Evening star., 1949-12-10
Hiss
lContinued From First Page

both, after all. we're working for
the same boss" She said she
could not remember which one Of
them made that remark.
Courtroom Hangs on Words.
Defense Attorney Claude B.
Cross raised no. objection to Mrs.
Massing's appearance on the
stand, but he objected to almost
every phrase of her testimony. A
packed courtroom, meanwhile,
hung on her every word.
Since the Hiss Chambers con-
troversy burst upon the country
in August. 1948. this was the first
time that any one had stepped
forward with direct support for
Whitaker Chambers story that
Mr.. Hiss was once a member of
the Communist underground.
Thomas F. Murphy. Assistant
United States Attorney, had tried
to call Mrs. Massing as a rebuttal
witness at Mr.. Hiss first trial,
which ended with a hung jury last
July 8. Federal Judge Samuel H.
Kaufman ruled then, however,
that the proposed testimony was
not proper rebuttal material.
This time the prosecutor sue
ceeded in getting Mrs. Massing's
story to the jury as part of the
Governments main attack. What
ever the effect on the jury might
or might not be, it was certain
that this testimony vitality altered
the appearance Of the case.
Support for Chambers Story.
The jury-eight women and
four men-was no longer con-
fronted with a single clear-cut
issue as to the credibility Of Mr..
Chambers, a former senior editor
of Time Magazine, and a self
confessed ex-Communist agent.
The new development meant that
the persuasiveness and possible
motives of two persons now must
be considered in weighing the
accusation. Mr.. Chambers no
longer stood alone.
It is true that Mrs. Massing said
nothing about espionage in linking
Mr.. Hiss to an alleged Communist
apparatus. The 45-year-old de-
fendant is charged with falsely
denying to a Federal grand jury
THAT he ever gave secret State
Department papers to Mr.. Cham
bers for transmission to Russian
agents.
It is also true, however, that an
impressive array of documentary
evidence already supports Mr..
Chambers espionage accusation.
The charge that up to yesterday
had stood unsupported was the
simple one that Mr.. Hiss was a
Communist-had a reason, that is,
for giving Mr.. Chambers the docu-
ments which have been produced
in evidence against him.
Recalls 1948 Meeting.
Mrs. Massing, who is in her
late 40s but looks younger, told
how she met Mr.. Hiss in 1948 at
the FBI Office here and sought to
recall to him the incident of the
alleged conversation, because she
wanted to help him" She said
Mr.. Hiss was polite and friendly,
but apparently did not remember
her.
Testifying in a pleasant German
accent, always with great stage
presence, Mrs. Massing coyly OBJ
served she had put on some
weight" since 1885 and has since
taken to wearing glasses.
Exchanges Are Heated.
Mrs. Massing's appearance oc-
casioned some of the most heated
courtroom language that the trial
has seen.
After telling of her naturaliza-
ton in 1926 and of going to work
for the Communists in 1888, Mrs.
Massing said she became an in
innate friend of Mr.. Field in 1884.
MY husband had been released
from German concentration
camp in January, 1884" she start
ed to explain. "As a matter Of
fact, he has written a book about
IT. ="
Defense Attorney Cross cut IN
sharply. "We're not interested IN
80 ri