Evening star. [volume], December 24, 1948, Image 1

About Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972

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Weather Forecast
Cloudy and cold with highest near 36 today.
Light snow tonight, lowest about 25. To
morrow. moderate snow and cold, three to
five inches likely. (Full report on Pa-ge A-2.)
Midnight ..33 6 a.m_30 11 a.m_33
2 a.m_32 8 a.m_30 Noon ..33
4 am_31 10 a.m_32 1 p m_33
Lote New York Markets, Page A-17.
Guide for Readers
Page.
Amusements _.*A-10
Church News A-13-15
Editorial -.-A-6
Editorial Articles A-7
Finance . A-17
Lost and Found ..if-3
Page.
Obituary -...A-16
Radio _B-7
Real Estate . B-l-2
Society, Clubs. .B-3-8
Sporis--A-ll
Woman's Page..A-12
An Associa'ed Press Newspaper
96th Year. No. 359. Phone ST. 5000
★★ WASHINGTON, D. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 24, 1948-TWENTY-SIX PAGES.
City Home Delivery. Dally and Sunday. |1.20 a Month. When 8 K ryiTJJ'rSJ
Sundays. $1.30 Night Pinal Edition. $1.30 and $1.40 per Month ** _1_
3-fo-5-lnchSnow
Due Christmas;
More to Follow
May Reach 10 Inches
By Tuesday; Shoppers
Busy on Final Day
Last-minute shoppers and hol
iday travelers were all a-rush
today, spurred by the contagious
enthusiasm of Christmas eve j
and the prospect, of snowfall to
night.
As final touches were put on be
ribboned packages and Christmas
tree lights went on. the Weather,
Bureau gave hope that new sleds!
will go into action no later than>
tomorrow morning.
Three to five inches of snow was!
predicted for the District tonight
and tomorrow, with the likelihood
that subfreezing temperatures will
keep it on the ground for a while.!
The five-day forecast called for con- i
tinued cold and another snow Tues
day. Total precipitation of three-:
fourths to one inch was predicted!
for the period, which could mean
as much as 10 inches of snow.
snow failing in west.
It looked like a white Christ-;
mas over a wide area of the:
country, with snow falling ini
the Rocky Mountain area and
the North Central States. Sleet and j
snow brought icy roads and four:
deaths to Kansas and Missouri.
Much of the East was preparing for
fresh snows tonight.
As the snowstorm swept eastward
from the Midwest, up to 6 inches
was expected in sections, of Ken
tucky, Ohio, West Virginia and
Pennsylvania.
In Western and Central Virginia,
where 3 to 5 inches appeared likely,
snow began falling before noon. The
highway department already was at
work from Lynchburg on west,
bringing out sand and snowplows in
an effort to keep the roads open.
One of the top events here will be
the lighting by President Truman
of the National Community Tree in
a program starting at 4:30 p.m. on
the south lawn of the White House.
Mr. Truman will press a button
illuminating the tree from his home
in Independence, Mo., then will
broadcast a holiday message to the
Nation.
Police Concentrated.
Much of the late shopping was
contributed by the 240.000 Federal
employes, released from their jobs
at noon until Monday.
All available policemen will be
concentrated in the downtown shop
ping area until after the large de
partment stores close at 6 p.m., but
special details will remain on duty
until shortly after 9 p.m., when the
lights in virtually all the stores will
be extinguished.
Although large crowds are ex
pected in the stores this afternoon,
businessmen said Washingtonians
have completed the bulk of theirj
Christmas shopping, and today’s
buyers will be seeking last-minute
gifts for some qne overlooked on
the original Christmas list.
Several of the larger stores mark
the close of the Christmas shopping
season with ’‘clearance” and "bar
gain” sales.
Peak Hour Estimated.
At Union Station, the station
master reported that nearly all
regular trains will be leaving
throughout the day in extra-length
sections. Crowds in the station are
expected to be at their peak around
3 p.m.
Scores of Christmas parties fori
young and old will be staged
throughout the city today, and ini
nearly every Government depart-:
ment an informal celebration will
be held when the holiday begins. J
White House Ceremonies.
