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One of these five primary departments was called the Office of the Secretary. Now, who received the position of head of the Office of Secretary? It was Frank Coe, named in the FBI report as a member of the espionage ring, and at a salary of $20,000 a year . . .
Was the Nation Protected?
Recently this subcommittee had occasion to inquire of Mr. Coe whether he was presently engaged in subversive activities. Mr. Coe replied:
"Mr. Chairman, under the protection afforded me by the Fifth Amendment, I respectfully decline to answer that question."
Coe continued in the employ of the fund until as recently as Dec. 3, 1952, when he was finally dismissed.
Who received the position of adviser to the United States member of the board? It was Harold Glasser, also named as a member of the espionage ring.
Glasser was subpoenaed by the Senate subcommittee on April 14, 1953, and when asked about his relationships with members of the Communist underground, he invoked his privilege against self-incrimination . . .
It has now been said that White's promotion to the post of director of the International Monetary Fund was permitted to go through so that he might better be kept under surveillance and so the investigation of the other members of the ring might continue unimpaired.
It is suggested that permitting White to continue his espionage operations might enable the Truman Administration to entrap not only White but the whole Soviet espionage ring working within our Government. To accomplish such an end would require infinite and detailed care if the national interest was to be at all protected.
"Simple and Reasonable Tests"
In the first place, arrangements would have to be made to insure absolute control of the subjects and the situation. Some time limits would have to be established.
If the national interest were to be protected, measures would have to be designed to prevent classified material with a significant bearing on national security from reaching White and the others.
Top responsible officials of the United States Government, whose duties brought them in contact with White and the other members of the ring, would have had to be forewarned. Great care would have to be taken to make certain that these spies did not affect the decisions of our Government. The records available to me fail to indicate that any of these minimum precautions were taken. The records available to me fail to show that anything was done which interfered with the continued functioning of the espionage ring of which White was a part.
And if we apply simple and reasonable tests to show how other members of the espionage ring named in the FBI report were treated, there is considerable doubt that anything was done to protect the national interest. Let me offer you a few examples.
Harold Glasser, a close subordinate and associate of White, was described in the FBI report as an active member of the espionage ring. What controls were established over the movements of Harold Glasser?
In July 1946, Glasser attended the UNRRA conference in Geneva, Switzerland, as a member of the United States delegation. In January