TESTIMONY BY F.B.I. DIRECTOR

Press, Volume LXXXVI, Issue 26030, 6 February 1950, Page 7

TESTIMONY BY F.B.I. DIRECTOR

In Washington, the Director of the F. 8.1. (Mr J. Edgar Hoover) tola senators to-day that he had evidence that Fuchs had data about the hydrogen bomb as well as key information about the atomic bomb. This is reported, by the Washington correspondent of the Associated Press. Mr Hoover testified for three hours at a secret meeting of the Senate Appropriations Sub-committee which is investigating Justice Department requests for funds. , Three members of the sub-commit-tee said later that the British arrest "may uncover atomic spying operations far bigger than those of the Caandian ring which was broken lour years ago.” A member of the Congressional Atomic Energy Committee and a “high Government official” told the Washington correspondent of the United Press that the committee heard evidence about ari alleged confession. Senator Tom Connally, who is a member of the committee, said that the committee "heard evidence about

■ a traitor who delivered to Russia vital secrets of the atomic bomo." Other senators, outlining Mr i Hoover’s evidence* to the Senate sub- ; committee, said that Mr Hoover gave L a graphic account of leakages of I atorriic secrets, and asked for funds to hire 700 mere employees, including • about 300 new F. 8.1. agents, to tighten . security on the nation’s top secrets. > Mr Hoover is reported to have given . the sub-committee extensive information on the whole Communist spy set- . up in the United States. Senators. who heard him said that t " they were convinced that the Russians. ’ » through agents, had been able to speed ; up their timetable for making tfie atomic bomb “by many months,” and they feared that they had also been 1 able to advance the development of a 1 hydrogen bomb. 5 Mr Hoover disclosed that his agents ■ were still making inquiries into the 1 Fuchs case. He said that the F. 8.1. "in the fullest i co-operation with the British authorit ties, had been working on the case for t 10 months.”