Senator SPARKMAN. He had returned and he had no place to go. Senator TAFT. That is right, he had come back from abroad and he was looking for a place to live.

Now, it just happened when I was away this summer, a gentleman and his wife from the State Department lived in my house for 3 months. [Laughter.] And I don't know anthing about him. I thinkI am sure he is a perfectly honorable man. Nevertheless, it would raise the question.

A good many of the stories now related to

Senator FULBRIGHT. May I ask you, this one they considered definitely a homosexual, why did they consider him

Senator TAFT. Well, we heard a tape recording he had done there. Now, he denied any habitual situation

Senator SPARKMAN. There were but three instances.

Senator TAFT. Really only one instance, only one he admitted.
Senator SPARKMAN. Yes.

Senator TAFT. But nevertheless he is a friend of Bohlen. They went to Moscow together and when Bohlen went there back in 1933 and 1934, before Bohlen was married-subsequently he married his sister and that is the relationship. That itself seems to me rather-well, certainly I can see no presumption from that fact. Since then, of course, he is a brother-in-law and he has frequently been in the house. There has been no direct charge. I know of no evidence of any kind. I think maybe I might deal here with another story that came to me and which has been the basis for some of what Senator McCarthy has said or implied.

MOSCOW IN 1933 AND 1934

I was told that there was a tape recorded confession by [deleted] in the State Department. I was told that it involved a general charge against Bohlen going back again to Moscow in 1934, but only, when I traced it back to where that came from, only on the basis that somebody told somebody else that this tape recording contained a statement by [deleted] that everybody that went to Moscow in 1933 and 1934 were homosexuals, the whole mission. That was the story that came and that is the story you may hear from some other Senators, and I was interested in finding out, that is, if there was this tape recording.

Well, they did have a tape recording, and they brought it out and they played it for us. Senator Sparkman and I heard it and heard all there was.

It involved this "confession" we are talking about. It was a tape recording made about the time they were going to give a lie detector test on [deleted], and it contained no such statement as was alleged regarding the mission to Moscow in 1933 and 1934. It did suggest there was something of that kind there-and I don't think there was any question there was quite a lot, but the only thing said was that the Ambassador-what was it?

Senator SPARKMAN. [William] Bullit1 had asked one man, “Have you got a girl?" And the next man, "Have you got a girl-anybody who did not have a girl there, well, you better watch that fellow."

1 Then U.S. Ambassador in Moscow.

Senator TAFT. Yes, that was the tale which [deleted] told on the ape recording.

Senator SPARKMAN. In other words, he was encouraging his unnarried men to have girl friends in Moscow, and if they did not have, "You better watch this fellow."

Senator TAFT. Yes. That is the only thing about Moscow in 1933 and 1934 and there was no reference whatever about Bohlen.

The man at the State Department that had this file, Ford, told me he knew nothing beyond this, that he must have been the one referred to in these inferences.

NOT THE SLIGHTEST SINGLE WORD THAT REFLECTS ON BOHLEN

I can say that there is in there not the slightest single word that in any way reflects on Bohlen or which says anything about him or had any relation to Bohlen.

I may say when I think back, before I went up there, thinking back on the source of this statement, that there was this thing-it was a very indefinite statement, this man had been told by somebody else. The tape recording was made by the CIA at the request of the State Department, recording this [deleted] "confession" in 1951 in March-well, I do not know, but it was in 1951.

Senator SPARKMAN. I did not catch the month, but I remember 1951.

Senator TOBEY. Where is [deleted] now?

Senator TAFT. [Deleted] is on his way out. I think he should have been out long ago. He has been in the State Department a long time, although people have recommended that he be dismissed and definitely he is on his way out.

A THIRD CASE

Senator TAFT. Now, the third man is the man Senator Hickenlooper has referred to, exactly the case you and I discussed some time ago. And those are the three instances.

This third man is one who is in the artistic and literary circles in Paris. He has been in the Voice of America. He is apparently quite an attractive man. He is an inveterate associate of homosexuals and is one probably himself, although there is no occasion, of course, to make a direct investigation-he denies it.

He and his wife have been friends of Mr. and Mrs. Bohlen. They have stayed in their house in Paris, visited overnight or for 2 or 3 days, week ends. They have also visited at Washington here. And says that Bohlen is his best friend in America and he regards him as of the highest character and he denies any possible suggestion or anything.

Mrs.

says that as far as she knows their time was very limited, Mrs. Bohlen and Mrs. were all there, and in her

opinion there was nothing in it. She has divorced

within the

last 6 months, I think, under circumstances not set forth in the

report. I do not know what they are. Now, those are the three associations.

NO EVIDENCE FOR A CASE AGAINST BOHLEN

I could not see that in any way they were associations that might not have occurred to anybody. I could not see the basis for any evidence whatever for starting a case, even starting a case of investigation of Mr. Bohlen.

Here it is, 20 years. He has been married 16 years. Even the charge in the so-called Hickenlooper letter which the members all read here, said before marriage even Bohlen was suspect at least for homosexual tendencies, from being so friendly with the Ambassador when he had been in the Embassy, but that is the only thing said even in this anonymous letter; it was not a direct charge, he just said he was suspect.

I cannot see in those circumstances any evidence that shows a friendship with or association with these people beyond a perfectly normal existence-a man with a wife and children who has people from time to time staying at his home.

NO EVIDENCE OF SECURITY RISK

That is the story, and I would be prepared to tell the Senate that I could find no prima facie evidence to suggest that Bohlen had anything against him-well, the phrase I use or the word. "security"-that Bohlen in any way a security risk because of his having all I could find is occasional association with certain people who might have been bad security risks themselves, but that I could find no suggestion or prima facie case against him to suggest he was in any way himself questionable.

