Show Solon Charges Agents Stole War Secrets Sen Rankin Believes Documents Taken After Pearl Harbor NEW V YORK Dec 14 UP Whit taker Chambers charged that a gra haired gray woman Communist who had been a witness at his hii wedding made madean an implied threat on his life in 1938 1038 the year ear he quit the Communist part party Chambers Chambers Cham Cham- bers hers identified the woman as asa asa asa a graduate of Bryn Mawr college college college col col- col- col lege and a handsome woman in her fifties He said she he acted on Instructions fromI from I the Communists WASHINGTON ASHINGTON V Dec 14 H UP Rep John E. E Rankin D. D Miss said Tuesday he has deduced that top secret government do documents documents docu docu- u- u ments were stolen at least right up until 1943 while 1943 while the United States was at war Rankin said however that the house un-American un activities committee committee committee com com- does not have possession of any documents which he believes were stolen after Pearl Harbor Earlier he said flatly at a committee committee com com- session that some of these documents were stolen after Pearl Harbor And Acting Committee Chairman Chairman Chairman Chair Chair- man Karl E. E R. R S. S D. D said the crime here is treason After the committee meeting Rankin clarified his ideas in re response response response re- re to reporters' reporters ques questions ions Rankin said he hc bas based d his deduction de duc 1011 of wart wartime e theft of o. o cret documents on oil on the testimony of ot Henry J. J Wadleigh former government government government gov gov- Reformed Communist Whit Whittaker taker Ch Chambers mb rs' rs ha has n named m d Wadleigh Wad Vad leigh as a g government v s source of some of the documents that were stol stolen n and turned over ver to him for transmission to Moscow Wadleigh rem remained in d d' d with th the government until 1943 Rankin said I as asked ed him if he gave out any secret documents after Pearl Harbor and he refused to answer r ron on the grounds that it might incriminate in in- criminate him If It you press this hard enough you will find that some of the documents were taken after Pearl Harbor and possibly up to the end of the of-the the war Chambers has accused Alger Hiss former state department official official official of of- of obtaining secret documents documents documents docu docu- ments and turning them over to him Chambers formerly was a Communist courier courter Meanwhile F F. F Edward Hebert D. D La a member of th the comSee comSee com com- See Page 6 Column 1 Rankin Charges Spies Took War Secrets r Continued from Page Pago Oner One told reporters after this thi s mornings morning's session that he Is goIng going going go Ing home Tuesday night Refuses Answers Rankins Rankin's statement came carne after Mrs Marion Bachrach New York City refused to answer a long series of at questions concerning persons persons persons per per- sons named in the spy RPy hearings She remained silent on the grounds of self-incrimination self and other constitutional reasons The only prominent figure on the spy hearings she would admit kno was knowing was John Abt a onetime government nt official She said he was her brother Abt had been accused by the committees committee's star witness reformed Communist Whittaker Chambers of having belonged to a prewar Communist network in the federal R. R government go 1 A trim brunette Mrs MrS- Bachrach smoked incessantly during the thc questioning Her hands hand trembled but her voice voice voice- was steady She was accompanied to the public hearing hearing hearing hear hear- ing by her counsel Emanuel H H. Bloch of New York It was brought out that Bloch had represented Steve Ste Nelson Pennsylvania Communist Communist Communist Com Com- party official at previous committee hearings Admits Red Status Mrs Bachrach admitted to reporters re- re reporter reporters re re- porters porter after the hearin she hc is is' is isa a member of the Communist party I have not the slightest hesitancy hesitancy hesitancy hesi hesi- tancy in t telling the press that Im I'm Ima a member of the Communist party she said Id Im flIm proud of it The committee questioned Mrs Bachrach closely about a typewriter er presumably er-presumably the missing machine machine machine ma ma- chine on which some of the secrets allegedly stolen from the state department department department de de- in 1938 were vere copied She denied that she had loaned a typewriter to Mrs Alger Hiss wife of the former state department department department depart depart- ment officer whom Chambers named as a main source of information information information mation for Communist agents Chambers had sworn that Hisson Hiss Hisson on occasions removed documents from the state tate department files iles and brought them home for h his s wife to copy Hiss has denied the charge Mrs Bachrach also denied that Mrs Hiss had ever given her a typewriter type but she refused to say whether she had ever been in the Hiss home here Denies Appearance Asked whether she had appeared appeared appeared ap ap- ap- ap before the New York federa federal federal fed fed- fedI I era eral grand jury or had been sub- sub b by it she told reporters she had nolIn not nol In her prepared statement she disclaimed knowledge of the spy investigation She said all she Me knew of the documents found in Chambers' Chambers pumpkin was was was' what she had read in the newspapers She said it flit appears from some of the allegedly purloined documents documents documents docu docu- ments that certain United States Slates officials were attempting to negotiate negotiate negotiate ne ne- an alliance with Hitler and were parties to the Munich sellout sellout sellout sell sell- out of collective security If that is true she said then Uthen American national security was seriously threatened in 1938 Those responsible for this betrayal of our national interest and tho those e who kept this vital ital information from the American people should be exposed and any still remaining remaining remaining remain remain- ing in public office removed Equally Important This is quite as important as that Mr Chambers and anyone else eLe truly guilty of complicity in his adventures be brought to justice In New York Adolf A A. Berle Jr former assistant secretary of state was summoned before a grand jury investigating the Chambers- Chambers Hiss case Berle was assistant secretary of state in 1939 when Chambers decided decided decided de de- to tell the story story story-of of an alleged n sf t f I tJ S a J S r r X f fy art J y Mrs Bachrach Witness tells of membership in Communists I C Com Communist o m m u n 11 i 1st s t underground In which he conf confessed he had been a courier Berle Berle entering the grand jur jury p chambers shortly before 11 am a.m. said he was not under al although although although al- al though the grand jury had requested requested requested re re- re- re quested him to appear He declined to discuss his part partin in the Hiss-Chambers Hiss affair with the thc statement that what little I know already is pretty well on record He reaffirmed however a statement statement statement state state- ment made to the press after testimony testimony testimony mony in a secret subcommittee session here late last summer At that time he said that when Chambers Chambers Chambers Cham Cham- bers first came to him with Information information information mation about Hiss he termed Hiss Hissa a Communist sympathizer but did not label him as a Communist Chambers who last Friday resigned resigned resigned re re- re- re signed his a year post as a senior editor of Time magazine I Isaid said that he sought an interview I at the White House and was re referred referred referred re- re to Berle 1 |