The ceremonies at the White
House will begin with a concert
by the -Marine Band and the i
singing of carols by the Girls’
Chorus of Dunbar High School. The ‘
invocation will be pronounced by
the Rev. Ralph Orme, and Com
missioner Guy Mason, on behalf of i
President Truman, will receive the
greetings of the people of the Dis
trict from Sue Ann Keys and Rich
ard Bokman, winners of the 1948
youth award of the District Recrea
tion Society.
Musician Edward Master of the
Marine Band will play the tradi
tional cornet solo, "Cantique de!
Noel," and this will be followed by j
another carol by the Dunbar choris
ters. The benediction will be pro
nounced by the Rev. Thomas M.
Brew, and the program will close
at 5:30 pm. with the National
Anthtai.
, The ceremonies will be broadcast j
rSee-CKRISTMAS7~Page~A-4. >
Truman Wears
Combat Boots on
Yuletide Rounds
•y Associated Press
INDEPENDENCE, Mo., Dec. 24.—
President Truman tramped through
snow, slush and Ice in a pair of
Army combat boots today to sav
"Merry Christmas” to scores of
friends and neighbors in his home
town.
He trudged up to the town square, |
dropping in a Mayor Roger T. Ser
mon's grocery store, the post office;
and the town's newspaper with a
handshake and a grin for surprised
but delighted tow-nsfolk.
Hell extend his greetings to the;
JJation late this afternoon in a
radio address. His talk will give j
the signal for the lighting of a tree '■
on the south lawn of the White
House.
It was 8:15 a.m. when the Presi- ■
dent w-alked out of the back door
‘ of his home, clad in a blue over
coat, a gray hat and the leather;
boots which former Secretary of j
War Patterson had given him.
Obviously proud of his boots, hej
•topped several times along the way j
to compare them with the overshoes
of friends he met during his mile-!
long walk. At times the slush was
•o heavy on the sidewalk he stepped
out into the street in order to make
better headway,
WAITING FOR SANTA—Like boys and girls all over the city
tod^y, these youngsters peeking through the cotton snow-be
decked window of Christ Child Settlement House are waiting
for the jolly fat man with the toy-filled pack.—Star Staff Photo.
Navy Orders Carrier
And Helicopter Crews
To Aid 11 on Icecap
Saipan to Leave Norfolk
Today; Will Take 5 Days
To Reach Greenland
(Picture- on Page A-3.)
By the Associated Press
The Navy is sending an air
craft carrier to help get 11 men
off a frigid icecap in Greenland.
The Navy rushed helicopter crews
to Norfolk. Va.. where the 10,000-ton
carried Saipan was aiming to get
underway by nightfall. But officials
said the vessel will take at least five
days to reach Greenland.
What’s more, forecasters indicated
that bad weather, which has stalled
air rescue operations all week, may
last into tomorrow’.
Heavy w’inds and snow yesterday
grounded the pick-up planes
clustered in the area—a four-engine
C-54 transport, two twin-engine
C-82s, a twin-engine ski and jet
equipped C-47, two gliders, a heli
copter and a light liaison plane.
The carrier was told to speed to
the scene by Admiral Louis E. Den
field, chief of naval operations,
with orders to “render all prac
ticable assistance."
Seven of the men stranded atop
the 7,500-foot icecap have been
there since December 9, when their
C-47 cracked up. Two more men
joined the castaways four days
later, when they made a rescue at
tempt in a B-17 but were grounded
by snow drifts. The last two landed
a glider in the area after another
four-day interval and then were
unable to maintain contact with a
plane attempting to snatch them off
the ice.
The Air Force said all 11 men
still “are getting along very nicely."
A dismantled plywood shelter has
been parachuted to them, to aug-1
ment the snow huts in which they
have been living. Food, medical
supplies and heating equipment also
have been dropped from planes.
A Christmas dinner delivery w’as
planned if rescue attempts don’t
succeed by tonight.
Meanwhile, President Truman’s
Air Force aide referred to the Air!
Force a plea by a 36-year-old pilot
that he be allowed to undertake:
the rescue of the marooned flyers.
Lean, red-haired Roy Lamoureaux,
a bush pilot from Casper, Wyo.,i
told Brig. Gen. Robert B. Landry!
he could take the flyers off the I
cap in his small one-engined plane
equipped with skis, if the Air Force
will say the word.
