Evening star., 1948-09-07
'20to25More
by
Spy yProbers
Groves Questioned
On Possible Atomic
Leaks to Russia

ISuNS ~ NuSSiu
The House Committee on I'm
American Activities announced
today it is serving subpoenas on
between 20 and Is" witnesses to
appear at closed sessions this
week.
The identity of the witnesses was
kept secret, but it was known that
one of the witnesses who will tes-
tify at the Forthcoming series of
open hearings will be 1t. Gen. Les
lie r. Groves. wartime head of the
atomic bomb project.
Representative Mcdowell, Repub-
lican, of Pennsylvania told report.
ers in advance of today's closed ses-
sion that Gen. Groves already has
been questioned several times at
closed sessions in connection with
the committees efforts to discover
whether any atomic bomb secrets
passed into the hands of the Rus
slams.
Chairman Thomas emerged from
today's closed session with the an
nouncement that subpoenas are be-
ing served on between 20 and IS
witnesses.
He said he wasn't being "coy" but
added that "for obvious reasons" he
could not divulge the names of the
witnesses today.
Asked If the committee would
identify the witnesses to reporters
as they appeared for hearings, Mr..
Thomas said that had not been dis.
cussed.
Mr.. Thomas said that the com.
mittee. will hold executive sessions
all day every day for the rest Of
this week in preparation for hear
ings now scheduled to begin Sep
tember Is. Witnesses, he said, will
begin appearing before the commit
tee at 1890 am. tomorrow. All of
them, he said, will have to do with
hearings we have been holding and
will hold"
A"Ao AOA VCChS,
Mr.. Thomas said everything "is
going according to plan" The plan,
as announced by the committee pre-
viously, is for the committee to do
these things in a three e-week span:
l. Uncover evidence that q third
spy ring, perhaps involving atomic
scientists, operated in the Govern
ment.
2. Bring into the open the infor-
nation on which the COMMITTEES
based its six-months- charges
that DR.. Edward U. Condor was
one OF the weakest links in atomic
security. Dr. Condor, head of the
Federal Bureau of Standards has
denied the charges and has been
cleared by Commerce Department
Loyalty Board.
3. Determine whether Communists
have made inroads among Negroes.
4. Clean up odd and ends of the
story OF Elizabeth T. Bentley, ad-
mltted former Communist. that she
was the Washington-New York mes
senger for two wartime spy rings
that got secrets from Government
employees and officials and sent them
along to Moscow.
.. Clear up more loose ends of the
Hiss Chambers dispute. Whitaker
Chambers, another admitted former
Red. testified that he was the
courier and Alger Hiss a leading
member Of pre-war Communist
Underground in Washington.
Land Purchases Cited.
Mr.. Hiss has denied Mr.. Cham
bers' accusations. Mr.. Hiss, for
merly a high State Department
official, now is president of the
Carnegie Endowment for Interna-
tional Peace. Mr.. Chambers Is o
senior editor Of Time magazine.
AS the committee looks for leaks
OF atomic energy secrets in closed
and open sessions Mr.. Mcdowell said
it expects to bring out testimony
that Russian-born French citizen
now living in Paris began buying up
surrounding land after the United
States Government acquired some
Colorado uranium deposits. Uranium
is one OF the materials that goes
into an atomic bomb.
Mr.. Mcdowell has reported several
times that during the war this
country allowed Russia to get more
than ton Of partly refined uranium
ores and Is pounds of the pure
metal.
He said two highly placed per-
sons in the Government were large
ly responsible, and that they will bs
questioned.
.Byproduct Of Condor Probe.
This" he said, was all a by
product Of our look-see into DR..
Condor. There isn't the slightest
indication that Condor had a fin
ger in this, however"
In investigating DR.. Condor, Mr..
Mcdowell said, clues developed that
pointed to even more important
matters, so we started tracking them
down."
The committee still is checking
secret testimony Of a former Army
intelligence officer that the Rus
slams got secrets from q scientist
with an inside" position at the
Berkeley (Calif) atomic laboratory.
The committee was told another
scientist was fired for breaking