Evening star., 1948-12-22
.0'Dwyer0 Orders
Duggan 'sDeath
New York Mayor
Coils for THOROUGH
Inquiry in Plunge
BY the Associated Press

NEW YORK, Dec. 22.-Mayor
ODwyer today directed New
York Police to make a thorough
investigation" of the mysterious
death of Laurence Duggan.
The Mayor acted after receiving a
telegram from former Undersecre-
tary of State Sumner Welles, who
said he was convinced the death of
the one-time State Department ex-
pert was not a suicide.
Mr.. Duggan plunged to his death
Monday night from his 16th-f1oor
office just off Fifth avenue.
The police will seek to find out
whether he committed suicide, was
the victim of an accident as his rel
atives maintain, or was the object
of foul play.
Foul Play Hinted by Mundt.
The suggestion that foul play
had figured in the plunge was made
Yesterday by Acting Chairman
Mundt of the House Cmomittee on
Un-American Activities.
The committee earlier had re-
leased testimony linking Mr.. Dug
gan to preWar Communist group
i'll the State Department.
Mr.. Welles' telegram to Mayor
ODwyer read:
Laurence Duggan was for years
of a1N io& -
State Department and since I re-
ceived from him only yesterday
Monday a letter written in the
best of spirits, asking me to send
him some suggestions in a mat
ter in which he was interested. I
find it impossible to believe his
death was self-inf1icted.
Il hope you will permit me to urge
that every possible step be taken to
find out whether there may not be
some other explanation"
The Mayor replied:
Police Commissioner (Arthur)
Wallander has been directed to make.
a thorough investigation of all cir
cumstances concerning the death of
Laurence Duggan as requested by
you. You have my personal assur-
ance that this will be done"
FBI Won't Enter Case.
At the same time, the Federal Bu-
reau of Investigation announced it
will not enter the investigation of
Mr.. Duggan's death because it is a
local police matter.
Earlier. Stephen Duggan, jr.,
Laurence's brother, told a reporter,
There no motive at all for my
brother to have taken his life.
Il believe he fell from the window
when he went there for air after
suffering an attack of nausea or
something like that" the brother
declared. HE had a weak stomach
and had been ordered to drink milk
through the day to keep it settled.
Also, he was a very tired man.
think he went back to work too
soon after a back operation"
Mr.. Duggan, an attorney. said he
had examined Laurences Office and
had found that his brother returned
there Monday night after appoint
ments elsewhere to sign his mail be-
fore going home.
Planned Washington Trip.
an this mail were several letters
making appointments for the next
few weeks" he said. He had
planned to make trip to Washing
ton Tuesday with an associate at
the institute.
HE had wonderful family with
four kids and he loved his job. This
investigation (by the FBn didn't
bother him. He was a fighter. He
laughed at it."
Mr.. Mundt had said there was
more than a slight possibility of
foul play that might lead directly
TO the Communist espionage con-
spirators. Later, he said, he had
no evidence of his own to support
his suspicious.
Yesterday afternoon Whitaker
Chambers, Communist courier,
who purportedly once accused Mr..
Duggan of giving him confidential
(See DUGGAN, Page Al