Evening star., 1949-12-15

nal assistant was resigning at the
time.
Hazy on Details.
f"I wrote to Mr.. Hiss for recon-
mendations, and one Of the names
he gave me was Noel Field" Mr..
Sayre said. The details were hazy
in his mind, but he thought Mr..
Hiss first supplied Mr.. Fields
name alone, writing later that
another man, Claude Buss, would
be better in the job. Mr.. Sayre
said he eventually selected Mr..
BusS.
M. Fields is a familiar name in
this trial. Another former State
Department official, he disap-
peared recently in Eastern Europe
under mysterious circumstances.
He has been described as Com
munist agent.
Mrs. Hede Massing, former wife
of the fugitive Communist leader,
Gerhart Eisler, testified last Fri
day that she and Mr.. Hiss argued
in 1885 as to which of them
should command Mr.. Fields serv-
ices in the Washington Commu-
mist underground.
Mr.. Sayre appeared somewhat
disconnected when the prosecutor
suddenly asked: will you tell this
court and jury whether Mr.. Hiss
had anything to do with getting
you your present job?"
He paused lengthily, then re-
Piled That is a difficult question
to answer. because I don't know
very much about it,"
Went to President.
The witness said he did re-
member talking with Mr.. Hiss
about positions in the U. N. dele
cation. but denied he had "solic-
tied his aid" at that time. He
said Mr.. Hiss. who by then was
president of the Carnegie Endow-
ment, did not have the choice"
as to such matters.
IF I may say so," Mr.. Sayre
said, II went to the President"
Mr.. Murphy persisted: Did you
tell anybody that Mr.. Hiss was
working behind the scenes to help
you get the job? Specifically. did
you tell Mr.. Sullivan that?"
The reference was to John Sulli-
van, FBI agent, seated by the
prosecutor at the Government
counsel table.
II do not specifically remember
saying that" Mr.. Sayre replied.
IF I did it's to be understood that
Mr.. Hiss did not have the choice"
Mrs. Martha Pope of Washing
ton, an elderly colored woman
who worked as a maid for the
Kisses in the early 1930s, was an
other defense witness yesterday.
Mrs. Pope said she has no mem
ory of having seen Mr.. Chambers
at the Hiss home on P street
NV, although the Kisses admit
he and his family spent "a few
days" there with them in 1885.
Remembers Pressman and Witt.
Mrs. Pope verified Mr.. Cham
bers' earlier statement that she
told the FBI last February that
while she did not remember ever
having seen Mr.. Chambers in
those days, she did remember both
Lee Pressman and Nathan Witt as
visitors in the P street house.
Mr.. Pressman and Mr.. Witt,
then active in a variety OF New
Deal agencies, have been identi-
fed by Mr.. Chambers and others
as associated with the Commu-
mist underground in ti,e, 193os.
Both have been prominent In
Henry Wallace's Progressive Party.
Mrs. Pope told Of being con-
fronted with Mr.. Chambers at the
Justice Department In Washing
ton. "He didn't say he recog-
nized me-" she said. "He asked
me If I remembered him, and I
said no."
The witness said Mr.. Chambers
also asked her about furnishings
in the Hiss MISUNDERSTANDING
"a rug with a hole in 1t, some tan
colored furniture with blue piping
on it, and a mirror with a gold
eagle on it." She told him, she
said. that she remembered none
Of these things.
Mr.. Hiss has since described in
detail the furnishings Of the var
ious Hiss homes.
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