Evening star., 1950-09-05
Chambers Saws
Events Back Up
His Hiss Charge
Exchange Club Hears
Attack on Ex-OfficiuI's S
Fifth Column Role

Whitaker Chambers believes
that recent events and the testi-
mony of other witnesses fully
support his charges against Alger
Hiss and justify the fight of the
common man" against Com
munism.
Appearing as surprise speaker
at the final luncheon of the Ma
tional Exchange Club convention
yesterday at Hotel Statler, he in
sisted that Hiss, former State
Department official. was part of a
big conspiracy that was "a fifth
column of the worst kind" in the
United States.
Hiss was convicted in Federal
Court in New York City last
January on perjury counts after
denying he ever gave stolen State
Department documents to Cham
'bers. an avowed former Com
munist agent. His appeal is
pending.
Much of the hour long talk by
Chambers covered his alleged as
sociation with Hiss here in the
1930s and espionage activities
he said included 40 or so other
men and women.
Calls Own Role a Symbol.
In one of his few public speeches
since the trials. Chambers en-
phasized his own role as sym
Dol of the struggle of the people
against revolution that bored
deeply into our free life and at
tackled the age of faith in God"
He contended that at least
seven witnesses before two grand
juries verified his story and that
subsequent events, including the
Communist attack in Korea, have
borne out his warnings.
Il am in no sense a man whose
unsupported word can be accepted
or rejected at will" he said
Manifold corroboration exists. I
had thought it might take 20 or
80 years for people to understand
what I was trying to do. The lib
erals, those great champions of
the open mind, had made up their
minds at once against me. But
the rest of the people considered
the evidence and have made up
their minds slowly"
The significant thing about the
Hiss trials, he said, was that they
separated the sheep from the
goats" The big people and the
nice people" rushed "hysterically"
tc the defense of Hiss, while the
average man showed he was
more intelligent than the intel.
llgentsia," he added.
Urges Better Faith"
'"The people for whom Alger
Hiss was a symbol" he asserted,
were neither all Democrats or
all Republicans. They did not
really believe in America because
they did not understand it. They
formed an exclusive party, the
party of betrayal. In the future
they will be the party of appease-
ment."
The great conspiracy" of which
he said Hiss was part has
broken out in Korea as the FIRST
great battle of the final struggle"
Chambers concluded. The "evil
faith" of communism can be de-
feated "only by a better faith"
and mo one can save a nation
that will not save ITSELF" he con-
cluded.
The speech by Chambers, for
mer editor of Time magazine, now
living on Maryland farm. was
recorded and broadcast last night.
Alfred Kohlberg, New York i'm
porter and chairman of the Board
of Directors of the American China
Policy Association, Inc, was the
ether speaker at the convention
session He has disclosed that he
provided some of the material that
Senator Mccarthy, Republican, of
Wisconsin used in his charges
against the State Department.
Mr.. Kohlberg said he "stood
by" Senator Mccarthy in attack
ing the State Departments han
ding of the China situation in
recent years. He described China
as the key to Korea and the entire
Pacific in the fight against Com
munist aggression. He urged that
this country provide equipment
for the Chinese NationaliSts to
carry on the fight.
Mr.. Kohlberg declared that
"labor has sold it's birthright" and
that Communists have "inf1l-
trated" the press. radio and edu-
cation. Small businessmen, vet
erans and farmers must save the
country, he declared.
The Truman Administration, he
charged, has made so many mis-
takes on the national and interna-
tional fronts that the record
amounted almost to a genius in
reverse"
The f1ve-day convention of more
than 1000 delegates and guests
from Exchange Clubs throughout
the country closed late yesterday
with the election of E. Russell
Bontrager of Elkhart, Ind, as
SofiOpo1 yoraciIoo} Tho oroo,,i