Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1944-04-08
Senate Group May Call.
Byron Price in Hearinq.
On keIIems Mail Case
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
Censorship Director Byron Pric,
may be called before a Senate com
mittee in an effort to help trac,
what Senator Reed, Republican, O
Kansas describes as leak" in the
handling of foreign mail, which i.
subject to wartime review.
Senator Reed expressed belief that
a violation of censorship rules apply.
ing to confidential "intercepts" en-.
abled Representative Coffee, Demo
crat,. of Washington and news
paper columnist to obtain possession
of excerpts from letters written by
Miss Vivien Kellems, Westport
Comm war plant executive, to a
German count in Argentina, de-
scribed by Mr.. Coffee as a 'Nazi
agent"
At the same time Senator Reed
declared he had information that
the Justice Department had found
nothing seditious," as Mr.. Coffee
naQ charged there was, In the letters
Letters Just Mushy.
They may have been mushy, but
they weren't seditious," Senator
Reed told reporters.
He referred to letters which Miss
Kellems said she wrote to Count
Frederick Karl Won Zedlitz, whom
she identified as German business
man she had known since 1885. She
said the letters fell into the hands
of Mr.. Coffee because some one
tempered with the mails"
The Office of Censorship makes
copies of letters and distributes
them, or portions of them, to Gov
eminent agencies concerned when
it considers such action justified,
Senator Reed said, adding this So
called intercept" system has in his
opinion been loosely and slovenly
handled"
I'm not saying that any employee
OF Mr.. Prices office was directly re-
sponsible for the leak" Senator
Reed said, "but these keyhole peep
ers-whether in Congress or whether
they are radio or newspaper COM
mentators-have apparently got some
connection in one of the depart
ments whereby they have got hold
of these intercepts' which are sup
posed to be strictly confidential.
Other Instances Reported.
Senator Reed contended that
Washington's "social-political cock
tail parties are flooded with choice
bits OF gossip cleaned from reading
peoples personal mail" He also dis
closed he had received complaints
that the FBI was opening mail of
wives of servicemen stationed in the
United States. The FBI, however,
denied that it was censoring mail.
Senator Reed said it was likely
that Mr.. Price would be called
as witness, and the censorship di-
rector replied. "Ill be very glad to
cooperate"
Senator Reed has asked the Sen
ate Post Office Committee to make
a full inquiry into circumstances
surrounding the charges by Mr..
Coffee. The Kansan also called on
Federal authorities to reveal whether
they have knowledge of any IL
legal or seditious activities" on the
part Of Miss Kellems. He issued a
statement saying:
"If any such dllegal or seditious)
activities have been uncovered. the
committee should urge the Depart
ment of Justice or any other gov
ernmeHtal agency having that in
formation to promptly invoke the
law and punish Miss Kellems -.
Full Inquiry Sought.
"If, on the other hand, there is
nothing in the record of Miss KEEL
lens that is in violation of the law,
and no basis for action, then the
Senate Post Office Committee should
promptly and thoroughly investi-
gate all the facts and circumstances
connected with the apparent viola
ton of the integrity OF the United
States mails"
Meanwhile, Senator Bailey Demo-
erat, North Carolina, a member of
the Post Office Committee, said
that while he had no knowledge of
the Kellems matter, I'D be in
clined to support any reasonable
proposal to inform a person as to
what happened to his mail, regard
less of the person." He added, 81
trust my own mail to the Post Office
Department"