Evening star., 1948-12-09
Spy Inquiry.
Continued From First Page0.

evidence to the special grand jury
/ in New York before it reaches the
indictment stage.
Nixon Issues Warning.
MIR. Nixon warned that, If MIR
Chambers is indicted for perjury
before any one else involved
in the case is indicted, 1.-THE
Justice Department will prob
ably have destroyed their only op-
portunity to get indictments against
the others, because their star wit
ness would be an indicted and
convicted perjuror."
Democratic members Joined Re-
publicans in criticizing the Justice
Department. Representative Hebert,
Democrat, ofs Louisiana said the
main culprit is not Messenger Boy
Chambers, but the triggerman in
the Department of State" Mr.
Rankin said the Justice Depart
ment should have convened a spe-
cial grand jury here instead of in
New York.
Committee members refused 10
comment on a story that some OF
the pllfered documents dealt with
diplomatic negotiations concerning
possible trade agreements between
the United States and Germany in
1878. In q copyrighted story
today, the New York Daily News
said the documents also include
copies of confidential State Depart
ment messages indicating support
of the prewar "appeasement policy
laid down by the then British
Prime Minister Neville Chamber
lain.
More light was shed last night on
why and how Mr.. Chambers kept
the documents hidden for more than
10 years. Some of the documents
were handed over by Mr.. Chambers
several weeks ago during a pretrial
deposition hearing in Baltimore.
in connection with a $4,000 slander
suit Mr.. Hiss has filed against
MIR. Chambers. The rest, in de-
veloped and undeveloped rolls OF
microfilm, came out Of a hollow
pumpkin on Mr.. Chambers West
minister CMd) farm last week.
Gave Films to Levine.
Committee members revealed that
Mr.. Chambers told them he gave
the papers and films to Nathan
Levine. a nephew of Mrs. Chambers.
Mr.. Levine, a lawyer, hid the docu-
ments in an unused clothes chute
in his Brooklyn home without know
ing the contents of the package
given him by his uncle for safe
keeping, committee members said
they were told.
Representative Vail, Republican,
of Illinois read at public session
last night a portion of the testimony
Mr.. Chambers gave subcommittee
at a closed session in New York
Monday night
In this testimony, Mr.. Chambers
said he left the documents with
Mr.. Levine sometime in 1888. pre-
sumably shortly after I broke with
the Communist Party"
He was asked what he told Mi.
Levine.
II asked him to hide them for
me-" Mr.. Chambers said, "and not
to tell any one where he hid them,
but if anything should happen to
me, to turn them over to my wife
or to make them public in some
way"
"FOr Trading Purposes"
The sole witness before the COM
mittee last night, Isaac Don Levine,
said. he understood the documents
were saved by Mr.. Chambers "for
trading purposes with the Soviet
government in the event he, his wife
or children met with any HARM"
The witness, who is editor of Plain
Talk, was identified by the commit
tee as the first person to whom Mr.
Chambers turned a decade ago when
he fenounced communism. CMr
Stripping emphasized there is flo
connection between the two Levines.) }
The witness described the docu-
ments as sort of insurance for
Mr. Chambers.
IF he was Kidnapped" he said,
"the person who had the docu-
ments could WELD them as a club
over the OGPU (Russian' secret
police to effect his release"
Mr.. Nixon said Mr.. Chambers
was questioned closely last Monday
night on why he failed to turn
over the documents to any of the
individuals or agencies to whom he
went in his efforts to expose Com
'munist espionage.
Expected Full Probe.
Mr.. Chambers, according to an
other portion Of his testimony, said
that, after he went to Assistant
Secretary of State Berle with his
information in 1899, "I' returned to
New York believing a full investi-
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