Evening star., 1934-06-17
'H|TLER'S MUSICAL
AIDE DODGES REDS
DR.. HanfstaengI Arrives in
u. S. to Attend Harvard
Reunion.
Ry the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
NEW YORK, June 16.-Dr. Ernest
Franz Hanfstaengl, piano-playing aide
OF Adolf Hitler, arrived from Germany
on the Europa today for a Harvard
class reunion and found 1.500 Com
munists waiting for him at the pier.
He was taken by tug to another
pier. however. and thence by auto
mobile to the One Hundred and
Twenty-fifth street railroad station,
with a police escort, to entrain for
Boston.
Eighty-five police held the Com
munists at a distance. The Com
munists carried banners of denuncia-
ton. but it was a hot day and they
were visibly wilted.
Pro-Nazi elements also were re-
ported to be centering about the pier,
but the only disturbance occurred
when a well-dressed young man at
tempted to make a speech against
the Communists. Police hustled him
away.
Had Diplomatic Tongue.
In an interview on the ship,
Hanfstaengl had diplomatic tongue
and smile for everybody. He talked
freely but said little.
One question he answered quickly
was as to whether he had been con-
nected with the Black Tom explosion
in 1916, reputedly the result of Ger
man sabotage. HanfstaengPS name
has been reported linked to it in a
recent affidavit by James Larkin, Irish
radical.
II have been wondering myself what
| a foolish story that was" said Han
| fstaengl, in imperfect German with a
slightly oxford accent.
There was a man named Hans
| Stengel who committed suicide.
There might have been a mix-up in
names.
| THE confusion of names must be
the explanation, because I can't i'm
| agine that they have all gone crazy
I never heard of Larkin."
Hanfstaengl is a huge, bulky man
6 feet inches in height, with
prominent nose and chin and ruddy
complexion. He wore a black and
| white striped suit, black and white
tie in larger stripes, yellowish soft
collared shirt, and a careless air.
| Expresses Optimism.
Seated in the upper restaurant of
the ship as she noSed her way up the
bay, he lodged many questions as
political" He said he was an "opti-
mist" about the meeting of Chancellor
Hitler and Premier Mussolini in Italy,
| that he felt optimistic about the situ-
alton in Europe in general, and Ger
many in particular.
"All normal, no war" he declared.
I'm an optimist and I don't believe
! in war"
will the present German regime
last?" he was asked.
Absolutely"
| He said there was plenty Of work
in Germany, the unemployment stu
alton is improving from week to week,
and things are much better"
| Many questions ne responded to by
saying:
My dear friends, want a vaca-
| ton. have run away from hard
work, and I don't want to 60 into a
steam bath here .. Go over and look
| the situation over with your own
| eyes
Putty" Hanfstaengl, as he was
known at Harvard, said he had come
here on his own initiative solely to
attend the reunion of his 1909 class.
Il missed the 10-year reunion and
the 15-year," he said. This time
had to get here by hook or crook
! and did,
Lost Money on Carpenter.
Hanfstaengl said he left this coun-
try in 1921. "the day dear old Car
| pentier lost his bout, and also lost a
| lot of money" He had little to say
about his association with Hitler ex-
cept for the piano playing.
mo, I'm glad he doesn't call me