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STATEMENT OF JAMES K. VARDAMAN, JR. WITH REFERENCE TO THE "AMERASIA" CASE AT THE TIME HE APPEARED BEFORE THE SUB-COMMITTEE OF THE UNITED STATES SENATE INVESTIGATING CHARGES OF COMMUNISM IN THE STATE DEPARTMENT AT 2s30 P.M. ON THURSDAY, JUNE 8, 1950 The Committee did not deem it advisable to grant my request that my testimony in this matter be heard in open session, but has considerately granted me permission to state publicly the substance of my testimony, which was as follows: I reported to the White House as Naval Aide to the President about the 6th of May, 19U5, having come directly from ninety days combat duty in the Philippines and the initial assault and occupation on Okinawa. Prior to that time I had spent three years in hospitals and on combat duty in North Africa, Tunisia, Sicily and Italy, I make this statement to indicate why I was neither interested in nor acquainted with matters other than my Naval and Army duties. Immediately after reporting to the White House, I was assigned the duty of supervising the operations of the "Map Room", of receiving and trans mitting to the President all dispatches, both secret and otherwise, and briefing the President morning, noon and evening on the events of the war then going on both in Europe and the Pacific. I was also responsible for the operation of the Presidential yacht, the Presidential mountain camp and the administration of the Naval Aide’s office, and liaison between the Presidency and the Depart ment of the Navy on naval matters. So far as the so-called Amerasia case is concerned I repeat the state ments which I made to the press on yesterday to the effect that I knew nothing about it at that time, nor do I recall having taken any notice of it until the last several weeks when it has been head-lined in the press. At no time then oi now have I discussed the Amerasia case with anybody except informally during the last several days. At no time have I ever contacted by telephone, by let•£ST\or otherwise any civilian or military officer of the Government in any djOTartment regarding this case. To be more specific, I have not at any time directly or indirectly, any officer or employee of the Navy Depart ment, the State Department, the Department of Justice or the FBI with reference to this case or any similar case. My work as Naval Aide was extremely taxing, requiring constant duty on the jobs pertaining to the office and I did not have at any time during my service as Naval. Aide to the President, any authority or inclination to participate in or interfere with any work other than the specific duties for which the Naval Aide was responsible. If, as reported in the press, Brigadier General Holmes testified that he was under the impression that I had anything whatsoever to do with this case, all I-have to say is that such an impression was not correct and must have been based on misinformation, I am not questioning General Hclmesf intentions or his sincerity, but I simply want to make quite clear that I had nothing whatever to do "with this case at any time.
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