Evening star., 1952-06-01
Chambers u
Man Who Destroyed Himself Comedies
Thot, as Of Now, He Is Doing Fine
By Mary McGrory

fellow" he says. "a serious man.
but not a brooding man."
I Do Fine
Watching Mr.. Chambers.
round and ruddy. tilted back
in an old kitchen chair with one
rung hanging loose, wreathed
in pipe smoke. smiling and
steady-eyed. it sounds plausible.
When you remind him that he
had written in the mood Of q
man who had indeed destroyed
himself and who was waiting
only for death. he laughs. did
you ever see a man just after
he's been through q tough
fight?" he wants to know.
But Mr.. Chambers has a three.
word summary for his present
state of mind. Il do fine" he
says.
The writing Of Witness" was
not part Of the healing process
which he comedies may be under
way. That, according to Mr..
Chambers. was strictly painful
experience. He wrote the book
in some measure to explain him
self.
"The other folks had done
such a complete job Of dehu-
manizing me that people thought
I was a monster with three
heads and two tails" he says.
II wanted to show them that
maybe I had only two heads
and three tails instead"
Despite its 800-page length,
Witness" left some things un-
said. Mr.. Chambers feels. He
would like to develop further,
for instance. the question Of
why people like Alger Hiss be-
come Communists. He could
not speak for Hiss himself;
these two never discussed their
motives for joining the party
during their association in un-
derground work. Mr.. Chambers
wishes that Hiss would some day
write explaining his reasons
himself. 1T would clear the
air like nothing else."
Memories Of Hiss
Alger Hiss, now serving q Ave-
year prison term, obviously Ia
much on Mr.. Chambers mind.
Among his many correspondents
are people who knew Hiss.
In the 10 years when I no
longer saw him. Alger appar-
emily made friends with Just
about everybody on the East
Coast" Mr.. Chambers says.
He is a most ingratiating fell
low. Everybody liked him. Every
body in the Ware group felt
that way about him. He had
a rare talent for friendship.
He was q human promise"
This consciousness of Hiss
may explain Mr.. Chambers in
sistence that he and his wife
are now "old people," Neither
of them look it. He is only 81.
Mrs. Chambers. currently spat-
tered with paint from her in
terror decorating efforts, is
lively-eyed and vivacious.
I'VE are old because we have
done everything we wanted to
do" Mr.. Chambers says. "Our
ambitions for ourselves are very
minor now. Our lives are for
our children (they have q teen
age daughter and son). We
hope to see the children mar
ried. Perhaps the furthest range
Of our ambition Is to have
grandchildren"
Meanwhile, Mr.. Chambers In
writing again. Between nib
bling" at his vast correspond
ence. he is doing the life of st.
Benedict for q volume on the
lives Of the saints being edited
by Clare Boothe Luce, wife OF
his former employer, Henry
Luce, publisher OF Time and
Life.
Why did he choose st. Bene-
dict?
Because" says Mr.. Chambers,
Benedict found the world in
pieces around him. and he be-
gan picking up the pieces and
putting them together again."
Mr.. Chambers would probably
never say so in so many words.
but that might be an approxi-
mate description of what he
himself is doing these days.