Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1948-08-19
Lie Detector Test
To Be Dropped
AfterL Lawyer Bolks
By Miriam Gutenberg

The third party VINO WHIT
taker Chambers claims intro
duced him to Alger Hiss was j..
Peters, described as the head of
the Communist underground in
the United States in prewar
days, Representative Nixon, Re-
publican, of California disclosed
today.
Mr.. Nixon made the disclosure as
he called on immigration Director
Watson B. Miller to produce Peters
before the committee next Wednes-
day.
Peters, described by Mr.. Chambers
as the brains" of the underground
movement is out on IS 900 deporta-
ton bond. This is the third time
the committee has demanded that
the immigration Service either pro-
duce Peters or tell the committee
where he can be located.
Hiss to Ask Advice on Lie Test.
These other major developments
were reported by the committee
today.
l. Mr. Hiss, vino has been &C.
cused by Mr.. Chambers of being
a leader in the preWar underground
headed by Peters, has notified the
committee that he wants to get
opinions from legal and scientific
experts before he decides whether
or not he will consent to lie
detector test.
Mr.. Nixon said Mr.. Hiss reply
means "the committee now has to
drop the lie detector thing"
2. The committee has called three
former New Deal lawyers to appear
in an executive session tomorrow.
They are Lee FRESHMAN, former CLIO
general counsel now associated with
Henry A. Wallace's Progressive
Party; John Abt, also employed by
the Progressive Party, and Nathan
Witt, now practicing law in New
York. They were mentioned along
with Mr.. Hiss as leaders in the Com
munist underground. All formerly
held legal posts in the Government.
3. Other subpoenas are out for
additional witnesses to appear here
at the face-to-face meeting between
Mr.. Hiss and Mr.. Chambers in open
session next Wednesday. Names of
these witnesses were not disclosed.
Seek to Clarity Testimony.
One of the reasons why the COM
mittee is now anxious to locate
Peters Is to resolve the conflicting
testimony of Mr.. Hiss and Mr..
Chambers on the circumstances OF
their first meeting.
Mr.. Hiss, now president OF the
Carnegie Endowment for Interna-
tional Peace, has told the committee
that he met Mr. Chambers under
the name of George Crosley while
Mr.. Hiss was legal assistant OF the
Nye Munitions Investigating Com
mittee. He said Mr.. Chambers in
troduced himself as Crosby, a free
lance writer seeking material from
the Nye committee.
Mr.. Chambers. repentant Com
munist now a senior editor of Time
Magazine, has told the committee
that he was introduced to Mr.. Hiss
elsewhere by a third party, The
identity of the third person was
kept secret until Mr.. Nixon named
J. Peters today.
In his testimony at the open
session, where he first linked Mr..
Hiss with an underground move
ment seeking power and influence
in the Government" Mr.. Chambers
told the committee that it was
Peters who plotted the course of the
underground movement.
Telegram Stresses Urgency.
Peters, Mr. Chambers said at the
time, decided on the formation of
an elite" group of men in the Com
munist movement who were going
places in Government. In this
group, Mr.. Chambers testified, was
Mr.. Hiss.
The committee has told Mr.. Miller
several times to produce Peters or
call in his bond. Today's request,