, they do have a tout a- bring Hiss,` a ACCORDING to the State pomilge to o r m e r State Department Department's own c o n f '- official convicted- of petjury dentiai report, most of tlic to conceal espionage, back e v i d e n c e upon v, hick the into the, department. chargos" are, based came S * * from it e i 1 I y's 'Surreptitious examination of Otepka's clan- oTErK4, one of ,. the de sifted "hash bag," in which partnient'si outstanding secu- he placed security material rity officers, was so shoclted and, other papers for destruc over. Cleveland's activities lion. that he sent a series of blis- According to the findings tering reports . td his su- in this State Department periors, -including one that investigative"rrport, evidence was routed through channels was found that, Otepka had to Ma G e o r g e' Bundy, the furnished "A copy of classi- P r e *10 e n is chief White fied memorandum concerning n forei ` g adviser on Hou policy One oP these reports in- of persons with questionable J G. Sourwine, staff director l security background that of the Senate subcommittee Cleveland had either brought for internal security. T h i s into the department pr was memorandum concerns t h e in the process of tryiing to loyalty of employes or pros obtain job clearance for. pective employes of the de- When the State Depart- partment within the meaning ment's daisy chain tipped oil f the Presidential directive Clevelandhthat, e wasswi[tty ?f March 13,1948: retaliated The report also chat;;ed bye hying John F. Tteiily, deputy assistant secretary for ii-It Otepka was, responsible security, place Otepka under 'for the :declassification oI a surveillance. This was quietly document containing .classi- arranged through the office fied information: addressed -t9 With- quiet but ruthless efficiency, Otepka was then removed from security opera- tions." His phone was bugged and he was. placed under close observation after it was