Val Rogin Lorwin (July 21, 1907 – December 8, 1982) was an American civil servant, economist, and historian.
Restored to his position and given backpay, he soon left the government to complete his doctorate at Cornell University and had an academic career.
Lorwin's case gained national attention as an extreme example of abuses possible under the federal government's system of security investigations.
In the spring of 1932, he received an American Field Service fellowship for study in France during the 1932-33 academic year.
African Americans and many poor whites had been largely disenfranchised throughout the South since the turn of the century, when those states passed laws and constitutions creating barriers to voter registration.
[4] During the Great Depression and the administration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Lorwin worked for several New Deal agencies in Washington, D.C.[4] During World War II Lorwin served in Europe as an Army lieutenant assigned to the staff of the Office of Strategic Services, the predecessor of the Civil Intelligence Agency (CIA).
[4] In 1948, as part of the government's increased sensitivity to security risks with the beginning of the Cold War and fears of Communism, Lorwin became the subject of a loyalty investigation.
Lorwin guessed correctly that the charges against him were based on the testimony of a former college friend and Washington roommate, Harold W. Metz, though the State Department never identified his accuser.
"[4] In March 1952, the Loyalty Board gave Lorwin a complete clearance again and ordered him restored to duty with full back pay.
[10] As the trial neared, the government revealed that Justice Department attorney William A. Gallagher had misrepresented Lorwin's case to the grand jury.
[11] Lorwin issued a statement saying: The government has admitted the obvious fact that there could be no other case against me than that based on misrepresentation, falsehood or obstinate misunderstanding.
There is said to be a great deal of fear along the Potomac, but I can testify it has not taken over the city.Lorwin's case became an example for critics of the government's security processes.
He authored numerous articles on the smaller European democracies and contributed to several disciplines, including history, economics, political science and sociology.