Supporting
Affidavit of Paul Willert
PAUL
WILLERT, being duly sworn, deposes and says:
1.
I live at 14 Halsey Street, London, S.W.3. and am a business
executive. I am a British subject by birth and was educated
at Eton and later at Balliol College, Oxford, where I took
the degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1930. Thereafter I was employed
in publishing and journalism in Germany and later in England.
In the year 1936 I went to New York as Vice-President and
Manager of the Oxford University Press. I stayed in the United
States of America until July 1939, when I returned to England
where, after the declaration of war, I was employed by the
British Government
on war service in France. In January 1941, I joined the Royal
Air Force with which I served until 1946, when I was demobilised
with the rank of Group-Captain, Air Attache, Paris.
2.
I first met the gentleman known to me as David Chambers when
he came to me as a possible translator of Martin Gumpert's
book "Dunant: the Red Cross." He was strongly anti-communist
and, in fact, described himself as a victim of communist persecution.
According to the best of my recollection and belief that first
meeting occurred at the end of 1937 or at the very beginning
of 1938. In order to substantiate these statements I say as
follows:
3.
(a) Martin Gumpert's book was completed towards the end of
the year 1937 and as the author neared the completion of his
work, parts of the manuscript were handed to Mrs. Rita Reil
for translation. Her translation proved unsatisfactory. Accordingly,
I asked the then editor of the Oxford University Press, Philip
Vaudrin, for another translator, and he brought Chambers to
me. I understood that Vaudrin had known Chambers in the past
and met him again shortly before.
4.
After my first meeting with Chambers I saw him on several
occasions, both in my office and at my house. I remember that
on one or two occasions I took him out for lunch or for a
drink. I was impressed by his knowledge, his gift of languages
and intelligence. I was also sorry for him because he was
so clearly near a nervous breakdown and out of luck. On the
occasions of his visits to my office I mainly discussed his
translation with him or handed him parts of the manuscript
for translation. In the course of these discussions Chambers
expressed violent anti-communist views and explained to me
that he was in fear of his life as he was being hunted by
the G. P. U. He gave me the impression of being hysterical
and suffering from persecution mania. I remember that this
topic was raised on what was one of his first visits to my
office. I then happened to have a manuscript on my table which
Chambers saw and which he said was written by an author who
adhered to communism which he (Chambers) stated he abhorred.
During my talks with Chambers it became clear to me that he
was very familiar with communist thought and activities in
Europe and he talked about communist leaders in Europe, particularly
in Germany, Holland, France and Belgium in a manner which
left no doubt in my mind that he was personally acquainted
with them and had in fact been in Europe in recent years.
5.
I have been shown copies of the Oxford University Press correspondence
attached to the motion for a new trial in the Hiss case and
observe from these papers that on the 18th March 1938 the
Oxford University Press sent a parcel containing parts of
the manuscript to Chambers at Baltimore, that on the 23rd
March 1938 I wrote to the Oxford University Press in London:
"I am sending you a set of galleys" and that the translation
was completed towards the end of May 1938. From this I can
say that Chambers must have been given the translation a considerable
time before the 18th March 1938. If the whole of the manuscript
had been sent to Baltimore that day I could not possibly have
expected Chambers to complete the translation by May. Moreover,
I would not have sent the whole manuscript to Chambers without
first receiving the test translations. Since I remember giving
part of the manuscript to Chambers in my office, the parcel
despatched on the 18th March 1938 must have contained a subsequent,
and probably the last, installment. These facts support my
general recollection to the effect that my first meeting with
Chambers must have occurred at the time mentioned in paragraph
2 hereof.
6.
The correspondence referred to above also enables me to say
(and this is in accordance with my own recollection) that
after the 18th March 1938 I was unable to reach Chambers for
about six weeks. Since I do not remember having seen him at
any time after the receipt by the Oxford University Press
of the completed translation, I am sure that all personal
discussions with him which I have described in paragraph 4
hereof took place before the 18th March 1938 and that it was
well before that date that he told me that he was in hiding
from the G. P. U. Up to the time of Chambers' disappearance
I thought, as I have stated above, that he was under a delusion
when he talked about communist persecution, but as a result
of his strange disappearance I was obliged to take his explanations
seriously.
Sworn
to before me this 14th
day
of March 1952 at
10, Norfolk Street,
Strand,
London, England.
JOHN
NEWTON
Notary
Public, London.
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