Evening star., 1948-10-14
House Group Finishe,
Study Of Hiss Case;
Report Due in Week

The House Committee on I'm
American Activities has completed
its investigation of the Alser Hiss
WHITAKER Chambers controversy
and expects to release . full report
on the case probably within week,
Chief Investigator Robert z. Strip
ling said today.
He disclosed this as the commit
tee released heretofore secret testi-
mony by Mr.. Chambers claiming
that two Communist underground
rings were operating simultaneously
in the State Department in 1930s.
Mr.. Stripping said the report on
the conflicting Hiss Chambers tes-
tinony before the committee and
subsequent findings, which may be
determining factor in whether
perjury charges will be filed in the
case. will be sent to committee
members this week.
Silent on Additional Data.
The investigator would not reveal
the nature Of additional informa-
ton which he said will be contained
in the report.
During committee hearings, Mr..
Whitaker accused Mr.. Hiss, former
State Department official, of being
a Communist in the 1930s and a
leader In an elite underground ap-
paratus" seeking to influence Gov
ernment policy by placing Com
munists in important Federal posi-
tions. Mr.. Hiss denied the accusa-
tions and the testimony Of both
witnesses was at such odds that
Chairman Thomas Of the House
committee said one of them "cer-
tainly" would be tried for perjury.
Mr.. Thomas statement was made
when the two men confronted each
other at a public hearing on August
IS. Since that time the committee
has been continuing its investiga-
ton of the conflicting testimony.
Mr.. Hiss now is president of the
Carnegie Endowment for 1nterna-
tional Peace and Mr.. Chambers, an
avowed former Communist agent
Is a senior editor of Time Magazine
Fay Awaits Report.
George Morris Fay, United States
attorney here, has made no decision
on perjury charges pending full
report on the committees findings
Mr.. Fay received transcripts Of the
testimony of the two men before
the committee. but has not yet
been given any additional findings
by committee investigators since the
public hearings.
Evidence so far over to the
United States Attorneys office is
regarded, it is reported, as being
insufficient to prosecute either Mr.
Hiss or Mr.. Chambers on perjury
charges.
John Ford Baecher of the Justice
Department has been assigned by
Attorney General Clark as a special
assistant to study the case for him
Mr.. Fay and Mr.. Baecher are ex-
pected to exchange views on the evi-
dence at a conference this week.
Talks With Hiss Reported.
The testimony released by the
committee today was given August
27. to Representatives Mundt,' Re-
publican, of South Dakota and
Nixon. Republican, Of California,
committee members, at a closed ses-
sion here.
The Representatives said Mr..
Chambers told them he had dis
cussed with Mr.. Hiss several persons
who might be brought into the Red
cell" to which he said Mr.. Hiss
belonged.sc.-s3s1a .a.s - .%e.
One person mentioned, Mr.. Cham
bers said, was Noel Field. then in the
departments Western European Di-
vision. Mr.. Field was. not further
identified in the testimony.
He Hiss made a number Of at
tempts to draw Field in" Mr.. Cham
bers said, only to discover at the
showdown that Field was, connected
with another apparatus"
The testimony appeared In a 300
page volume made public by the
committee. It covered the private
questioning of several witnesses here
and in New York City.
Meanwhile, a $4,000 libel action
brought by Mr.. Hiss: against Mr..
Chambers is pending in Baltimore.
Mr.. Hiss sued for $4,000 after Mr..
Chambers repeated on a radio pro-
gram the charges he had made with
congressional immunity when testi-
flying before the House committee.
The former State Department ON
cial sued later for $25. 600. claiming