Evening star., 1948-09-28
Hiss Sues Chambers
For $4,000 Over
Communist Charges

Alger Hiss, former State Depart
ment official, will have chance in
court to prove that Whitaker
Chambers, avowed former Commu-
mist agent. falsely accused him of
membership in the Communist
Party.
Mr.. Hiss resident of New York
and president of the Carnegie En-
dowment for International Peace,
filed suit late yesterday against Mr..
Chambers in Federal Court in Bal
timore. He asked $4,000 damages
for defamation of character.
The suit rests on statements Mr.
Chambers made in a Meet the
Press" radio broadcast in Washing
ton August 27 that "Alger Hiss was
a Communist and may be now" 1t
goes back, however, to sensational
hearings last month before the
House Committee on Un-American
Activities. The two men confronted
each other and each asserted the
other was lying.
Chambers Welcomes Suit.
Attorneys for Mr.. Hiss indicated
some time ago that he might sue
MI Chambers, now senior editor
of Time magazine. Earlier yester-
day. one of his Washington lawyers
refused to verify reports that the
suit would be filed later in the day
in Baltimore. He said the matter
was still under consideration.
Mr. Chambers, in prepared
statement from his Westminster
Md home, declared: Il welcome
Mr. Hiss daring suit. I do not
minimize the audacity or the feroc-
ity of the forces which work
through him. But I do not believe
that Mr.. Hiss or anybody else can
use the means of justice to defeat
the ends of justice"
Mr.. Hiss commented in New York
that Il am glad that my case is
now in the hands of the court"
At the House committee hearings
Mr.. Chambers testified Mr.. Hiss be-
longed to a preWar elite Commu-
mist group in the Government. Mr.
Hiss. after first saying he never
knew MI Chambers, was brought
face to face with him by the COM
mittee in a New York hotel room
and later at public hearing here.
He then recalled he had known Mr.
Chambers as George Crosby"
free-lance writer, about IA years ago.
Investigation Continues.
The House committee still has
the Hiss Chambers controversy
under investigation. 1t has an
nourced that report on the case
probably will be issued.
The suit filed yesterday claims
that statements made by Mr.. Cham
bers on the radio program not only
were untrue but caused Mr.. Hiss
great mental anguish, greatly dam
aged him and brought him to pub
lie odium. 1t also charged Mr..
Chambers made false and defama-
tory statements about him at the
committee hearings. The suit stat
ed that the radio program was car
ried by 345 stations in addition to
the Washington station and was
heard by an estimated 10000 900
people.
The Chambers statements, accord
ing to the suit. described Mr.. Hiss as
"a member of the Communist Party
and a leading member of picked
group of diSloyal persons organized
by the Communist Party for the
purpose of inflltrating the Govern
ment of the United States to the end
that the policies of the Government
might be Influenced so as to serve
the purpose of the Soviet Union"
Mr.. Hiss said he denied those
charges under oath before the House
committee. 1t was recalled also that
after the hearings he challenged
Mr.. Chambers to repeat his state
ments publicly beyond protection Of
congressional immunity.
Filing of a similar suit against
another House committee witness
also was in prospect. William w.
Remington, suspended Commerce
Department official, announced last
week he would sue Miss Elizabeth t.
Bentley, avowed former Communist
agent. unless by next Thursday noon
she retractS radio statements she
made against him. In radio inter-
view last month she said Mr.. Rem
ineton was q Communist.