Miss GRIER. I decline to answer that question, sir. Mr. KUNZIG. Are you aware Mr. VELDE. Mr. Counsel Miss GRIER. No, sir. Mr. VELDE. The committee has ample evidence to prove the statement in your last question Mr. KUNZIG. Yes. Mr. VELDE. Is that not so? Mr. KUNZIG. It is a matter of public record; yes, sir. Mr. Frankfeld was recently convicted under the Smith Act with the Baltimore leaders of the Communist Party. Mr. CLARDY. I couldn't make that out, Counsel. Would you please repeat it? Mr. KUNZIG. Mr. Frankfeld was recently convicted under the Smith Act with the Baltimore leaders of the Communist Party. Mr. SCHERER. I didn't hear it. Will you read it again? Mr. KUNZIG. I said Mr. CLARDY. Counsel, it isn't your fault. A little noise interrupts in the middle of 1 or 2 of your words. I got it the second time, but he didn't. Mr. KUNZIG. I said Mr. Frankfeld was recently convicted under the Smith Act with the Baltimore leaders of the Communist Party. Miss Grier, when you resided in Seattle, were you a member of the Communist Party? Miss GRIER. I decline to answer that question, sir, on the same grounds. Mr. KUNZIG. When you left Seattle, Wash., to come to Washington, D. C., to accept your position with the Air Force, were you informed by Phil Frankfeld to contact Martin Chancey-C-h-a-n-c-e-y-of the Communist Party in the District of Columbia with reference to continuing your work and membership in the Communist Party? Miss GRIER. I decline to answer that question, sir, on the same grounds. Mr. KUNZIG. Did you ever know- Miss GRIER. I am sorry. Mr. CLARDY. If you would keep your voice up a little, it would be helpful. Mr. KUNZIG. Did you ever know Martin Chancey? Miss GRIER. I decline to answer that question, sir, on the same grounds. Mr. KUNZIG. Will the chairman let the record show there is sworn testimony before this committee that in February 1943, Martin Chancey was secretary of the Communist Party of the District of Columbia? That has been testified by Mary Stalcup-S-t-a-1-c-u-p-who served as an undercover agent for the FBI for 7 years in Washington, D. C. Mr. VELDE. The record will so indicate. Mr. KUNZIG. Miss Grier-———— Mr. MOULDER. At this juncture "Mr. KUNZIG. Isn't it true 1 This individual testified under her married name, Mary Staleup Markward, July 11, 1951. Mr. MOULDER. I suggest you repeat the question after you have iden tified the person. Mr. KUNZIG. Pardon. Mr. MOULDER. I suggest that you repeat your question after you have properly identified the person you are inquiring about— Mr. KUNZIG. Yes. Mr. MOULDER. As to whether or not she was acquainted with him. Mr. KUNZIG. That is just what I was going to do, sir. Miss Grier, as to this Martin Chancey, to whom we were just referring, to whom I have just alluded, isn't it true-I will repeat the question that you knew Martin Chancey and that you reported to him when you came here to Washington for "duty" as a member of the Communist Party? Miss GRIER. I decline to answer that question, sir, on the same grounds. Mr. KUNZIG. Isn't it true that when you left Seattle, Wash., the Communist Party transferred your membership from Seattle to Washington, D. C.? Miss GRIER. I also decline to answer that question, sir, on the same grounds. Mr. KUNZIG. Now, you came here to work with the Air Force; is that correct Miss GRIER. That is so. Mr. KUNZIG. First? Miss GRIER. That is correct. Mr. KUNZIG. Now, when you were working for the Air Force, were you a member of the Communist Party? Miss GRIER. I decline to answer that question, sir, on the same grounds. Mr. KUNZIG. Then, I believe you said the work was transferred over to the Navy Department in Hydrographic? Miss GRIER. That is correct. Mr. KUNZIG. Now, when you were working for the Navy Department, would you tell this committee whether you were a member of the Communist Party? Miss GRIER. I will decline to answer that question on the same grounds. Mr. MOULDER. Does the record show the period of that employment? Miss GRIER. Yes, sir. Mr. KUNZIG. It is already in the record. Mr. MOULDER. All right. Mr. SCHERER. While you were working for the Air Force in the Navy Department, Miss Grier, did you have any classified or confidential information under your control? Miss GRIER. Not under my control because I was the library research person. Are you Mr. Jackson? Mr. SCHERER. No; I am Scherer. Miss GRIER. Scherer. However, the reports which the people prepared in the unit for which I served as librarian were confidential. Mr. SCHERER. Well, did you have access to those reports, then? Miss GRIER. In the office; yes. They were being written there. 35203-53-——2 Mr. SCHERER. Now, did you ever transfer any of that confidential information or classified information to any person? Miss GRIER. I did not, sir. Mr. SCHERER. Did you ever transfer any of that information to any member of the Communist Party or any functionary of the Communist Party? Miss GRIER. Indeed not, sir. Mr. VELDE. Well, I might ask, too: Did you ever have any of the classified information in your possession? Miss GRIER. Never outside the office, sir. Mr. VELDE. Well, did you have inside the office? Miss GRIER. All of us worked in collating it, getting it together. You mean in my hands? Mr. VELDE. Yes; that is right. Miss GRIER. Oh, yes; in that it would come in-putting these things together, in getting them ready to send-and, obviously, I would have helped handle them along with everybody else who was in the room at that time. Mr. VELDE. Then you carried knowledge of the information contained in this classified material? Miss GRIER. I had obtained material from the library to provideMr. VELDE. I am sorry. I can't understand you. Miss GRIER. I had brought the material from libraries to help the people who write it provide that information. Of course, I knew to some extent what was in-I did not help write it, but I went out and got the materials for them. Mr. MOULDER. You got it. Mr. VELDE. Well, laying aside the fact you got it, you said you had never transferred any information of a classified nature to anyone, as I understand it? Miss GRIER. That's correct. Mr. VELDE. But are you speaking now of the