Hamilton Robinson (circa 1908–1984) was a 20th-century civil servant, best known as director of the State Department's Office of Controls (which included its departmental loyalty board), for which he was attacked as a "security risk" by U.S. Representative Fred E. Busbey (Illinois's 3rd district). Background Hamilton Robinson was born around 1908 in New Haven, Connecticut. He attended the Taft School. He graduated from Princeton University. He studied for a year at Oxford University. Then, he obtained a law degree at Yale University. Career Robinson began his career in private practice in the law firm of Sullivan & Cromwell and became a partner of future Secretary of State John Foster Dulles. Public service In 1940, Robinson moved to Washington to become legal counsel to the British Purchasing Commission. Then, he worked for the deputy administrator of the Lend-Lease Program. He went on active duty in the U.S. Army and served on the staff of Gen. Brehon Somervell, commander of the Army Service Forces. From 1942 to 1946, he had worked with John Foster Dulles at Sullivan & Cromwell. "In less than four years in the Army, from 1942 to 1946, he had risen from first lieutenant to lieutenant colonel. He had glowing recommendations as an administrator." In 1946, having left military service as an Army colonel, he joined the State Department as director of the Office of Economic Security Policy. Soon after, he became director of the Office of Controls, responsible for the department's internal security. By 1947, he had also become chairman of the Security Advisory Board of the State, War and Navy Department Coordinating Committee. Robinson had wide responsibility at this point: "With 782 employees, Controls was a grab bag of six unconnected divisions including munitions, visa and passport, and security." Loyalty, Lee List, and anti-communism Robinson came under intense pressure from Republicans for "lenience," while Democrats objected to his over-strict security guidelines across all government agencies (civilian and military). On March 21, 1947, President Truman's Executive Order 9835 established departmental review boards to remove from government service or to deny employment to persons if "reasonable grounds exist for belief that the person involved is disloyal to the United States." Also in 1947, Assistant Secretary of State John E. Peurifoy asked the FBI to conduct an audit of the State Department's Division of Security and Investigations, which found them "lacking in thoroughness." In June 1947, the State Department dismissed