Speech #810333205

Coplon and Gubitchev were convicted of espionage. and Gold and others are currently being prosecuted f~r espionage. Hiss and Bridges were convicted of perjury. and Marzani of false statements to his superiors in Government service. In the case of aliens advocating or teaching overthrow of the Government by force and violence. in the period 194750. approximately 200 Communists were excluded from entry into the United States at the borders and ports of entry. and deportation cases are now in process against over 200 Communists on similar charges. As I stated earlier. the Government employee loyalty program required a check by the FBI of about 2.500.000 employees. Full field investigations were made in about 12.000 cases. resulting in dismissal of 128 Government employees and exclusion from employment of 102 applicants and conditional employees. Now listen to what the Attorney General then said: In some few particulars. the basic statutes I have mentioned need improvement. The President so urged in his recent message to Congress on August 8. 1950. and there are a number of pending bills which contain provisions to accomplish this. For example. certain language of the espionage laws should be clarified. the statute of limitations for peacetime espionage should be lengthened. the coverage of the Foreign Agents Registration Act should be expanded. and stricter supervision should be provided in the case of aliens against whom there are orders for deportation but who cannot be deported because no country will accept them. Most important. the President should be authorized. in time of war or national emergency. to extend antisabotage regulations for protecting military installations and facilities to include other property and places as he shall designate in the interest of the national security. in order that there may be excluded from industries and facilities relating to the national security persons suspected of a purpose to engage in sabotage or espionage. If we are able to exclude potential saboteurs from defense plants. and keep the individual troublemakers out of vital places. as was done during World War II. we can afford to ignore the soapbox oratory.