The Daily Alaska empire., 1948-12-09
PROBE NOW
 GROWING IN
 IMPORTANCE
Hunting Ground Spreads in New DireCtions- s-Red Her.
 ring Cry Is Denounced

1 WASHINGTON, Dec. 9.-tFt-Hen- ry Julian Wadleigh, a former State Department employee, was put on the stand in the congressional spy hearings today and accused of slip ping secret government papers to a one-time Red agent.
 The accusation came when Rep ! Nixon tR-Calif) read hitherto sec ret testimony by Whitaker Cham hers, confessed former courier for a Communist spy ring. 1 Wadleigh himself refused to say whether he ever gave "restrictedp documents to Chambers or to AL ger Hiss.
 i 1oday's hearings followed a sharp exchange between President Tru- man and the committee members. MT. Truman, at a news confer ence, again called the hearings a red herring and said the committee is dead one.
 Nixon fired back that the Presi- dents statement is flagrant Haunting of the national interests 'of the people,
 After preliminary questioning of Wadieigh, Nixon read from testi- mony he said Chambers gave to an Un-American activities subccmmit- tee in New York last Monday night.
 WAS ACTIVE SOURCE
 In 1t. Chambers named Wadleigh as an active source of documents he said were obtained from State De- partment files.
 Wadleigh, now unemployed and living near Vienna, Va, testified that he had had access to restricted, or confidential, papers oi some kinds only" while in Government service from 1886 to l943. Did you ever turn over to un- authorized persons any restricted information whatsoever" Louis Rus sell. committee investigator. asked.
 Wadleigh refused to answer on grounds the answer might incrimi- nate him.
 REPORT IS STARTLING
 Acting Chairman Mundt tR-SD) said that 1t was inconceivable to him that MT. Truman would repeat the red herring remark.
 If he considers the investigation red herring Mundt said, T chal- lenge him to authorize Us to pug fish the documents in toto in the press. The State Department says they are so startling that to release them even now would imperil the national security
 MT. Truman's remarks were to a news conference and were made in response to questions He said that so far as the stolen documents are concerned, Attorney General Clark will see that the law is enforced.
 In summary. MT. Truman express ed his opinion regarding the com mittee's activities as this: If the committee members were in dead earnest about protecting the coun- try, they would have turned what they have found over to Clark rath- CT than making headlines with it.
 10 RINGS OPERATED
 At hearing last night, Russian eorn Isaac Don Levine, go-between for Chambers when the admitted former Communist courier decided to take his story to the Government, said at least 10 rings operated here before the war
 Then under questioning he used the present tense to say many more than 10 are operating here.
 800 ESPIONAGE AGENTS
 But while there was some con- fusion as to the period he was dis 7ussing. Levine made it clear he selieves there are about 800 Com munists here now who serve as es- pionage agents
 He said about one per cent of all 3O,0o0 party card holders in this country are operatives for the Sow let Secret Service
 Papers were rifled from 30 or 40 departments he said, and ship ped in dozens and dozens of spe- cially constructed suitcases to Mes COW"