Missing Businessman
Reported Seen After
Mis Disappearance
Police to Quiz Witness;
Notes Hinting Suicide
Left by Percy C. Smith
Police today were to question
a man who reported he has seen
a “missing” Columbia Heights
businessman on several occasions
since he disappeared Decem
ber 6.
The disappearance of Percy C.
Smith, 50, of 1451 Park road N.W..
came to light yesterday when his
wife. Mrs. Edna S. Smith, 1474 Co
lumbia road N.W., filed a petition in
District Court asking appointment
of a receiver for his estate. Mr.
and Mrs. Smith were not divorced
but had been living apart, freinds
said.
Notes Hint Suicide.
Mr. Smith left two notes hinging
at suicide. ?
The Missing Persons Bureau said
the man to be questioned today had
reported seeing Mr. Smith near the
new Whitehurst Freeway several
times since the date of his reported
disappearance. A steel and paint
ing firm in which Mr. Smith had
an interest had a contract for paint
ing the freeway, but the contract
went to another firm after Mr.
Smith was reported missing.
The Missing Persons’ Bureau was
notified of his absence after the
two notes were found in his apart
ment at 1451 Park road N.W., but
officials today said they did not
place too much credence in the
suicide theory. They pointed out
that a loaded gun was found in the
apartment.
Note Says Strain Is Too Great.
Neither of the two notes found
actually said fie was taking his own
life. One, apparently addressed to
‘his wife, had such sentences as
“* * * the strain has been too great”
and "* * * tell Mr. Beatty to take
over everything and wind up all of
my affairs.”
Mr. Beatty is W. Carroll Beatty, at
torney for the Prince Georges Bank,
according to Eugene Roberts, execu
tive of the Smith Transfer & Stor
age Co., who was named temporary
receiver of the estate. The missing
man had no connection with the
storage company.
He was a certified public ac
countant with interests in at least
four businesses, a beauty shop, an
auditing company, a gift shop and
a structural steel and painting con
cern. He was a past president of
1 See~DISAPPEARANCE, Page jA-4.)
Michelangelo's David Received l
In Ceremony at National Gallery
The National Gallery of Art in a
ceremony today received the statue
of David by Michaelangelo, a loan
by the Italian government as a to
ken of friendship with the United
States.
The 5834-inch marble statue was
brought by van from Norfolk during
the night under Navy guard, es
corted by Comdr. Keith Merrill and
Charles Seymour, curator of sculp
ture at the gallery.
It was shipped from the Bargello
Museum in Florence aboard the
Navy transport Grand Canyon,
which arrived at Norfolk yesterday.
When the statue goes on display
at the gallery, probably in time for
an inauguration reception January
20, it will be the first time that a
piece of statuary—that is a figure in
the full round—by Michaelangelo has
been shown in the United States.
Present today to receive the statue
and watch its removal of its heavy
crating were David E. Finley, direc
tor of the gallery; Harry A. McBride,
administrator, and other gallery;
officials.
Also present were Capt. Frank j
Baslini. Naval Attache at the Italian
Embassy, and Dr. Guido Soro, sec
retary of the Embassy, and a Marine;
color guard.
Gallery officials say most scholars1
believe the statue was begun about
1525. There are two interpretations
of the intended subject. The first,
documented by a 1553 Inventory of
the Medici collection, says the figure
represents David. The mass under
the right foot being interpreted as
the rough block out of which Go
liath's head was to be carved.
It also was identified as an Apollo,
a subject in marble which Michel
angelo was asked to present to the
unpopular governor of Florence Bac
cio Valoria about 1530.
Most recent scholarly opinion, gal
lery officials say, holds the statue
was begun as David and modified
slightly when still unfinished to be
come Apollo when the artist under
took Baccio Valori's commission in
1530. *
Council Orders j
Immediate End
To Indies War
Dutch Also Told to
Release Captured
Indonesia Leaders
U. N. COMMITTEE HITS Dutch
Removal of Observer Teams.
Page A-4.
By the Associated Press
PARIS, Dec. 24.—The United
Nations ordered a halt today in
Indonesian fighting and told the
Dutch to release at once the In
donesian leaders they seized.
There was no indication the Neth
erlands government would comply.
