Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1947-09-13
Secretary 10 Clayton
HOPES 10 Get Back Job
She Quit Voluntarily
By Miriom Gutenberg

She QuIt voluntarily
By Miriom Gutenberg
Miss Helene Yuhas is still
hoping to get back the State
Department job from which she
voluntarily" resigned because
II couldn't fight any more"
The blond, 28-year-old woman, one
of Undersecretary of State Clayton's
three secretaries and former Soviet
Embassy employee, disclosed her
hopes before leaving for holiday
in Ocean City, Md, late yesterday.
Miss Yuhas said her first warning
that she had become persona non
grata in the State Department came
last March after she had taken her
shots" to accompany Secretary of
State Marshall on his trip to Moscow.
Without explanation, she said, she
was dropped from the Moscow-bound
staff.
Cites Capitol Hill pressure"
She said she had heard there was
some pressure" from Capitol Hill to
get her out OF the State Department
but she didn't know who was re-
sponsible.
Miss Yuhas blamed her troubles
on the fact that her parents were
Czechoslovak-b born of Russian de-
scent" and that she had worked for
five months in the Soviet 1nforma-
ton Service here before going to the
State Department in January, 1945.
The State Department, in reply
to queries, said only that Miss Yuhas
resigned voluntarily on September
5. 1t declined to elaborate.
At the Meridian Hill apartments
"a hotel for women at 2601 Six
tenth street NW.-Miss Yuhas at
first refused to answer questions,
saying only that she had "volun-
tarily" resigned her job. But when
she said voluntarily" her eyes filled
with tears.
Hopes to Return to Job.
Later, over a cup of coffee in the
apartment cafeteria, she confided
that she didn't want to talk about
what has happened because she still
hoped she could return to her job.
Mr.. Clayton, she said, had de-
Tended her during the months when
her loyalty was questioned. He Is
expected to return early in October
Miss Yuhas said she hadn't
wanted her parents to know she had
lost her job because she didn't
want to worry them. Her parents
live-oa a chicken farm at Paramus,
N. j.
Miss Yuhas came to Washington
to work in 1899 as an employee of
the Rural Identification Admins
tration. Soon afterward she was
assigned to the White House where,
she said, she worked for Mrs.
Roosevelt as a stenographer. The
White House listed her as a cor
respondence clerk.
Then, in May, 1914, she became
an editorial writer for the Soviet
Information Bulletin here.
"A girl at the Meridian Hill worked
there and she said if I wanted writ
ing experience, IL would be a good
opportunity for me-" she said. THAT
girl used to be Hollywood screen
writer making lots of money. Nobody
thought anything about her working
for the Russians. 1t was sort of
matter of good will"
Left After Five Months.
Miss Yuhas added ruefully, my
mother told me not to take that job
and she was right"
She quit the Soviet Job after
five months, she said, because I
hated it."
She said the State Department
knew about her brief work with the
Russians when she was hired as
secretary to the assistant chief of
personnel, with Civil Service rating
of GAIA.
She worked herself up to rating
of GAIT and became one of Mr..
Clayton's secretaries.
These charges are just ridiculous, "
she said. why, I handled secret
and top secret papers during the war.
I was the only one with a key to the
lock where secret papers were kept. "
Brother Army Veteran.
She indicated that in recent
months the State Department has
been careful about letting her listen
to telephone calls.
tits been terrible" she said.
II thought I could be a guinea pig
and fight this witch hunt. But I'm
not going to fight any more. It's
been going on too long. I've fought
the battle and lost. You see, I'm OF
Russian descent"
Miss Yuhas was born in Passaic
N. j. Her brother is an Army vet
eran. She also has one sister.
She lives in a typical Government
girls room. A picture Of her mother
surrounded by white hens is stuck in
her bureau mirror. Across the mar
row room is a picture of her boy
friend. On the bed is a large chic a