SUPREME COURT: Testing the Loyalty Program

Dr. John Punnett Peters, 67, senior professor of medicine at Yale University, served as a consultant to the U.S. Public Health Service until, in 1953, the Loyalty Review Board decided: "On all the evidence, there is a reasonable doubt as to Dr. Peters' loyalty to the Government of the United States." Last week the Supreme Court heard arguments on his appeal; its ruling is expected this month. A decision in his favor could virtually demolish the present federal loyalty program, because the issue in this case goes to the heart of the matter.

Secrecy—or Peril? Dr. Peters, who is due...

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