Evening star., 1944-01-18
.|ckes Suspends
Briggs Probe
.0fLetter Case
Secretary Asks
Grand Jury to Call
Him in Inquiry
By TIE Associated Press.

oSSAS0oiy VI AllDCl lOl &ShCD
today suspended without pay
George N. Briggs, one of his
assistants, pending the outcome
of the inquiry by the grand jury"
into the so-called Hopkins let
ter"
Mr.. Ickes also announced he had
asked permission to appear before
the District grand jury investigat-
ing the letter. The Secretary said
he knew nothing whatever about
the Hopkins letter." and doubted
if he could shed much light on it,
but declared:
Il do not relish the bandying
about of my name in connection
with a matter which seems to be
as bizarre and absurd as it appears
to be contemplate and vicious"
The names of Mr. Briggs and Mr..
1ckes were brought into the compli-
Gated affair yesterday by Senator
LANCER, Republican, of North
Dakota, who read to the Senate
a series of letters which he said
had been written by Mr.. Briggs to
c. Nelson Sparks, author of the
book One Man-Wendell Willkie."
LANCER Accuses Briggs.
Senator LANCER interpreted the
correspondence as meaning that Mr..
Briggs furnished to Mr.. Sparks, for
publication in the book, the letter
purporting to have been signed by
Harry Hopkins, adviser to Presi-
dent Roosevelt. Mr. Hopkins has
denounced the letter as a forgery.
Senator LANCER also interpreted
the correspondence as indicating
that Mr.. Ickes himself had possess
sion Of the letter for a time.
Mr.. Ickes today said: II hope
that the grand jury will soon find
the person guilty of this hoax so as
to be able to deal quickly and ap-
propriately with him"
| Henry A. Schweinhaut. special
assistant to Attorney General Bid
die, said there was mo doubt" In
his mind that the Hopkins letter.
alleging to give views of Mr.. Hop
klns about the prospective presi-
dental candidacy of Mr.. Willkie
this year, was a forgery.
Mr.. Schweinhaut. commenting on
the inquiry, predicted it would be
demonstrated" that the letter was
forged and stated in response to a
question that he wouldn't be sur
prised'' If the person responsible
was turned up.
Briggs Not at OfFiee
Mr.. Briggs did not appear at his
: office this morning but gave out a
statement at his home at Fairling-
ton, Va, accusing Senator LANCER
OF attempting to smear Mr.. Ickes.
Reporters noted that Mr.. Briggs
typewriter and that if his secre-
tary had been removed from his
once ct the Interior Department
and learned that three men had
taken them away. The Federal Bu-
reau OF investigation said it had no
comment on this matter.
! Mr. Schweinhaut said he "im-
aglned Mr.. Briggs would be called
before the grand jury.
Inc Briggs statement said:
i, Ihls whole affair is a double
oarreled blast at Secretary Ickes
1t was the Secretary who as n,1h-
nc works administrator had Bill
LANCER, then Governor of North
/, Dakota, impeached for the misap-
pllcatlon of Federal funds.
!. Inc other half of the gun barrel
is occupied by the Patterson press
which is determined to wreck the
Secretary of the Interior and it will
, oestroy any one who gets in the
: way OF its deadly purpose.
Even If I had written everything
that Sparks has released through the
TWO channels that for years have
oeen thlrsting for Mr.. Ickes' blood
, l would have still greater con-
, tempt than I now feel for ons
who would furnish newspapers with
photographs of private mail which
) purports as this does to deal with
+ very personal matters"
Senator LANCER inserted in the
congressional Record yesterday
eight letters and six kilograms which
ne said were sent by Mr.. Briggs
the letters on Interior Department
Statlonery-to Mr.. Sparks.
Mr.. Briggs said that two of the
eight letters read by Senator Lam
ger were authentic.
Inserted in Record.
One of the eight letters said Mr.,
1ckes was at one time in possession
OF the alleged Hopkins letter, which
was addressed to DR.. Umphrey Lee,
president of Southern Methodist
!. University, Dallas. Tex, who is now
in Washington. Mr.. Ickes said:
L don't know who will ultimately
turn out to be the villain in the
Hopkins letter thriller, but 1t will
, not be T.
Mr.. Briggs said a pamphlet he
wrote in 1910 critical of Mr.. Willkie
was the foundation for the anti.
Wlllkle book by Mr.. Sparks. Mr.,
Briggs met Mr.. Sparks during the
| 1910 DrecOnVenti0p cop,po;or, n,,,..