An immediate cease-fire order to
the Dutch and Indonesian forces
was voted by seven members of the
Security Council with four abstain
ing. The United States and Austra
lia made the proposal. The demand
for the release of President Soekar
no. Premier Mohamed Hatta and
other Republican heads was pro
posed by Australia and sponsored by.
Syria.
A Russian demand that the Neth
erlands be condemned as an ag-!
gressor was defeated when it mus- j
tered only five votes, two short of)
the needed seven.
Also defeated was a clause in the
American resolution which directed
Dutch troops to retire to positions
they held before the attacks started
by land, air and sea^Saturday.
Kussia Abstains m votes.
Russia abstained in voting on all
sections of the American and Aus
tralian resolutions on Indonesia.
The proposals were watered down
considerably before the affirmative
actions were voted. Russia’s dele
gate, Jacob A. Malik, explained the
; sections duplicated items in a Soviet
resolution which later was rejected
: entirely.
Beaten down also was a Canadian
proposal to instruct a truce com
mission in Indonesia to recommend
a means of settling the dispute be
tween the Dutch and Indonesian
Republic. It mustered only six
votes with five nations abstaining.
Dutch sources viewed the Coun
cil’s decision as a backhanded vic
tory for the Netherlands, since there
was no condemnation of Holland
and the demand for a military re
treat was eliminated.
Delegates made their decision in
a series of ballots on separate para
graphs of the three-power project
and two Australian-Syrian amend
ments.
France, Argentina, Canada. Bel
gium, the Soviet Union and the So
viet. Ukraine defeated the with
drawal proposal of the resolution by
abstaining. All other Council mem
bers voted for it. The Ukrainian
delegate was not present and the
Ukraine accordingly was marked as
abstaining on all ballots.
Four Abstain Twice.
France, Belgium, Russia and
'the Ukraine abstained on the pro
posal to issue the cease-fire order.
France, Belgium, Russia and the
Ukraine abstained on the proposal
' to order the release of captured In
| donesian leaders, though a Russian
resolution had proposed the same
I thing.
All sections of the Soviet resolu
tion condemning Holland for aggres
sion failed to get the seven votes
needed for adoption.
The Council also adopted the Aus
tralian-Syrian amendment instruct
ing the U. N. Truce Commission
to supervise compliance with the
cease-fire order and the release of
the politicians, and to report back
to the Council. The vote was 7 to 0,
with four abstentions.
Another-Australian-Syrian amend
ment asking the truce commission
to fix responsibility for the renewal
of hostilities was defeated when six
nations abstained and five voted
.favorably.
France Assails Attack.
French Delegate Alexander Parodi
assailed the Dutch attack as "brutal
and shocking.”
M. E. Dening, special British dele
gate, proclaimed Britain's policy in
a speech which opened the Coun
cil's fourth day of debate on the
conflict between the Dutch and the
Indonesian Republic.
Mr. Dening said Britain believes
the Indonesian fighting will lead to
internaional friction and is “npt
convinced that all opportunities for
negotiation were exhausted before
Holland's decision to employ force.’
“The British government deplores
that decision,” he said.
Mr. Parodi said France decided to
abstain because "sentiment should j
not be allowed to take precedence!
over the real question of interna
tional law and rights.”
U. S. Asks Big 4 Talks
On Austria Feb. 7
By tht Associated Press
The United States proposed today
that Britain, Prance, Russia and
this country resume negotiations for
an Austrian peace treaty about Feb
ruary 7 in London.
The proposal was made by Samuel
Reber. a State Department official,
who is chairman of the deputy
group of the Big Four Foreign
Ministers Council which handles all
work on the Austrian pact.
The big issue is setting up a for
mula for determining what proper
ties in Austria that Russians may
claim under their right to seize all
so-called former German assets.
The United States and Britain,
with the co-operation of France,
have opposed any agreement which
would give the Soviet Union an eco
nomic stranglehold on the small
non-Communist Central European
country.
Negotiations have collapsed fre
quently in the past, but each suc
cessive conference has brought the
battling Big Four a little closer to
agreement. The last breakdown
came at London early this year.
A Foreign Office spokesman in
London said Britain has informed
the United States it is agreeable to
today's proposal for resuming talks.
