Evening star., 1951-08-21
House Group 10 Seek
Missing Diaries Kept
by Club During sos

ties Committee today began a
detailed study Of the personal
diaries. dating back to 1882, Of
Oliver Edmund Clubb. suspended
chief Of the State Departments
Office of Chinese Affairs.
And the committee indicated it
will seek to get possession of his
missing diaries, covering the mid
die and late 1930s, which are under
custody Of the British in Peking.
Mr.. Clubb, 50-year-old career
foreign service officer, who has
spent 18 years on assignments in
China, was suspended June 81,
along with John Patton Davies, jr.
Mr.. Davies has been cleared by
the Departments Loyalty Security
Board, but board hearings have
not concluded in the Club case.
No charges against him have been
made public.
h Questioned Intensively.
The veteran foreign service man
underwent intensive committee
questioning yesterday about an
isolated visit in. 1882 to the New
York Offices of the magazine, New
Masses. Bearing a letter of in
PRODUCTION from Miss Agnes Smed-
ley, deceased writer linked with
Communist activities. Mr.. Clubb's
visit included a talk with Whit
taker Chambers, then editor of the
publication.
Committee Counsel Frank s.
Tavenner, jr., made clear that
details Of the New Masses visit
came to light because Mr.. Club,
OF his own volition, obtained from
China a copy of his 1882 diary
which covered the visit.
Mr.. Chambers in previous testi-
mony had raised the question of
a visit from Mr.. Club, but the
latter had testified in secret ses-
sion last March he had no recol-
lection Of it. After obtaining the
diary, Mr.. Club notified the COM
mittee Of his finding last month.
Introduced as "Comrade."
An extract of the 1882 diary de-
tscribed Mr.. Clubb'S visit as "the
most interesting meeting thus
far" 1t recounted he had been
introduced to a Michael Gold as
I"Comrade Clubb" by a reception
ist. Gold, it went on, spoke of
revolution, but had no hopes of
it for the United States at pres
ent, bemoaning the lack of or
ganizers when the field is pre-
pared and the crop so ripe for the
harvest"
Mr.. Chambers, it described, as
a "shifty-eyed, unkempt creature
who nevertheless showed consid-
cradle force" in discussing politi-
cal movements.
I'm turn" it went on, "I asked
him Of conditions in the United
States, but we didn't talk smooth
ly. was. after all, out of my
bailiwick, masquerading somewhat
under false pretenses, so that I
felt too much like a stranger to
show the proper revolutionary
enthusiasm"
Pick Extract Apart.
Picking the extract apart phrase
by phrase, the committee ques-
toned Mr.. Clubb at length about
his meaning for nearly every word.
The witness said the diary had
brought back no independent
recollectionS" of the 19-year-old
meeting. and he only speculated
on what he might have meant.
He said the letter from Miss
Smedley was one of about IL let
ters of introduction he was given
just before return to this coun-
try in July, 1882.
AS a political reporting officer
in the early 1930s, he declared,
one Of his main fields of contacts
was with journalists. In that
sense. he said, he used Miss Smed-
ley as source" about the revo-
lutionary movement in China.
Mr.. Clubb said Miss Smedley
never mentioned to him the ex-
istence of the notorious Sorge spy
ring and that neither she nor any
one else ever attempted to "re-
cruit" him for any such activity.
The witness said he had been a
member, for "20 or Is years." of
the Institute of Pacific Relations,
which Is under investigation by
the Senate'S Internal Security
Subcommittee.
Mr.. Clubb testified he submitted
one article, entitled, Elements of