physical document itself or the knowledge that you gained from this? Miss GRIER. I am speaking of both, sir, in fact. Mr. VELDE. And you never talked to anyone regarding the information that you obtained as a result of reading or furnishing this classified information? Miss GRIER. Never, sir. That was very involved. In fact, that is what was confidential about most of these thins is the material I might have obtained. Mr. VELDE. Well, I am not trying to catch you but, of course, you must have, in preparing this information, talked to somebody about it, or Miss GRIER. We only would discuss it, sir, in the office. I never discussed it with anyone outside of the office, nor in any other way handled it. I wish to reply to you as fully as I can, Mr. Velde, because I feel quite that that is an important thing for people working, not only in time of war but in time of peace, with American military matters. Not only must one be careful in regard to conversation or otherwise about certain aspects of it, but in military campaigns you've got to be very careful even in hunting this material not-for people not to know what you are hunting about, as you can-as you probably very well know. Mr. SCHERER. It was highly confidential; wasn't it? Miss GRIER. By Mr. SCHERER. The work you were familiar with was highly confidential, as you just explained? Miss GRIER. "Confidential" is a regular term applied in the Navy, sir, to certain types of documents and work that one is doing. There are classification schedules. That is one of them, and reports which my unit prepared were confidential. Mr. SCHERER. Now, has the question been asked the witness yetI may have missed it-whether she today is a member of the Communist Party? Mr. KUNZIG. No. Mr. SCHERER. Can I ask that question? Miss GRIER. Yes. Mr. KUNZIG. Yes. Mr. SCHERER. Are you today a member of the Communist Party? Miss GRIER. I am not. Mr. KUNZIG. Have you at any time in the past been a member of the Communist Party? Miss GRIER. I decline to answer that question, sir, on the grounds of my constitutional privileges and the fifth amendment. Mr. CLARDY. Counsel, I want to go back to the subject we got switched off on the last series of questions that was asked. As I understand it, you did have in your physical possession and you did understand from the mental standpoint the contents of confidential documents of various kinds. I am correct in that understanding; am I not? Miss GRIER. At one time, sir, the work was done by the Oceanographic Unit. Mr. CLARDY. There were what? Miss GRIER. At one time, sir, that was handled and prepared by the Oceanographic Unit. Mr. CLARDY. All right, in that category, at least, you did come in possession, in an understanding way, of information that could have been transmitted by you or anyone else who came in contact with it, whether it was so actually transmitted or not? That is true also; isn't it? Miss GRIER. That is true. Mr. CLARDY. Now, do I understand from your testimony that you are saying, however, that you at no time made any copy, either in whole or in part, of any of the material that came to your attention? Miss GRIER. Indeed I am, sir. Mr. CLARDY. And that Miss GRIER. Excuse me. I made no copy, whole or in part, other than is required in the work of the office there. Mr. CLARDY. And you carried with you from the office no copy of such material? Miss GRIER. I did not, sir. Mr. CLARDY. Did you ever at any time after leaving the office, however, record from memory the substance, if not the exact wording, of some information that may have come to your attention while you were on the job? Miss GRIER. I have not, sir, nor, I am afraid, could I. Mr. CLARDY. Did you ever transmit without recording it in physical form any of the information that came to your attention-and by transmit I mean by word of mouth, by sign, or by any other method any of the information which came to your attention and to your knowledge while you were employed? Miss GRIER. I have not, sir, nor would I. Mr. CLARDY. Were you ever interrogated by anybody concerning any of that information? Miss GRIER. I was not, sir. Mr. CLARDY. Do you have any recollection of ever having attended any Communist meeting, however, during the period of time you were so employed? Miss GRIER. I decline to answer that question, sir. Mr. CLARDY. Now, I am talking about the period of time you had access to this confidential information. I will rephrase my question so it will be understandable: During that time that you had access to this confidential information, did you attend any Communist meeting or meetings anywhere? Miss GRIER. I decline to answer that question, sir, on the grounds of my constitutional rights under the fifth amendment. Mr. CLARDY. Were you during that same period acquainted with anyone who, to your knowledge, was a member of the Communist Party? Miss GRIER. I decline to answer that question, sir, on the same grounds. Mr. SCHERER. Miss Grier, I asked you before whether or not you were a member of the Communist Party at the present time and your answer was "No," and in reply to Mr. Kunzig's question you declined to answer whether or not you had ever been a member of the Communist Party. Now, let me ask you this question: Are you a Communist today, without reference to being a party member? Miss GRIER. I am not, sir. Mr. SCHERER. I see. Were you a member of the Communist Party or were you a Communist in the year 1952? Miss GRIER. I decline to answer that question, sir, on the same grounds. Mr. SCHERER. Were you a member of the Communist Party or a Communist last month? Miss GRIER. I decline to answer that question, too, sir, on the same grounds. Mr. SCHERER. Were you a Communist or a member of the Communist Party yesterday? Miss GRIER. I will decline to answer that on the same grounds, sir. Mr. SCHERER. I have no further questions. Mr. KUNZIG. But today-today you are not a member of the Com munist Party? Miss GRIER. I am certainly not, sir. Mr. KUNZIG. And was to yesterday Mr. VELDE. What was that? I didn't get the answer. Mr. KUNZIG. "I am certainly not, sir." But as of yesterday you decline to answer; is that not correct? |