material value in these hearings and is a part of the examination that we want to make of numerous witnesses that will come before us, if that is still held under these circumstances.

Now I think the Deparment would be well advised as suggested by the Senator from Oregon, I would much prefer not to have this situation forced to be done over their protests, but I think that we are entitled to some cooperation from the Department and the executive branch of the Government in this regard.

EFFECTIVENESS OF CENSORSHIP ARRANGEMENTS

I think this committee has been outstanding in that with the censorship which we ourselves set up, the subcommittee and the committee itself has been in complete agreement with the amount deleted by the censor, with I think only three exceptions.

On one of those, after discussing the matter with Admiral Davis, the subcommittee and the full committee fully agreed with the admiral in the deletion. On the other one, it was only a question of possibly endangering the cryptographic code.

On that the admiral fully agreed that if it could be put into a paraphrase, there was no reason why that should not be released, and it was released.

And the third dealt with the town of Rashin, and on that the committee was in disagreement with the admiral, but finally the admiral took the matter up with the Defense Establishment and they agreed finally that it would be advantageous and better at least for the name of that city to be released.

NO HARM IN DECLASSIFICATION

Now with the thousands of words of testimony, we have worked in such complete harmony and understanding that we have not had a major issue arise that has not been amicably settled, and in view of the fact that this is a year and a half old, there is no charge that in any slightest degree it involves crypotographic code. It does not involve our fighting troops in Korea.

A substantial part of it has been published, and published a year and a half ago. I would think, Mr. Chairman, that the Department, of its own motion in this case and without setting a precedent to the future, because each case would have to stand upon its own, they themselves would say that under all those circumstances the document should be made a part of our public record with such explanation as they might want to make giving their point of view.

Senator HUNT. Mr. Chairman.

Chairman RUSSELL. Senator Hunt.

LEGAL SITUATION ANALYZED

Senator HUNT. The position taken by the Senator from Oregon is substantially the same position that I took on Wednesday, I believe it was, the result of which was postponing until today the final settlement of this particular point.

I still am in hearty agreement with the position we took at that time. Here we are a joint committee, 26 Members of the Senate, a

big group. We could possibly direct that this paper be made available to all of the people.

I say to you, however, a lone committee taking the same action, it could be a forerunner of simply the subcommittee taking a similar action. The only possible way we could force the Secretary of State in case he did not care to comply with our request, would be to cite him for contempt before the Senate. That would be the ultimate result of this situation.

It can't be circumvented. I think we are establishing, if we demand of the State Department that they declassify a secret state paper, that we are doing something that is ill-advised, doing something that is not for the good of our country, and something that each and every one of us possibly we would see the day that we would regret the action taken.

I am heartily in accord with the legal position taken by the Senator from Oregon.

Senator BRIDGES. Mr. Chairman.

Chairman RUSSELL. Senator Bridges.

PREVIOUS RELEASES AND LEAKS OF CONFIDENTIAL DOCUMENTS

Senator BRIDGES. Senator Knowland, I think, has outlined the crux of this thing when he goes back to the Wake Island conference which was not as confidential as this document was, but a top-secret document which was released by someone.

If there has been any violation of any law against our country, it was that release of a top-secret document. In questions of the Defense Department, officials who testified here that even if it was top secret, that is the highest secret you can get in our country, that they have made no endeavor yet to find out who released it.

Now if we are going to get into these things, then we ought to find out who released it, who violated the laws of our country on a thing of that kind, and I think you might find it was people rather high up in our country, and it would present a very serious problem for our committee and for the Department of Justice as to what they propose to do on the violation of a top-secret document.

This is merely a confidential document which has had general publicity.

INTERPRETATION OF PREVIOUS STATE DEPARTMENT WITNESS ON CLASSIFICATION OF THE DOCUMENT

Now as I understand the issue made by Mr. Fisher the other day, the legal adviser to the State Department, was that he did not object to the body of the thing, but what he objected to was the introductory sentence or two, the paragraph where it said that it was giving a direct slant to the information given out by the Voice of America on this thing, and he pointed out that Russia would give then formal acknowledgment that we were slanting our news.

