Evening star., 1949-06-08

secrets for relay to Russia in 1887
and 1898.
"As nearly as ! can remember, !"
the former Communist agent re-
lated to a courtroom that hung
on his every word. II told them
that In testifying from August on
I had two purposes. One was to
disclose in part and paralyze the
Communist conspiracy. The other
was to preserve from injury. in
sofar as I could. all individuals
involved in the past in the con-
spiracy.
ANY revelation involved injury,
but told them there are degrees
of injury and I sought to keep
them from the ultimate conSe-
quences of what they had done.
Didn't Want TO Hurt Hiss.
IT was particularly anxious not
to injure Mr.. Hiss any more than
necessary. out OF grounds Of past
friendship and because he Is by
widespread consent a very able
man. Therefore chose to jeopar-
die myself rather than reveal the
full extent Of his activities and
those of others.
I'm breaking with the Commu-
mist Party. time is an all important
factor. My own break was not a
|precipitous thing but developed
over a period Of time. sought to
give those people whom I had last
known within the Communist
Party or on Its fringes an equal
opportunity with me to find the
strength necessary for such q
break"
That same explanation, Mr..
Chambers indicated. covered his
failure to reveal to the House
Committee on Un-American Ac-
tivities last August what he now
asserts was the fun truth about
espionage involving Mr.. Hiss.
He said still another reason for
his silence Of almost 10 years ON
that point. he said earlier yester-
day.
IT didn't think 1t would be pos
sjhle to interest anyone In the
subject" he remarked.
Judge kaufman yesterday broke
into the redirect examination to
sum up as follows the Chambers
record Of appearances before vari-
GUS official bodies:
"You testified before the House
committee last August. twice pub
licly and two or three times pri-
vately. You went before the grand
jury here October IA and Is. The
libel suit filed against you by Mr..
Hiss was commenced about the
end of September. You first tes-
titled November 4 at the Balti-
more pretrial hearing on that
suit.
Chambers Agrees With Judge.
you were examined twice be-
tween November 4 and II in Bal
timore. At no time, either before
the House committee or before
the grand jury did you make any
charge in substance or effect that
Mr.. Hiss was guilty Of espionage.
You did not do that until after
November IT."
THAT is correct" Mr.. Cham
bers agreed.
Mr.. Stryker beamed at this
summation. Mr.. Murphy bided his
time and brought out that Mr..
Chambers was questioned as re-
Gently as last March by lawyers
Of MIR. Hiss In the Baltimore case.
This gave Mr.. Chambers an
opportunity to emphasize that he
told the Baltimore lawyers on
several occasions since November
and the New York Federal grand
Jury last December the full
story about Mr.. Hiss. That. he
said, was after he produced late
In November the documents and
Imicrofilms he said he got from MIR.
Hiss years ago.
Hoped Against Indictment.
Curbstone commentators spec
ulated whether Mr.. Chambers be-
lives he legally purged himself Of
possible perjury charges by finally
telling what he said was the truth
to the grand Jury before 1t ad-
journed fAst December.
But Mr.. Stryker. before wind
ing up the four-day cross-examin-
alton, drew admissions from MIR.
Chambers that he had hoped he
would not be indicted for perjury
or anything else as . result Of
his charges against Mr. Hiss.
The witness denied he has been
promised immunity from prose-
cution by the Government. He
admitted he had talked with
Representative Nixon Of the
House committee on the subject"
lof avoiding possible indictment.
lHis answer was allowed over
?,