Chambers Says Marbury Defended Hiss Because of 'Caste Violations'

A new twist has been added to the charges that Harvard breeds Communists. Whittaker Chambers has accused William L. Marbury, LL.B. '24, a Fellow of the College, of rallying to the defense of Alger Hiss, LL.B. '29, in a pique of snobbism.

In an article in the Saturday Evening Post, Chambers claims that Marbury, a prominent Baltimore lawyer, supported Hiss because the charges against Hiss represented an attack against "the island of caste."

Chambers wrote, "(Marbury's) unconcealed animus toward me swung . . . from a feeling of violation which he suffered in a caste sense."

Marbury, lawyer for Hiss from the beginning of his trials, refused comment yesterday on any of the charges.

Chambers continued: "It was as if a loathsome interloper (myself) had climbed like a thief into one of those beautiful old brick-welled Baltimore gardens or into Harvard yard italics are Chambers (Marbury is a Harvard Overseer) (sic) and there perpetrated a disgusting outrage by making a monstrous charge against Alger Hiss--a charge which was automatically monstrous not only be-because it touched a friend but because it let the excluded world peep inquisitively over Marbury's cherished walls."

In an earlier article Chambers also berated Hiss himself for playing the role of Harvard man in a haughty manner at a preliminary hearing. Chambers noted that Hiss, while testifying, asked the Congressional committee:

"May I interrupt at this point, because I take it that this will take more than ten or fifteen minutes? Would it be possible for one of the Committee to call the Harvard Club and leave word that I won't be there for a six o'clock appointment?"