Now, of course, even the people who testified at some length against his political views all affirm his character. Besides that there is a list of 100 or so prominent men of all kinds, many of whom you know, who testify highly as to his character and reputation for morality, and so forth. Of course, one of those does not carry as much weight as one the other way, but I can find no basis for beginning even an investigation of this subject.

Senator MANSFIELD. May I ask one question?
Senator TAFt. Yes.

LIE DETECTOR TESTS

Senator MANSFIELD. Was there any real basic disagreement between Mr. McLeod and Dulles?

Senator TAFT. Well. I did not talk to McLeod and I do not want to develop it. My impression was McLeod wanted him to take a lie detector test.

Senator FERGUSON. He wanted to have Bohlen take it?

Senator TAFT. Yes, and Dulles did not want to. As far as the lie detector test, Dulles does not think much of it and Hoover does not think much of the thing, and Bedell Smith thinks it is more or less. infallible.

I talked with Ford who played the record and others, and I got the impression that Ford felt that it was not accurate at all, but that it

1 An anonymous letter received by Senator Hickenlooper in 1950 accusing Bohlen and other named individuals of homosexuality. The letter was discussed in executive session with Secretary Dulles on March 18.

as of tremendous value in forcing a confession, that it had a value hat was much more than actually recording

Senator FULBRIGHT. Psychological warfare.

Senator TAFT. It has had a very tremendous effect in that case. They have said, however, that they have used it in the State Departnent-well, I do not know, 20 cases out of 250 examinations, I hink.

Senator FERGUSON. Do any courts adopt it as evidence?

Senator HICKENLOOPER. I had an opportunity to talk with Mr. Hoover yesterday afternoon in connection with another matter enirely, an entirely different subject, but I said to him, "Mr. Director, t has been reported you did not believe in the lie detector business. I can understand, it cannot be used in courts and I know some reasons for not using it."

Well, he said, "No, it is not infallible. We cannot use it as evidence, of course," and he said, "I do not know of a court where you can use it as evidence and so that in and of itself it is not evidence," and at that point he said, "I will give you an illustration"-off the record.

[Discussion off the record.]

HE IS NOT A HOMOSEXUAL

Senator TAFT. Here, there is not any evidence, taking the lie detector, in place or in time or anything that suggests-if you asked, "Was there such an action at such a time"-there is no beginning point. That is why I would say that, in my opinion, he is not a homosexual. My own opinion is he is not. My own opinion is that there is no evidence.

Senator SPARKMAN. There is not even a suggestion in this association, necessarily. And this sixth sense person is a woman who did not like the way he acts, she thought he was effeminate. Even in these associations no one suggested there was anything wrong with him, but they just learned he had been associated with these people.

Senator TAFT. I would think perhaps the strongest case was this Russian, but he and his wife were just visiting from time to time, and no suggestion of other association. I could not see that there was anything.

Now, usually, in these things, as you know, they start and they get a favorite or something, and that sticks around for a long time, and I just could not see it here.

WHAT ABOUT THE TAPE RECORDING?

Senator FERGUSON. How about this tape recording, how come it got out, that was mentioned, that tape recording? I mean, is there any suggestion as to how that got out?

Senator TAFT. Well, when I traced it back, it was the Washington police, his name was mentioned. I got it down to the question that there was a statement that everybody in the Moscow Embassy in 1933 and 1934 was homosexual.

Well. in the first place. I did not think that statement had any bearing. You have got 50 people there and just to say that because

a man said everybody was, I do not think that in itself is evidence, even if it was there, but we did not find it.

Senator HICKENLOOPER. This rumor was supposed to originate from the police department.

Senator TAFT. Yes, it came from Washington. There was this close cooperation or association, the police, the CIA, the State Department. they worked together and that is where it came from.

Senator FERGUSON. That is what I was wondering, how it got circulated.

The CHAIRMAN. Senator Sparkman, is there anything you want to add?

Senator SPARKMAN. No. I think Senator Taft has covered it adequately and I know nothing to add. I back up everything he said. I read it word for word and he read it word for word and we talked with Dulles and talked a couple of times with Brownell.

MR. HOOVER ASSUMED RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE SUMMARY

Senator TAFT. The only question I had was whether I should insist on seeing the raw file and finally I did not insist. I thought that under the circumstances and from examining it, to me the summary did have everything, and if Mr. Hoover himself assumed the responsibility for that, I thought I was justified in relying on that.

Senator HICKENLOOPER. He assumed responsibility for the preparation of it.

Senator TAFT. He said he prepared it with special care because he had been advised that it had become extremely important and it contained every derogatory statement-and it did, not only this stuff, but, as I say, 10 pages of people who were just against him politically, which perhaps should not be classified as derogatory exactly, it is just a statement of difference in political thinking.

DID M'LEOD TALK TO M'CARTHY?

Senator FULBRIGHT. You did not see McLeod?
Senator TAFT. No.

Senator FULBRIGHT. Well, it looks like perhaps McLeod had been talking to people he should not have been talking to.

1

Senator TAFT. I do not think McLeod has talked to anybody. As far as I could get it, he did not like Dulles' decision and he told [Styles] Bridges or told somebody down there that he thought he ought to resign, that is the whole thing. I don't think he told anything, as far as any information McCarthy had or suggested he had, it did not come from McLeod in any way. I think it came from this police department story.

Senator HICKENLOOPER. I have some reason to believe, I cannot verify it, I do not have anything, but I have some reason to believe that McLeod has never talked to McCarthy about this.

Senator TAFT. I know he has not.

Senator HICKENLOOPER. And he has been trying to get him to talk and McLeod has been hiding out in a cellar or some place.

1 Republican-New Hampshire.