Out in the Ninth

For six years the loyalty and/or security case of Foreign Service Officer John Paton Davies has been bobbing. Last week it was settled. Secretary of State John Foster Dulles called Davies back from Lima, Peru, where he has been counselor of embassy, and handed him his dismissal papers, ending a 23-year career in the U.S. Foreign Service.

The case against Davies started when Major General Patrick J. Hurley, shortly after resigning as Ambassador to China in 1945, charged that Davies, who had served in China on the staff of General "Vinegar Joe" Stilwell, had shown sympathy for the Chinese Communist cause. Davies has consistently denied the charge and has testified in detail to a lifelong dislike of Communism.

Between 1948 and 1953, Davies was investigated and cleared eight times. In 1953, Secretary Dulles ordered a ninth investigation on grounds that the revised Eisenhower security program called for rechecks, and because of "matters bearing upon [Davies'] responsibility which are susceptible of conflicting interpretations."

Last August a Security Hearing Board ruled that Davies is, after all, a security risk. Dulles personally took the case under review.

In announcing Davies' dismissal last week, Dulles said he believed Davies was loyal, but lacked "judgment, discretion and reliability." The key charge: "He made known his dissents from established policy outside of privileged boundaries."

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