Evening star., 1955-02-11
Mrs. Natvig Declares
She Told FBI About
False Testimony
By the Associated Press

Mrs. Marie Natvig testified to-
day that she told the FBI four
months ago she wanted to re-
pudiate her testimony that Ed
ward Lamb, publisher and
broadcaster, once was Sympa-
thetic to Communism.
The 5l-year-old Miami Beach
divorce said that to the best of
her recollection she called a Mr..
Powers, described as then head
of the Miami FBI Office, on the
week end of October 9-10 while
she still was under subpoena as
a witness in Washington.
On the witness stand for the
third day of cross-examination
at a Federal Communications
Commission investigation into
Mr.. Lambs background. Mrs.
Natvig said Mr.. Powers told her
there might be dire conSe-
quences" if she had lied under
oath. He advised her. she said, to
review her testimony and to be
sure that she had actually lied.
Reverses Testimony.
Mrs. Natvig has since COM
pletely reversed herself on her
earlier testimony that Mr.. Lamb.
a Toledo, Ohio. lawyer, asSoci-
ated with Communists in the
1905.
She has testified that on jan
uary - she went to Mr., Lambs
chief lawyer. former Attorney
General j. Howard McGrath,
and said she wanted to retract
her testimony.
Joseph M. Kittner, chief COM
mission lawyer in the case. asked
Mrs. Natvig what she told Mr..
Powers when she telephoned
him.
She replied:
II told him the same thing
I have said here-that it. was
my voice that was speaking, but
they were not my sentiments" ."
Mrs, Natvig now claims that
commission lawyers "coerced"
her into giving false testimony.
when l told Mr.. Powers that
I wanted to retract my testi-
mony," she testified today, "he
impressed me with the dire con-
sequences resulting from any,
thing 1 may have said that was
not the truth.
Advised to Reflect.
HE said / certainly was free
agent and if I wanted to retract
I could. He said I should re-
fleet and then decide"
The commissions hearing, pre-
sided over by Examiner Herbert
Sharfman. is seeking to deter
mine the accuracy of allegations
that Mr.. Lamb once knowingly
associated with Communists and
kdNS
Mr.. Lamb categorically denied
the allegations. He says COM
mission lawyers induced wit
nesses to testify falsely against
him. At issue is renewal of the
license of his television station
at Erie, Pa. WICU.
Mrs. Natvig said she tele-
phoned the FBI when she was
at her home in Miami Beach,
taking a week end off from her
frequently vigorous cross-exami-
nation here in october.
She told Mr.. Powers. she said
that she had rehearsed her testi-
mony so often that she had ac-
tually recited it on the witness
stand, and that as result 1t
was difficult for her to dis
tinguish at the time between
truth and fiction.
Urged Mexico Trip.
Mrs. Natvig contends a man
called CDR. Rec or DR.. RlZ" Sug-
gested she go to Mexico after
she testified Mr.. Lamb once was
a Communist sympathizer. She
says the trip was proposed
October 29
The doctor" she told the COM
missions hearing into Mr.. Lambs
background yesterday, met her
on her doorstep in Miami Beach,
on her return from Washington.
He told me-" she testified,
"that I would have only two
courses of action-to 60 back and
retract my testimony because the
Communists didn't like people
who turned informer, or he