War Menaces World
Again, Pope Says in
Christmas Message
Both Appeasement and
Preparations to Fight
Held Periling Peace
By the Associated Press
VATICAN CITY, Dec. 24.—
Pope Pius XII—drawing a sor
rowful balance for 1948—de
clared today that once again the
world is menaced by war.
The Pontiff said in a Christmas
message to the world that the past
year, which at first had appeared to
be the start of a surge toward true
peace, today "seems instead open
ing upon the edge of a precipice.”
The forces of the world, he said,
are moving toward two opposed
poles both desiring peace but "both
placing it in danger.” The Pope
did not mention Communism by
name, nor allude directly to East
West differences.
Hard Trials for Church.
•‘Some,” he said, “are taking the
old saying, not entirely false, but
which lends itself to misunderstand
ing and is frequently abused, that
‘if you want peace, prepare for
war.' ”
Others, he said, believe they will
find salvation in the formula—peace
at any price. Both sides want peace,
he added, but both endanger it.
War and the postwar years, the
Pontiff said, had brought hard trials
to the Catholic church.
"But, although beaten by tem
pests,” she preserved inviolate her
vital substance, he said.
Hopes for Reunification,
The Pope alluded briefly to the :
Catholic Church hope for reunifica
tion of the Christian faiths. He
said his church "Is anxious to find
the means of hastening that hour j
* * * she is ready for everything; i
foi- everything except one thing;
that she be not asked to gain the.
return of the children who have left j
her—either in the distant past re- i
cently—at the expense of any dimu
nition or tarnishing of the deposit j
of the Christian faith.”
Without mentioning Communism;
by name, the Pope said he is aware
of the “harrowing path” that must
be traveled by members of the
church whom "a public system of:
violence has driven to cut them
selves formally away from the
mother church.”
He urged formation of a com
munity of nations “which is in keep
ing with the will of God.” He ex
pressed hope the United Nations
“would become the full and fault
less expression of this international
solidarity for peace.”
The Pope said the responsibility
of nations is clear.
“Every violator of the law should
be banished in disgrace to solitary
confinement by cityl society as a
disturber of the peace.” he said.
He expressed hope for peace soon
in Palestine. His address lasted
33 minutes.
Yule Message Is 10th.
It was the 10th time the present
Pontiff has given a Christmas mes
sage to the world.
The Pope spoke in reply to Christ
mas greetings offered by the Sacred
College of Cardinals. As in the past,
he addressed his words to the world
at large.
The year 1948, he said, appeared
at first to be one that would lead to
reconstruction and “true peace.”
This hope, he said, has not been
realized.
Moral strength, the Pope said, is
necessary if the world is to advance
with firm step toward peace. Also
necessary, he added, is the “courage
to look truth in the eye.”
He said 1948 appears today to be
a crucial point. Yet, he said, 1948,
despite its anxieties, has not been
entirely barren T>f “rich and en
(See POPE, Page A-4.)
* _
Agriculture Streamlining Plan
Saving 80 Million a Year Urged
Hoover Board Task Force Also Proposes
Consolidation of Conservation Units
The Hoover Commission on
Organization of the executive
branch is expected to recommend
to Congress a thoroughgoing
reorganization of the Agricul
ture Department with resultant
: savings of more than $80,000,000
a year.
The reorganization would elimi
nate overlapping and duplicating
services found by a commission
•’task force" surveying the depart
ment and its services. It would re
sult in a streamlining of the de
partment along functional lines.
The task force report said the
three task forces on agriculture,
natural resources and public works
i all recommended the consolidation
of certain soil conservation, range,
forest and allied services in which
there had been long and wasteful
conflict and overlap between the
services.
The report urged the transfer of
most of the land activities of the
Interior Department to Agriculture
and that most of the water develop
ment activities be placed in a new
conservation department.
The task force called attention to
nine operational deficiencies in the
agricultural department’s present
organization. The commission's rec
' ommendations are said to be 13 in
number, but whether these will be
changed by the time the report
goes to Congress is not known.
The Commission's report is due
January 13. But it was made known
today that a 60-day extension would
be asked of the 80th Congress when
it meets in fianl session Decem
ber 31. There is no doubt that the
extension will be granted.
