Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-05-13


Sidney Hatkin, Robert w. Davis
and Richard S. Cutter were
sometimes so inept as to be al
most comic.
Stories of the three witnesses
disclosed few major developments
previously unknown to the COM
mittee or the public concerning
Mikheev's contacts with Mr..
Hatkin. the suspended Air Force
stat!stician; Mr.. Davis, q histo-
rian with the Armed Forces In
stitute of Pathology, and Richard
s. Cutter. q librarian at the Army
Medical Library.
stitute Of Pathology. and Richard
But numerous little known
facts about the now well-known
Mikheev came to light In the
committee transcript at closed
session questioning Of the three
Government aides. Some of the
more intriguing dealt with eti-
quette rather than espionage.
From the separate testimony
emerged a picture of Mikheev as
a man who thought a dime tip
was enough for a SIG dinner, who
"gloated" over Koenigsberg meat
balls because the former East
PruSsiah locality was swallowed
by the Soviets, and whose idea
of politeness seldom extended to
removing his hat in the house.
Mr.. Hatkin said "the thing
looked fishy right from the start. "
He narrated his previously pub
lished story about being tele-
phoned by Mikheev on February
Is in response to a newspaper
employment want-ad. He ex-
planned that at a subsequent
meeting in the Roma Restaurant
ne accepted $25 from the Russian
to determine whether the re-
quest for aircraft industry in
formation was a legitimate job
offer.
He insisted he had no idea
of going through with this deal"
He returned the money a few
days later in two-minute con-
versation in his own house. he
said. He related that Mikheev
took the cash. stuffed it in his
pocket, walked out and never
showed up or called again.
HIS Manner Described
Mr.. Cutter and Mr.. Davis teS-
titled that their encounters with
Mikheev involved no specific
cash offers or payments.
Their separate accounts Of
Mikheev's methods of contracting
them and mis- personal manner
were considerably more colorful
and detailed than Mr.. Hatkin'S
descriptions of the Russian.
He had a bland. kowtowing
manner except when somebody
asked a question he didn't like, F"
Mr.. Davis related. Then he be-
came very hard suddenly. His
eyes were no longer smiling. He
became a wild animal. Then he
would snap out of it"
Mr.. Davis was approached by
Mikheev January 16 after an
earlier visit to Mr.. Cutter. He
told the committee he was wash
ing dishes about 9 o'clock that
night at 1888 M street NV.
where he then lived. when the
knock came on his door.
The visitor carried no particu-
lar air of mystery about him but
he did keep his hat on for some
time after entering the house,
Mr.. Davis said.
"BOorish and Crude"
He described the visitor as
"boorish and crude" but not I'M
friendly or secretive about his
name.
Mikheev explained to Mr..
Davis that he was working on
a paper about American military
history to start with the Revolu-
ton and go up to the present
and show how America each time
fights a bigger war than she
fought the last time"
Mikheev, according to Mr.. Da-
Wis. requested a list of books that
could be used on such a project
Mr.. Davis added that "he offered
me no money at all but said 'yor
give me list of books and Their
show how grateful l am BY
taking you to dinner"
The dinner materialized Janu.
airy % at the Old Europe Res
taurant on Wisconsin avenue
Mr.. and Mrs. Davis and Mikhee,
and his wife dined to the tota
extent of about SIG which Mix.
heev paid with a crisp new $2C