Evening star., 1948-08-14

DONALD HISS,
Former State Department
employe and noU a laWyer,
shoWn reading his prepared
statement to the House Com
mittee on Un-American Ac-
tiUitieS. -Star Staff Photo.
far as I can recall. In 1912 and in
1943 I saw him at official State and
Treasury Department meetings in
connection with the administration
Of Foreign Funds Control, and In
the winter of 1916 I saw him at the
social function mentioned above.
Finally, in conclusion let me reit-
crate that I know that I have never
carried on any conversation with D.
Whitaker Chambers in the apart
ment or home of Mr.. Collins. This
fact I know for three reasons. In
the first place, I am not and have
never been member of the Com
munist Party or of any formal or
informal organizations affiliated
with or fronting for the Communist
Party. Secondly, do not know and
do not recall having ever met Mr.. D.
Whitaker Chambers, either under
that name or judging from his pro-
tographs under any name whatever
Thirdly, I have never been in any
apartment or home of Mr.. Collins.
This Uds the statement OF
Harry Derter White, former As
stStnnt Secretary of the Treasury:
I voluntarily asked to come here
before this committee and the COM
mittee has been kind to grant my
request. I have read in the newspa-
pers charges that have been made
against me by q Miss Elizabeth
Bentley and Mr.. Whitaker Cham
bers. I am coming before you be-
cause I think it is important that
the truth be made known to the
committee, and TO the public, and
am prepared to answer to the best
OF my ability any questions that
any member Of the committee may
wish to ask =
I should like to state at the start
that I am not now and never have
been a Communist, or even close
to becoming one; that I cannot
recoIect ever knowing either a Miss
Bently or a Mr. Whitaker Cham
hers, nor Judging from the pictures
have seen in the press, have I ever
met them.
THE press reported that the wit.
nesses claim that I helped to OBJ
tain key posts for persons I knew
were engaged in espionage work te
help them in that work. Thai
allegation is unqualifiedly false.
Couldn't Do Disloyal Act.
There is and can be no basis In
fact whatever for such q charge.
The principles in which I believe
and by which I live, make 1t i'm
possible for me to ever do a dis
loyal act or anything against the
interests of our country, and have
iotted down what my belief is for
the committees information.
MY creed Is the American creed.
believe in freedom of religion, free
dom Of speech, freedom of thought,
freedom of the press, freedom OF
criticism and freedom OF movement.
believe in the goal of equality OF
opportunity. and the right OF each
individual to follow the calling OF
his or her own choice, and the
right Of every individual to an op-
portunity to develop his or her
capacities to the fullest.
1 believe in the right and duty OF
every citizen to work for, to expect
and to obtain an increasing measure
Of political, economic and emotional
security for all. I am opposed to
discrimination in any form, whether
on grounds Of race, color, religion,
political belief or economic status.
Believes in Government Of Law.
believe in the freedom Of choice
Of ones representatives In govern
ment, untrammeled by machine
guns, secret police or police state.
I am opposed to arbitrary and
unwarranted use of power or au-
thority from whatever source or
against any individual or group.
I believe In a government of law,
not of men, where law is above any
man, and not any man above law.
1 consider these principles sacred.
I regard them as the basic fabric
Of our American way of life, and
I believe in them as living realities,
and not as mere words on paper.
That Is my creed. Those are the
principles I have worked for. To-
gether those are the principles that
I have been prepared in the past to
fight for, and am prepared to de-
fend at any time with my life, if
need be.
That is all I'm going to say at
this time. I am ready for any
questions you may wish 10 ask.
The tert OF the statement by
Frank Coe, former director OF
the Treasury's Division of None
tary Research, tolloUs:
| On August S I telegraphed your
chairman, asking to appear before
the committee and testify under
oath. I wish to say that the allie
cation which Miss Bentley appar-
emily made to this committee about
my being a member of a Commu-
mist espionage group is entirely
false. I do not know Miss Bentley
and to the best of my knowledge ]
have never seen or talked with her
I have never been a member OF
such a group as she has described
I have never been member of the
Communist Party.
! I have not followed the line oi
that party nor, for that matter. the
line of any political party or group
Il have never given official infor-
nation to any person known to mt