Evening star., 1923-07-07
GERMAN PATENTS
HEARING DRAGS ON
Court Asks Explanation of
Theories in Suit Over Chem
icaI Foundation Deal.

WILMINGTON, Del, July FED
eral Judge Morris has continued his
efforts to obtain full exposition of the
various theories and contentious
which have been raised, more partic-
ularly by the government. in the trial
OF the suit of the United States to
nullify the sale Of seized enemy pat
ents to the Chemical Foundation by
the alien property custodian.
Judge Morris declared 1t seemed to
him that the case at issue was unique
and that IL he was thoroughly to un-
derstand it he must be helped, ex-
planning that his questions TO counsel
indicated no conclusion on his part.
Agreeing that the case was unique,
Special Assistant Attorney General An
derson said he might ask that the gov
ernment regards it as q matter affect
ing its national and international
rights and duties and one of the
most important litigations instituted
for some time"
Defense Testimony Introduced.
The cross-examination of one addi-
tional witness. Joseph II. Choate. jr..
general counsel for the Chemical
Foundation. was completed yesterday
and a third witness for the defense
was called. He was DIR. Ernest H.
NOlWlISr SnlCaSO ana was the HTSI
of several chemists the defense will
put on the stand to support its con-
tention that at least a number of
the enemy patents in themselves
were not of great value because of
the research work necessary to make
possible their use by American man
ufacturers.
The defense also was able to get
nto the record the letter written to
A. Mitchell Palmer as alien property
:. II ~
Grayson on April II, 1919. at the time
Admiral Grayson was at the Paris
peace conference as personal physi-
clan to the then President Woodrow
Wilson. The letter dealt with Mr..
Palmer's report as custodian, a copy
of which Mr. Palmer handed to Ad-
miral Grayson before President Will
sons party sailed for Paris on March
4, 1919. 1t was excluded at the time it
was offered during the testimony of
Mr.. Palmer.
Extract From the Letter.
Unfortunately" the letter said,
"the President did not get an opportu-
nifty to read IL (the reporO on the
George Washington, as he was sick
part of the time coming over. and he
was confronted with such an acc1I-
mutation of correspondence and OFF,
| cial documents that 1t was impos-
! sible for him to examine your re-
/ port. However. I told him in detail
| about the contents. and he agreed
! that 1t was an important accomplish
| ment"
| In this report Mr.. Palmer gave de-
1 tails of the seizing OF the German
patents and of the organization OF
the Chemical Foundation to take
| them over, explaining that it was
! the purpose TO develop and protec,
/ the dye and chemical industry of the
! United States.
| Other Documents i'm Record.
| Other documents put into the rec
| ord by the defense included records
! of sales of seized patents to the gov
ernment by the alien property Gus
| todian, One assigned II patents for
! $500: another "a patents for s1.1s0,
! and still another assigned ~ patents
! for $4,000. The documents were Of
/ fered as bearing on the value of the
seized patents at the time these
| transfers were made during and i'm
mediately following the war.
| The trial of the case has entered
| upon the fourth week.