Memorandum from David D. Lloyd to Stephen Spingarn

THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON July 3, 1950 MEMORANDUM TO MR. SPINGARN: SUBJECT: Hoey Subcommittee I think it would be advisable for this Subcommittee not to have any public hearings whatever. If the medical testimony is open to the public, it will furnish a precedent for those, outside and inside the Committee, who would like to have publicity for certain other aspects of the in- vestigation. It seems to me easier and better to fix one policy at the outset and stick to it. It also relieves the pressure on the Chairman. In lieu of open hearings, this Committee should move rapidly to produce a written report. If there seems to be a great deal of pressure from the public for in- formation as to what the Committee is doing, an interim report for example, could present a summary of the medical testimony if this seemed desirable. The charges about homosexuality have struck home with far greater effect, in certain quarters, than the Communist allegations. This has nothing to do wi th the alleged security risks involved in sexual aberrations. I believe, furthermore, that intolerance of this kind of deviation increases substantially as you go down the income scale. This inves stigation, therefore, represents a political problem of considerable magnitude. The pressure to make political hay out of the in- vestigation while it is going on will be very great. From the political and practical point of view, it seems to me that the only way this issue could be handled is to have, at the completion of the investigation, the finding that the Government is aware of the dangers and is doing its best, through personnel selection policies, etc., etc., to prevent the employment of homosexuals. It is all very well to say that almost any form of sexual ir- regularity constitutes a security risk, etc., but that is not going to be an explanation that will help us with the voters. 80t DAVID D. LLOYD