Of course I think we would be foolish if we do not slant our information on this thing, and I haven't any doubt but what the Russians know that, but could this matter be settled and will the Secretary agree to releasing this if the few top sentences objected to by Mr. Fisher be eliminated?

Senator KEFAUVER. Mr. Chairman, I did not understand Mr. Fisher to make

Chairman RUSSELL. I did not understand Mr. Fisher to take that position.

Senator BRIDGES. I would like to have his testimony read then. I have got two ears and I listened very carefully. He went all over the lot but that was his conclusion.

Chairman RUSSELL. I did not understand that that was his position. Senator KEFAUVER. I thought, Mr. Chairman, he very definitely said if we took out the top sentences, then the rest of it would be not correctly stating the position of the State Department and it might be interpreted that way.

Senator BRIDGES. He did that when he objected to that, but the first part of his argument was only on the slant it would give.

Senator BREWSTER. Mr. Chairman, do you want to read that? Chairman RUSSELL. No'; I am not going to read the record. If the Senator wishes to, he may.

EFFECT OF DECLASSIFYING DOCUMENT ON THE VOICE OF AMERICA

Senator BREWSTER. I more or less agree with the Senator from Oregon this is sort of a tempest in a teapot, having read the document before, but as I understand it the Secretary contends that this was simply an example of whistling to keep our courage up.

Wasn't that the essence of your idea, that this document was put out for that reason, a well-recognized practice that people, if they think they are going to get in trouble, they whistle a little to keep their courage up?

Secretary ACHESON. It is a question of whose courage. It wasn't our courage but it was to minimize the effect of this in other areas.

Senator BREWSTER. And the disclosure of your action in that regard it seems to me can surprise no one including the Russians.

That is the only aspect of the matter that surprises me a little, is that you think the Russians or anybody else would be surprised to find that you were trying to put the best face we could on the situation. That is all the publication of this document will reveal.

I would subscribe very earnestly to the others who hope that you might see it in that light and release it to avoid any difficulty. We have crossed every bridge so far, and I hope we get over this one.

Secretary ACHESON. Senator, it is not that this would surprise the Russians, it is that it gives them an official document

Senator BREWSTER. Yes.

Secretary ACHESON. Which they will use to the best of their ability to discredit the Voice of America in the areas in which it is effective. Senator BREWSTER. Do you think there is anybody in the world doubts that?

Secretary ACHESON. Doubts what?

Senator BREWSTER. Doubts that we are using the Voice of America in the most effective way we can to maintain our case. What else does anyone suppose we are doing with it?

Secretary ACHESON. Well, as I say, it would be very harmful to the Voice to have this official document of the Government put in the hands of those who will use it in the most destructive way against us.

Senator BREWSTER. That is very difficult for me to understand. Socrates said that the penalty of being a liar was not to be believed when you told the truth, and that is the wisdom of trying to make all your statements conform to the facts and so forth. But if in the diplomatic field a different practice prevails, I am sure it is not peculiar to America.

Senator STENNIS. Mr. Chairman, a parliamentary inquiry.
Chairman RUSSELL. Senator Stennis.

Senator STENNIS. What is the matter before the committee? Is there a motion to release this?

Chairman RUSSELL. Yes, sir; a motion from Senator Knowland, as I understand it, that this matter be declassified by the committee action.

Senator KNOWLAND. Be made a part of the public record.

Chairman RUSSELL. Mr. Secretary, I have a question or two I want to ask. I wish to make a prefatory statement.

STATE DEPARTMENT UNDERSTANDNG IN SUPPLYING DOCUMENT TO

COMMITTEE

When this letter from Mr. Lovett, conveying the letter from the Secretary of State to me, reached me, it was handed me here in the committee room. I did not read it carefully, I glanced through it very hurriedly, and then either handed it to Senator Knowland myself or requested that whoever, whichever member of the staff handed it to me, hand it to Senator Knowland. I mean he is the man who requested the matter, and he would primarily interested.

