"I Have Been Accused"

All week long the Harry Dexter White scandal burst over the head of Harry Truman. At first the former President reacted as though he had been startled. In a single day, he took two conflicting positions. The first was that he knew nothing about the FBI reports on White, but had fired White as soon as he found out he was disloyal. When Eisenhower's press secretary made public a laudatory letter from Truman accepting White's resignation, the former President took Position No. 2: White was "fired by resignation" (TIME, Nov. 16).

On his return to Kansas City at week's end, Harry Truman promised to answer "all the questions that can be answered" in a nationwide radio and TV broadcast. This week, as the nation tuned in, Truman offered a third explanation of what happened. It was not consistent with either of the first two.

The Big Speech. The former President was fighting mad. "I have been accused," he said, "in effect, of knowingly betraying the security of the U.S. This charge is, of course, a falsehood. And the man who made it had every reason to know it is a falsehood." Truman recalled an FBI report to the White House. "The report contained many names . . . concerning whom there were then unverified accusations. Among the names mentioned. I now find, was that of Harry Dexter White ... As best I can now determine, I first learned of the accusation . . . early in February 1946, when an FBI report specifically discussing activities of Harry Dexter White was brought to my attention . . . This report showed that serious accusations had been made against White, but it pointed out that it would be practically impossible to prove those charges with the evidence then at hand . . . His appointment had been sent to the Senate . . . and it was confirmed on Feb. 6th ... In this situation, I requested Secretary Vinson to consult with the appropriate officials . . . and come back to me with recommendations."

The Meeting. "Secretary of the Treasury Vinson consulted with Attorney General Tom Clark and other government officials . . . The conclusion was reached that the appointment should be allowed to take its normal course. The final responsibility for that decision was of course, mine. The reason for the decision was that the charges which had been made to the FBI against Mr. White also involved many other persons . . . Any unusual action with respect to Mr. White's appointment might well have alerted all the persons involved to the fact that an investigation was under way, and thus endanger the success of the investigation .. .

"Mr. White, in April 1947, resigned his office, referring to reasons of health. Although my recent off-hand comment concerning his resignation was in error, the fact is that he was separated from the Government service promptly when the necessity for secrecy . . . came to an end."

"Demagoguery." With this explanation, Truman launched into an all-out attack against his accuser. "This is shameful demagoguery. It is worse than that. Herbert Brownell Jr. ... has degraded the highest function of government--the administration of justice--into cheap political trickery ... He has deceived his chief as to what he proposed to do ... He lied to the American people. In backing away from his charge with [a] mealymouthed statement ... he lied to the American people again . .

"In Communist countries." Harry Truman concluded, "it is the practice when a new government comes to power to accuse the outgoing officials of treason, to frame public trials for them, and to degrade and prosecute the key officials of the previous government. That is the way of the Communists, whose only god is power ... It is not the way Americans behave."

Nowhere in his speech did Truman say that he now believed that White or any other of the accused had in fact been disloyal or a spy.

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