HEAT'S ON STATE DEPARTMENT IN OTEPKA CASE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• 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
• Publication Date: October 4, 1963
• Content Type: NSPR

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