It is estimated in the task force
report that reorganization of the
Agriculture Department would bring
about an annual saving of $44,320,
000 A consolidation of Govem
rsee~H6dVERTPage A-5.1
Egyp‘ Accuses Israel
Of Truce Violations;
Calls for U. N. Action
Message to Council Says
Jews Unleashed Aerial
Attack December 22
By th« Associated Press
PARIS. Dec. 24.—Egypt for
mally notified the Security Coun
cil today of renewed fighting In
the Negeb area of Palestine and
asked the Council to examine
what it called “flagrant viola
tions” of the truce by Israeli
forces.
A cable from Egypt's Foreign
Minister broke into the Councils
debate on the Indonesian conflict.
It also raised the question of fur
ther sessions on the Palestine situa
tion.
The message said Israeli forces
"unleashed an aerial attack De
cember 22 on Egyptian airdromes at
El Araqa, Rafa and on Khan Yunis
and have bombarded these regions.”
The message added that Faluja
had been the object of repeated
Jewish attacks throughout the day.
Violations Termed Flagrant.
Egypt decided Israel’s action
“constitutes a flagrant violation of
the orders of the Security Council
ordering a cessation of hostilities.”
“I request your excellency,” the
message'said to the Council presi
dent. "to convene the Security
Council to examine the situation
resulting from these repeated viola
tions.”'
Syrian Delegate Faris el Khouri
demanded an immediate hearing on
the complaint, charging that Jewish
forces took advantage of the holi
day season to launch an attack.
The council voted down his re
quest for a Palestine session this
afternoon and Council President
Fernand van Langenhove of Bel
gium suggested the Council could
meet Monday to consider Egypt's
complaint.
Egypt Claims Repulse
Of Attacks by Jews
CAIRO. Egypt, Dec. 24 (^.—Egyp
tians said today they have repulsed
a Jewish land, sea and air attack
against Egyptian positions in South
ern Palestine.
“The enemy paid dearly for jte
i See-PALESTINE, Page A-5.)
In observance of
Christmas Day, The Star
will not be published
tomorrow ,*
_ i
To our readers
we wish a Merry Christmas
and happy holiday
season
Capitol Hill Reaction
Is Varied to Proposed
Military Pay Scale
Comment on New Scale
Ranges From Sympathetic
To Outright Hostile
/Examples of Proposed Service Pay
Raises Shown in Table on
Page A-3.)
By John A. Giles
Capitol Hill reaction to the
proposal to boost military pay
by an average of 15 per cent
ranged today all the way from a
promise of sympathetic consid
eration to outright hostility.
Defense Secretary Forrestal re
ceived the civilian advisory com
mission report, which also included
a proposal that the armed services’
archaic pay system be completely
overhauled. He said the major ob
jectives would ne sent to the Budget
Bureau shortly.
Tydings Promises Consideration.
While the average increases
would be around 15 per cent, actual
raises would vary widely—ranging,
for example, from a 58 per cent in
crease for a brigadier general to r.c
increase for a recruit.
Senator Tydings, Democrat, of
Maryland, who will head the Armed
Services Committee in the new Con
gress, promised “early and sympa
thetic” consideration and added that
he agreed with the report that top
officers had received far fewer wage
increases than enlisted men and
lower ranking officers.
But Senator Johnson. Democrat,
of Colorado, said Congress "will turn
thumbs down on any such pay
boost plan because the' law of sup
ply and demand still works.”
“We have thousands who want to
get into the services as officers andi
we need a million or more privates,”
he added. “We can’t get the million
privates by raising officers’ pay.”
Report Called Helpful.
Senator Langer, Republican, of
North Dakota said he would balk
at raising the pal of “top brass”
and voting little or no increases for
j the lowest grades,
i Senator Morse, Republican, of
! Oregon, an Armed Services Com
mittee member, said he would be
| (See SERVICE PAY, Page A-3.1
Late News
Bulletin
Bishop Creighton Dies
The Right Rev. Frank W.
Creighton, 69, retired Protes
tant Episcopal Bishop of Mich
igan, died today in Doctors
Hospital here. Ill for some
time, he had been in the
hospital for two days. Bishop
Cregihton, who retired last
March, lived in the Westches
ter Apartments here. His son,
the Rev. William F. Creighton,
is rector of St. John’s Episcopal
Church, Bethesda.
