WHAT ARE SOME THINGS OMBUSMAN COULD DO?

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75-00001R000400180055-5
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: November 11, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 22, 1999
• Sequence Number: 55
• Publication Date: May 24, 1966
• Content Type: NSPR

.tom ANGELES TIM 24 Mav 1966
0
Omb~dsnjaij' Could
CPYRGHT
1;iY CLAYTON. FRITCHEY
901 R000400180065-5
o?
When Sen. Claiborne Pell (DiR:L) As matters stand now, it appears:
and Rep. Henry Reuss (D-Wis.)-in- that Heine may be helpless to clear.;
troduced companion bills to create' his name. But, does legal precedent
an American "ombudsman," they or plain decency give any govern-
were not joking;.and several recent ment official the right to destroy de
events have generated fresh support liberately another man's reputation
for their legislation. without any risk to himself or his
In fact, a number of senators and agency? It couldn't happen in Swe-
congressmen have been Intrigued j den because the ombudsman has the.,
rright along by the possibilities of, power to get the truth even from the
adapting this Swedish concept to intelligence forces.
American needs, just as Denmark And now, too, we have the case of
and several other nations have. the young FBI clerk, Thomas. Car
The whole idea got a lift last ter, who was summarily fired for let-,
".month when Sweden's ombudsman, ting "a girlfriend of long standing"
'Alfred Bexelius, made a personal ap-' stay overnight in an apartment'occu-'?
pearance before a Senate committee, pied by Carter and three other FBI
and explained to a fascinated au- men. The latter occupied one bed- ;
dience his role as a kind of national -room, while Carter and his girl, who'?
,,(,Mr. Fix It, who goes to bat for the.: had come from Texas to Washington ordinary citizen against the tyranny, for a visit, occupied the other.
of bureaucracy and other official Under the FBI code the, room. `
abuses of power. mates were apparently obliged to
}.;. When anyone feels he is getting.a squeal on their friend. They didn't,
'.., raw deal from, say, an administra- but still another FBI employee liv-
tive agency, Bexelius said, the om- ing in the same building did. The
budsman checks it out, with powers roommates were then put on proba?;
to obtain all government documents, tion for not squealing, and later re-
and to recommend changes 'in proce-, signed.
dures or the law. He can even pub-.. ~k
' licly reprimand officials. All this would, certainly 'raise
"Very often -agencies' don't give some interesting questions for an
C reasons for their decisions, and fre- ombudsman. Does the FBI require%
quently' the citizens don't . under vows of chastity from all unmarried
stand them," he said. But when a employees? If not, which or what
legitimate Issue Is raised, "neither sex can an FBI man safely favor?
the government nor parliament can The FBI would not tolerate a male
stop the ombudsman from investi liaison, and now Whas put thumbs
gating." down on girls, too.
And while the ombudsman was
Although the Bexelius testimony he might also try to find out why,;
s;sparked great interest on the "Hill " the FBI turnover of personnel r? Washington is so much higher than
It did raise the question of whether a g than
Mr. Fix It is really needed in the in the government as a whole, 34%
United. States. For instance, are os+mpared with 19.
there any abuses for which adequate The ombudsman Is' also badly;'
relief has not already been provided needed to help Bert Adams, who has .
'in America? spent 27 years trying to get the U.S.:
The Pell-Reuss bills might to pay him for stealing.',
very his invention of a new battery. Dur-,'
well not have been heard of again, ing World War II, Adams offered his'
except for a turn of events which ' battery to the army. The experts
has suddenly focused interest on said it wouldn't work, but secretly
:,several cases that have.-sh eked the ' the government had it copied and
public sense of just nd it play. ordered at least a million of them
In one 'case, t a CIA ?dered a~\made.
paid secret agen Raus) to Looking back, wouldn't it have"
spread the word that an Estonian been fine to have had an ombuds-.
.,emigre (Eric Heine) was a Commu- man to deal with Joe McCarthy?'.
i'nist spy. When Heine filed a slander' And looking at the present, maybe I
suit against Raus, the latter did not there should be an ombudsman to .
deny making the charge or even try deal with the draft inequities, with
to defend Its veracity. The CIA sim- the State Department's snooping on
ply Intervened and claimed for Raua U.S. citizens traveling abroad, and.'
S hi ~ ?e q~j gfFl# e.l 1~ M~RDP l5gGOO 4R000400I 8005
pro9 T~ # that s going on officially and
I Nm
telligence agency., unofficially.
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