Evening star., 1936-07-23
FARNSWORTH HELD
ON INDICTMENT
Grand Jury Speeds Es-
pionage Case Against
Former Navy Officer.

The District grand jury this after
noon indicted John S. Farnsworth
former Navy lieutenant commander
for allegedly communicating confiden-
tial information concerning national
defense to Japan.
Moving with extraordinary speed,
Assistant United States Attorney
Samuel F. Beach presented his case
against the officer to the grand jury
in less than two hours and had the
formal indictment drawn and ready
for presentation to Justice Oscar r
Luhring of District Court when he
came to the bench at 80 pm.
Two Charges Made.
The indictment contains two counts
one charging Farnsworth with giving
to the japanese government conf
Dental Navy publication entitled
The Service of Information and Sc
curity." The other count charges that
he attempted to transmit the publica-
ton to the japanese government. The
agent of Japan with whom Farms
worth is charged with dealing was not
named.
Farnsworth allegedly took the PAM
phlet from the War Department desk
of Lieut.. Comdr. Leslie G. Gehres on
August /, 1884.
Conviction of the offense charged
by the grand jury today carries a
maximum penalty of 20 years impris-
onment
Section of United States Statutes.
Farnsworth was indicted under Sec
tion 80, title so. United States Stat
utes. which provides:
Whoever, with intent or reason to
believe that 1t is to be used to the
injury of the United States or to the
advantage of foreign nation, COM
municateS, delivers or transmits. or
attempts to. or aids or induces an
other to communicate, deliver or trans
NIT, to any foreign government, or tc
any faction or party or military or
naval force within a foreign country
whether recognized or unrecognized by
the United States, or to any represent
ative, officer, agent, empoye, sub
ject or citizen thereof, either directly
or indirectly. any document, writing,
code book, signal book, sketch, photo
Photographic negative, blue print
plan, map, model, note, instrument
appliance, or information relating tc
the national defense, shall be pun.
ished by Imprisonment for not more
than 20 years"
Other witnesses who testified, ir
addition to Gehres were Lieut.. Comdr
Edward A. Mitchell, who was to tell
the jurors that the publication
Farnsworth is alleged to have taken
is confidential; Fulton Lewis, jr.
newspaper correspondent, who will
tell OF the sensational statements he
claims the former officer made to him
in an effort to sell a story on his
life; A. r. Rosen, Federal Bureau
of Investigation agent; Miss Grace
Jameson, employe of the Joseph
Abel photoStat concern in the Ma
tional Press Building, who will be
asked to tell of Farnsworth's trips to
that Office, where he supervised the
photostating of papers he brought
there.
Comdr. Ernest Gregor Small ano
Comdr Rosen have been investigating
the case for more than a year.
Beach, who was called back from
his vacation yesterday to handle the
case, said he expected to spend the
sx,k -
Only Two Hours Needed.
Il don't think it will take me more
than two hours to lay all my evidence
before the jury" said Beach this
morning. after a night spent in porting
over voluminous Justice Department
reports.
The alleged disclosure of plans of
(See FARNSWORTH, Page 2.)