Evening star., 1948-08-14
Mundt Charges
Truman Blocks
Spy Ring Data
Freezing Of Files
Hit as Hearings
Recess for Week End
By Miriom Ottenberor

Strong corroborative evidence
to prove the existence of a war
time espionage ring here is tiec
up by President Truman's freeze
order on Government files, Rep
resentative Mundt, Republican
of South Dakota declared today
His disclosure came as the House
Committee on Un-American Activ.
tiles took a weekend recess witt
plans to resume open hearings Mon.
day.
Mr.. Mundt, a committee member
said he couldn't talk about the pre-.
viously undisclosed evidence because
1--WE don't know if we can pry II
loose"
$1,000 Payoff Recalled.
He said, however, that it is more
convincing even than the $4,000 pay.
off which an avowed ex-spy sale
was made to her by the Soviet EN-.
bassys first secretary.
While the committee did not dis.
close it's lineup of witnesses for next
week, Mr.. Mundt told reporters thai
Whitaker Chambers, self-confessec
former Communist agent definitely
will face the committee again.
Mr. Chambers, now a senior ed.
itor of Time Magazine, gave testi.
nlony diametrically opposed to that
Of Alger Hiss, former State Depart.
ment official accused by Mr.. Cham.
bers of being leader in a prewal
Communist underground here. Mr.
Hiss said he never knew Mr.. Cham
bers.
Perjury Is One Issue.
Mr.. Mundt says the question o1
perjury in the Hiss Chambers con-
troversy hinges on whether the two
men were acquainted.
To prove that one way or another
he said, Mr.. Chambers will be asked
detailed questions about the Hiss
family life-whether he was ever
seen by the neighbors when he Wis
tied the Hiss home, as he has testi-
fed; whether the Hiss family had q
maid, the kind of pictures on the
wall and whether they had a piano
in their living room.
Regardless whether the committee
is able to determine who has per-
jured himself, Mr.. Mundt said, the
case will go to the United States
Attorneys Office for perjury prose-
cution. The record of testimony
already has been turned over to
United States Attorney George
Morris Fay.
Further Hearings Urged.
Representative Nixon, Republican,
of California said at yesterdays
open hearing that he believed all
parties involved should be heard
again ito determine what facts to
lay before the United States At
torney." He said Mr.. Chambers
had informed him that he would
like to come before the committee
again ito reiterate his charges un-
der oath"
From Donald Hiss, Alger Hiss
brother, came the statement:
IF I am lying l should go to Jail.
If Mr.. Chambers is lying, he should
go to jail"
Donald Hiss, also accused by Mr..
Chambers of membership in Com
munist underground operating here
in prewar days, testified under oath
yesterday that he did not know Mr..
Chambers under that name or any
other.
Testifies BY Request.
Testifying at his own request, Mr..
Hiss stated fatty that he had never
been a member of the Communist
Party or of any Communist front
organizations.
Now an attorney in private prac-
tice here, Mr.. Hiss worked in the
State, Labor and Interior Depart
ments and once was secretary to
Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wen
dell Holmes.
The committee did not question
him at length, but at the end of his
testimony, Mr.. Mundt asked Mr.. Hiss
whether he thought he had beer
given "fair chance to present youl
case"
Il have, sir" Mr.. Hiss replied.
Spectator Is Removed.
Earlier, one of the spectators ir
the back row of the audience, wa
hustled from the room by a Capito
policeman after he exclaimed in &
loud voice, This isn't fair"
This interruption came wher
Frank Coe, witness defending
himself against charges of being g
member of an espionage ring. asked
permission to question his accuseI
and was refused.
The spectator refused to give his
name to reporters but said he had
attended several hearings. He said
he had not intended to talk out
loud but thought Mr.. Coe was being
treated unfairly. He was released
by the police after brief questioning
and told not to return to future
hearings.
Goes Request Refused.
Mr.. Coe, former director of the
Treasury Departments Oft1ce OF
Monetary Research, and now secre-
tary of the International Monetary
Fund, wanted to question Miss Eliz-
(See SPIES, Page A-4D
Jan Consul in Dublin