The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-05-30
THE CASE OF D. BELLUssI
New York, N. Y.

New York, N. Y.
Dear comrades:
Is it true that the l. L. D. failed
to defend D. Bellussi for whom the
NonPartissn Labor Defense is hold
ing an anti-fascist dinner for the
purpose of raising funds to send
Bellussi to Costa Rica, instead of
Italy where he awaits penalty as an
anti-fascist?
Dear Comrade:
I have just had brought to my
attention a copy of letter sent
to the Daily Worker by a "Y.C.L. 'er"
asking if the LID. defended D. Bel
lussi, member of the Communist
Party Opposition, arrested for de-
portation in Philadelphia.
The international Labor Defense
did defend this worker from the very
inception of his case. Bellussi was
arrested in Wilkes-Barre, Pa, some
time in July, 1888. An LID. at
torney was Immediately assigned to
the case. Later BelIussi was trans
ferred to Gloucester, New Jersey,
and another I. L. D. attorney was
appointed to handle the case from
that point.
The Philadelphia District of the
I. L. D. decided to wage a defense
campaign around the Bellussi case,
and since a number of Trotzkyites
were concerned about the case, it
was decided that any assistance
from them would be accepted. The
I. L. D. dealt with them through an
appointed representative. After the
first hearing was held and the de-
portation order was issued, the queS-
ton of finances to carry an appeal
to the Department of Labor at
Washington was raised and the
Trotzkyites promised to raise part
of the necessary funds. At this time
they raised total of ST, which they
refused to turn over to the I. L. D.,
stating that they could not trust
the organization, whereupon they
were promptly expelled from the I.
L. D. office.
The Trotzkyites then began a Sc
rieS of disruptive actions and at
tempted to deal directly with LID.
attorneys in which endeavor they
succeeded in causing great deal
of confusion which directly ham
pered the interests of the defendant
in the case.
The International Labor Defense
itself raised the money necessary
to carry through the appeal and the
Italian Branch of the I. L. D. par
ticularly was active in conducting
mass activities around the case.
When Miss Perkins upheld the
deportation order, the I. L. D. took
out a writ of habeas corpus and
appealed the case to the United
States Circuit Court While this &C
ton was pending, the Trotzkyites,
continuing their disruptive actions,
went to the American Civil Liberties
Union and asked that organization
to make an appeal for voluntary de-
parture, thus deliberately harning
the success of the appeal to the
United States Circuit Court. The
appeal was lost and the deportation
order was final. Legally the case
was closed from that point, al
though the possibilities for voluntary
departure remained open.
At the present time the Trotzky-
ties and number of other rene
gade groups are slandering the I
L. D. with false statements that the
I. L. D. did not defend Bellussi, etc
The facts of the case are that the
I. L. D. was the only organization
working in defense Of Bellussi, while
the Trotzkyites conducted sabotage
and disruption to the defense strug-
gle.
Recently, the American Workers
Party, headed by A. j. Music, is
sued statement on the case APP
pealing for attendance at dinner
in support of Bellussi in which il
was declared that "Bellussi appealed
! to the International Labor Defense