I wish to read this letter that I forwarded Secretary Marshall.

HON. GEORGE C. MARSHALL,

Secretary of Defense, Washington, D. C.

DEAR MR. SECRETARY: I am enclosing a copy of a letter I have received from Senator Knowland requesting that certain documents be furnished the committee by the Secretary of State. I shall thank you to transmit this letter to the Secretary of State with the request that he furnish this material subject to the same security provisions that control the classified documents which the Department of Defense has previously provided for examination by members of the committee. I notice you quote part of that statement in the last paragraph of your letter. I shall read that to complete the record:

The Department of State appreciates Senator Russell's assurance that the classified documents forwarded herewith will be "subject to the same security provisions that control the classified documents which the Department of Defense has previously provided for examination by members of the committee.”

I would like to ask you, Mr. Secretary, what you understood by that language.

Secretary ACHESON. I understood, Mr. Chairman, that I was furnishing the document under the security provisions which you have set up; that is, that the documents are kept under custody; that they are available to be read by the members of the committee, but that they are not to be put into the public record, since this was a classified document. That is the basis under which I furnished it.

Chairman RUSSELL. Were you wholly without knowledge that the committee has assumed the power in the event a majority decided to do so, to declassify any of the documents?

Secretary ACHESON. I assumed that the committee could do that if it wished to do it; yes, sir.

Chairman RUSSELL, You assumed that it could?

PERSONAL ATTITUDE OF WITNESS

Secretary ACHESON. Now, there has been a statement about my attitude, and I think, perhaps, I should make it clear, I believe that the classification of this document as confidential is correct, and it is necessary to maintain it.

I have believed that ever since the document was first talked about, and since parts of it, quotations-alleged quotations—were made from it. That is my belief.

The duty is mine, the responsibility is mine. I have to deal with it individually in accordance with my own conscience and my own oath. I cannot, to be agreeable, do something which I think is wrong and not in accordance with my duty. So far as the power of the committee is concerned, I am not challenging the power of the committee, and I will not do anything to thwart it.

If, despite what I have said, the committee votes to release it, or votes that it wishes to release this, so far as the State Department censor is concerned, I shall direct him not to try to thwart the will of this committee; but I cannot change my own conviction, and I must perform my duty in accordance with it.

Senator BRIDGES. Mr. Chairman?
Chairman RUSSELL. Senator Bridges.

Senator BRIDGES. Mr. Fisher, in his testimony-
Senator KNOWLAND. What page?

Senator BRIDGES. I am reading from 4100 first:

PREVIOUS STATE DEPARTMENT WITNESS STATEMENT ON CLASSIFICATION

The document in question is a document designed to inform the information or propaganda people of the Department of State as to the line that should be taken in certain circumstances. I will give you the best evaluation of its purpose by reading from its first paragraph:

"Problem: To formulate information policy which will minimize damage to United States prestige and others' morale by the possible fall of Formosa to the Chinese Communist forces.'

"In other words, the purpose of this document is, to put it crudely, give the Voice of America people the line they should follow because of an anticipated development.

"Now, it is probably known to the Soviets that we do give them-give the people the lines to follow on various possibilities. They undoubtedly suspect it.

"The question is can they prove it, and if this document were to be released, what propaganda use would they make of it, not as a leak but as an official United States document in which we tell our broadcasters, 'Play up this; play down that.'

"Now, I don't believe that that is an improper thing to do. Anyone who knows the problems of a propaganda war realizes there has to be some central direction, but for counterpropaganda use, the exposure of that type of central direction gives the Soviets something that I think they would very much like to have for the purpose of destroying the credibility of the Voice of America, which we have all been working so hard to build up. That is, I think, a brief statement of the reasons, Mr. Chairinan."

Now, later, on page 4115, Senator George says:

As I understand you, Mr. Fisher, it is not a question whether these statements here are true or untrue, whether the Secretary of State will come along and admit that they were facts or unrealistic; it is that if this document is now made public, that then the Russian propagandists will be able to trace it right back to

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