Show Its It's Pretty Sad SadAH AH All the Bespectacled Youths Dodge Dod Je Same Way at Probe B By Frederick C. C Othman V WASHINGTON H H e ere r e was still another boy diplomat with an airedale haircut thick eyeglasses eyeglasses eyeglasses eye eye- glasses a de education and anda a strong aversion to talking about the tho government secrets embalmed on film inside Whittaker Whittaker Whit Whit- taker Chambers Chambers' pumpkin This one was named Henry Julian the Wadleigh-the Wadleigh the fellows at atthe atthe atthe the state department called him Julian Julian and and somehow he managed managed managed man man- aged to look like the other slim sUm young men called up by the house un-American un activities committee to testify about swiping swiping swiping ing federal d doc documents o c u m men e n t s for or Chambers Chambers' Communist pals The pudgy Chambers who re reformed reformed reformed re- re formed and took a Job as senior editor on Time magazine accused accused accused ac ac- ac- ac em all of slipping him the mysterious papers some of ot which he sent special delivery to Moscow and some of which he hid in his scooped-out scooped pumpkin in Maryland One Sued Several of the y you youngsters o u n gs t e r s from the state department they all are in their early forties by now but they still managed to look like e college e youths testified testified testified fied that Chambers was a 1 r. l-r. r. r One name of Alger Hiss sued him for libel But Wadleigh fiddled with a match folder 0 occasionally c cas ion a 11 y rubbed a bandage behind his right ear and in accents slightly British he was educated at Oxford university he fell back backon on his constitutional rights Had he stolen stoJen the governments government's governments government's governments government's govern govern- ments ment's top secrets for Chambers Chambers Chambers Cham Cham- bers Did he know Chambers Was Vas he a friend of Hiss To these and every similar question Wadleigh blinked into the photo flashlights and said he refused to answer because he did not want to take a chance of incriminating himself They They Begged Begged The committeemen b beg begged e g g e d him They blustered at him They told him he could be guilty either of perjury or perjury or of treason Wadleigh said his attorney had advised him not to answer The lawyer one Herman Green- Green berg had decided only a few hours before the hearings began to represent him no longer To all arguments Wadleigh turned his injured ear He wasn't talking All he would talk about was his education and his career in inthe inthe inthe the new deal He was 44 14 years old at the moment and jobless But when he was 26 soon after hed he'd finished finished finished fin fin- his studies he went to work for tor the farm credit ad ad- ministration Came the new deal dealand dealand dealand and he was an economist for Henry Wallaces Wallace's agriculture de de- de- de In rapid succession he ho moved to the state department department department depart depart- ment to the federal economic administration and then back to the state department where he spent the war var Var years And How Much When the shooting was over he moved on to the late and unlamented unlamented unlamented un- un lamented U UN N R R A. A Wherever he went he was an economist helping make up the governments government's governments government's governments government's govern govern- ments ment's mind on what various peoples should eat and when and where and how much When he talked about this he used standard He evaluated the needs of countries countries countries coun coun- tries such as Turkey and Belgium Belgium Bel Bel- gium and France He made continuing studies I can excuse excuse excuse ex ex- cuse the fancy language the trick accent and the standard haircut for young diplomats But I do wish this one had seen fit to say flatly that he was not either a traitor to his country He looked like a nice young fellow as did the others accused by Chambers and you couldn't help feeling sad listening listening listening listen listen- ing to him refuse to incriminate and degrade himself Copyright 1918 1948 by United Feature Syndicate |