Evening star., 1948-12-08
Two Questioned
BySpy Probers;;
30thers Sought
Secretary Who Worked
At State Department
With Hiss Testifies

The House Committee on Un-
American Activities today ques-
toned a former State Depart
ment secretary who worked with
Alger Hiss, but was still seeking
three former Government en-
ployes said to have turned over
secret information to Communist
agents before the war.
The former secretary, who was
questioned at a closed session. gave
her name to reporters as Eunice A.
Lincoln A committee official said
she was a secretary in 1887 and
1888 in the Office of Francis B. Sayre,
then Assistant Secretary of State.
The mystery witnesses sought by
the committee are three men named
by Whitaker Chambers, avoWed
former Soviet agent here 10 years
ago, as having given him conflden-
tial documents here in 1887 and
1888. They are in addition to AL
ger Hiss, former State Department
official, also named by Mr.. Cham
bers as the source of secret Gov
ernment information-a charge de-
MED by Mr.. Hiss.
Could Have Broken Code.
The documents obtained from Mr..
Chambers have been described by
present and former State Depart
ment officials as top secret" mate
rial. Some of it could have been
used to break one of the Govern
ment's most secret codes" the COM
mittee has been told
Representative Mundt, Republican,
Of South Dakota acting chairman,
told reporters before a closed COM
mittee session this morning that in
vestigators are seeking to serve
subpoenas on two of the witnesses.
A summons will be served on the
third man later if he can be located.
Alex M. Campbell. assistant attor-
ney general in charge of the Justice
Departments criminal division, and
George Morris Fay. United States
attorney for the District, were pres
ent as the committee met in a closed
session this morning.
I'VE Just came down for visit"
Mr.. Campbell said.
Another witness at the closed
session was a gray-haired man who
came to the committee offices ac-
companied by staff investigator.
He was hustled into a committee
anteroom before reporters could
learn his name.
Chambers Won't Testify Tonight.
Mr. Mundt emerged at one point
from the closed session to say that
the committee had abandoned plans
to question Mr.. Chambers at puo-
lie hearing tonight.
He said Mr.. Chambers would have
to stav in New York, where he is
appearing before special Federai
grand jury investigating the former
soviet agents charges against Mr..
Hiss.
The acting chairman said that
word that MIR. Chambers could not
appear tonight came from Mr.,
Campbell and Mr.. Fay after they
had heard from Justice officials IN
New York. Mr.. Mundt added mys-
teriously, that is one of the things
they told US
When the Justice officials came
out of the committee room after
conference lasting an hour ana
half. they made no comment except
to say that Mr.. Campbell nad
examined some of the documents
and microfilm copies of secret Gov
ernment papers turned over to the
committee by Mr.. Chambers. This
was Mr.. Campbell's first visit to
the committee Offices, although other
Justice officials had examined the
material.
The committee also is seeking
several Communist photographer"
reportedly known to Mr.. Chambers
only by code names. Mr.. Chambers,
according to committee members,
said these men microfllmed the
State Department documents. The
microfilming, he said, was done
secretly in Easements or attics OF
private homes.
New attempts also were belng
made to locate a typewriter on
which some State Department docu-
ments might have been copied.
Failing that, committee investiga-
tors hoped to uncover personal cor
respondence written on the same
typewriter.
Welles Testifies.
In any event, the committee, as
well as the State Department, will
have a busy follow-up of testimony
by former Undersecretary of State
Sumner Welles and Assistant Secre-
tary of State John E. Peurifoy.
They declared at yesterdays open
session that copies of some of the
top secret" documents Mr.. Cham
bers said he got from Mr.. Hiss
should not be made public now
because they would be 'prejudicial'
to national security.
Mr.. Wells told the committee the
material shown him could have been
used to decipher "one Of the most
secret" Government codes in 1887
and 1888.
The former Undersecretary bowed
1See SPY INQUIRY Page A41