Duggan Cleared
On All Counts by
FBI, Clark Says
No Link With Reds
Or Spies Discovered,
Official Reports
BULLETIN
Attorney General Clark said
today that an FBI investiga
tion has produced no evidence
that Laurence Duggan was
connected with the Communist
Party or with any espionage
activity. Mr. Clark said that,
“on the contrary, the evidence
discloses that Mr. Duggan was
a loyal employe of the United
States Government.”
Mr. Clark said that while it
is the Justice Department’s
policy not to comment on the
evidence in its files or on in
terviews made by its agents,
he was deviating from this
rule “to prevent an injustice
being done to the family of a
former employe of the Govern
ment.”
With all available witnesses
heard and mysteries still un
solved, congressional spy hunt
ers were about ready today to
close their 1948 record book but
promised to turn over new leaves
in 1949.
A big question—who copied State
Department secrets for former Com
munist Agent Whittaker Chambers
before the war?—was sharpened,
but unanswered, after a four-hour
interrogation of former Assistant
Secretary of State Francis B. Sayre
and his secretary, Miss Anna Belle
Newcomb, yesterday.
Mr. Sayre said he told the House
Committee on Un-American Ac
tivities that three of the stolen con
fidential messages must have been
stolen from his office in 1938. They
bore his office stamp and could not
have been taken from any other
place, he declared.
Others Distributed.
The rest of the more than 65
documents Mr. Chambers asserted
he got from Alger Hiss, assistant
to Mr. Sayre 10 years ago, were
mimeographed and distributed in
many State Department offices and
were accessible to “innumerable
people," Mr. Sayre explained.
The House committee, Acting
Chairman Mundt indicated, will
have neither the time nor oppor
tunity before January 1 to develop
possible leads as to other sources of
the pilfered messages. He did not
comment on yesterday's executive
session, except to remark there was
“no conflict” between the testimony
of Mr. Sayre and Miss Newcomb.
"The committee now can write its
report on espionage," Mr. Mundt an
nounced: “We have called all the
witnesses we can at this time. The
report will be released early next
week. Of course, it will have a large
section dealing with unfinished
matters we believe the committee
should follow up next year in the
investigation of espionage in Gov
ernment. There also will be a sep
arate statement proposing changes
in committee procedure.
Sayre Suspects Theft.
Mr. Mundt had listed Mr. Sayre,
Miss Newcomb, Mr. Hiss and Miss
Eunice A. Lincoln, then secretary
to Mr. Hiss, as the four persons who
had immediate, direct access to con
fidential fiiles in Mr. Sayre’s office.
Miss Lincoln appeared before the
committee two weeks ago.
After testifying for three hours,
Mr. Sayre told reporteis, "as to the
three documents which bear my of
fice stamp, what Mr. Mundt said is
quite correct. Apart from theft,*
apart from crooked dealing, those
were the four persons who had of
ficial access to those documents.
“I myself am convinced there was
the' . was ifnproper dealing, that a
"T: “SPY INQUIRY, Page A-8.)
r . kley Plans to Spend
„hristmas in Germany
By fht Associated Press
BRUSSELS"! Dec. 24.—Vice Presi
dent-elect Barkley said today he
is going to spend Christmas in Ger
many just to show the airlift crews
and occupation forces the folks back
home are thinking of them.
“I am carrying," he said, “a scroll
from President Truman, which I
will have the pleasure to hand over
to them."
Mr. Barkley stopped off here en
route to Wiesbaden to visit his
daughter, wife of Douglas MacAr
thur, 2d, first secretary and consul
of the American Embassy in Brus
sels.
Sunday Reading . . .
A backward glance at the
globe through 1948, showing
the outbreak of strife and tur
moil like chain reaction In
foreign lands, will be a feature
of the editorial section of The
Sunday Star. Compiled by the
Associated Press, the review
qf history lor the last 12
months is a complete conden
sation of headlined events.
Switzerland, Lothrop Stoddard
points out in another article,
stands out as a lone anchor of .
stability in the shifting econo
mies of Europe.
A roadside shrine’s nativity
scene in nearby Bethesda pro
vides a color cover for The
Star Pictorial Magazine sec
tion, which also has a pictorial
review of 1948.
On the Amusement Page,
Jay Carmody will make his
selection of the 10 best motion
pictures of the year.
The usual complete news
and departmental coverage
will be provided in
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