Evening star., 1949-06-26
IDemeanor on Stand
May Weigh Heavily
With Hiss Trial jury
ey Robert K. Welsh
Ss~r Sssss Csr~ssae~ns~s

$s~ Sssss cs-s.se.os~s
NEW YORK. June 7s.-The DE-
naeanor Of Alser Hiss may do more
than his words on the witness
stand Monday TO make . Jury de-
eide whether be In innocent or
guilty.
The issue Of t-uihfulneks BE-
tween the defendant and his main
aceuser. Whitaker Chambers. is
more than ever . neck-and-neek
race toward . verdict as the per
jury trial enters It's nth and per
haps nnal week IN Federal Court.
Both SIDES have scored gains
Often these have tended 70 coun-
teract or weaken each other
Prosecution and defense asked
questions that have not been
answered. Each has held back
potential and pertinent queries
that might have backfred. Each
has provided surprise bombshell
witnesses.
Men who have not been. and
probably never will be. there a.
witnesses will necessarily play
heavy but invisible roles In in
fiuencing the jury.
Unseen Charaeterx.
They are the unseen. backstage
characters such as the cloak and
dagger Col. Boris Bykov. pictured
by Mr.. Chambers. former COM
munist as the Soviet
agent who asked Mr., Hiss 10 steal
Government secrets.
They also are the still INDICATED
people who. according TO the de-
fense. might have filched and
typed confidential papers from
the State Department once OF Mr.
Hiss or other officals in 1887 and
1888 and turned them over TO
Mr.. Chambers.
Unlike such plays as 'Rebecca"
and Edward. My Son" this
whole case does not revolve
around individuals who never
come before the audience. There
is enough Of that device here,
however to heighten the dra-
matte struggle between Mr. Hiss
and Mr.. Chambers and give the
jury plenty TO think about.
This factor. as well as widely
conflicting testimony. may cause
the jury to give more than ordi-
nary weight to the appearance
mannerisms. facial expressions.
tone Of voice and other character
istics of Mr.. Hiss and Mr.. Cham
bers as witnesses.
While the former $50. .0o0-a-year
senior editor Of Time Magazine
could be called in rebuttal by the
Government. he has to all intents
and purposes gone into the record
not only with detailed story but
as q prime personal exhibit" for
the jury to credit or discredit.
Mr.. Hiss. on the stand since
late last Thursday. still faces the
crucial cross-examination. He has
outlined his IA years Of Govern
ment service in the State Depart
ment and other Federal agencies
as we'll as In the spadework that
helped rear the United Nations
structure.
He has denied categoritally, en-
phatically but calmly. that he
committed perjury last December
is when he told a Federal grand
jury here that he never gave Gov
ernment confidential information
to Mr.. Chambers and never saw
him after 1885. until they met face
to face at q House Committee on
Un-American Activities session in
a hotel here last August.
One is Lying.
The conduct Of Mr.. Hiss and
Mr.. Chambers on the witness
stand to date can be described In
general as excellent. except that
one OF them Is lying.
The short. fat, pale. 48-year -old
Mr.. Chambers and the tall,
slender. tanned 44-year-old Mr..
Hiss differ diametrically In many
personal ways as we'll al In their
main points Of testimony. But
both have talked In an assured
manner and with q show Of sin
cerity.
Mr.. Hiss flashed his ingratiating
smile so frequently during his
first hours on the stand that some
observers wondered whether he
ran the risk Of overworking his
genuine charm on the jury.
He grew grimmer. and at times