6/5-6/11/49

6/5 Sunday Split with Bert Hellman at St. James. Then, we taxied up to Woodlawn to spend the afternoon with Pop. We had a delicatessen supper and Sylvia ate some corned beef and salami baked beans. She didn't like the cole slaw.

6/6 Members of the Polish ship Batory's crew were questioned in an effort to discover how Eisler escaped. Max Perlow Furniture Union leader left the C.P. in order to sign a non-Communist affadavit and retain his union post. He asserted his Marxist faithfulness. An Englishman in Warsaw, G. C. Bidwell renounced his citizenship and became a Pole, to fight for peace. Phyllis Bentley, the "Spy Queen" named more Soviet couriers. These included Prof. Kazakevich and Cedric Belfrage.

Looks like Dad confused his Bentley's; Elizabeth Bentley was the famous spy, Phyllis Bentley was a novelist.

6/7 Chambers named Henry Julian Wadleigh as a second source of State Dep't. documents for transmission to Russia. Chambers himself was grilled as to many irregular facts about his life and family, such as an insane grandmother, a suicide brother, his own erotic poetry and nervous breakdown etc. Several war time defence workers testified before the "UnAmerican Comm." that a Russian agent Schevchenko paid them to give him secret data. They claimed Byrnes prevented the agent's arrest when they informed on him. Byrnes issued a denial. Zilliacus and Solley were formally expelled from the Labor Party. An American Negro in Prague, James M Robinson has decided to become a Czech. citizen. Hundreds of dock workers picketed and occupied Ryan's office in protest against "Jim Crow" in the Union. Ryan supporters counter picketed then attacked the other pickets, the police breaking up the melee.

6/8 Sylvia can hardly wait until she can go to school by herself in the morning in addition to the afternoon. Eugene went to bed very woebegone when he was refused permission to stay up for the "Mystery Theatre". 54 persons including many children perished when a plane from Puerto Rico plunged into coastal waters. Judith Coplon's trial revealed Russia got atomic devices in 1947 but future shipments were barred. A $19000 Columbia U. payroll was stolen by two thugs from two Wells Fargo guards. The left wing Amer. Jewish Labor Council and J.P.F.O. were expelled from the A.J.C. for not supporting parent policy.

6/9 Eugene got 90% in an Arithmetic test. Sylvia wants to know what a test is. Four Russian officers routed several hundred German railroad strikers who had invaded railroad headquarters. A group of prominent educators led by Eisenhower and James Conant declared that Communists should not be allowed to teach. F.B.I. reports supposed to have been found in Judith Coplon's purse named many Hollywood figures as "Reds". The list included the Fredric Marches E.G. Robinson Dot Parker, Donald O. Stewart R McKenny, Albert Maltz, Alvah Bessie, Dalton Trumbo Millen Brand, Michael Blankfort. Also Canada Lee, Daniel Marsh, Clyde Miller, Norman Cousins etc. Chambers admitted he had perjured himself many times in the trial where Alger Hiss is charged with perjury.

6/10 Gates at the trial admitted several lies under oath but claimed they were justified as when he had to get a passport to fight in Spain. Chambers named five sources for gov't documents which were supposed to be relayed to Russia. The five were the late H.D. White, V. Reno, W. Pigman, H.J. Wadleigh and A. Hiss. The Army barred Gordon Clapp former T.V.A. head for a special assignment in Germany.

6/11 Mrs. Chambers testified she was hostess to the Hisses a year after Hiss had claimed he had last seen Chambers. At the Coplon trial two War Dep't aides were named as suspected spies who had been checked by the F.B.I. We went to the Paradise to see "Take Me Out to the Ball game" with Frankie Sinatra Esther Williams & Gene Kelly. Also "I Shot Jesse James" with Preston Foster and John Ireland. Sylvia paid little attention to the pictures. Afterwards we had supper at Bickford's.