Evening star., 1936-09-28
SIMPSON GUILTY;
|CETS THREE YEARS
IN GERMAN PRISON
u. S. Seaman Is Convicted
After He Admits Red
Propaganda.
SMUGGLED LITERATURE
OFF S. S. MANHATTAN
Prosecutor Calls Him American
With No Opportunity of Learning
Benefits of Third Reich.
BACKGROUND

BACKGROUND
Taken from an American ressel
in German port When Nast in
spectors found literature in his
cabin which they interpreted to be
anti-Nasi, Laurence Simpson,
American sailor, has been Ian
gushing in German jail for
many months aUdit:ng trial.
When State Department inter.
pention ,Das ineffective, indepen-
dent American efforts 1Dere made to
hare the man freed or hare his
trial fastened. Last Week Secre-
tdry OF State Hull denied that the
department had failed to exercise
sufficient Utgor in the case and
criticized those Uto hare made
blanket accusation OF negligence
against American representatives
abroad.
,Copyrisht 1885, Dy the Associated eressJ
BERLIN, September 28.-Lawrence
Simpson, American seaman. was con-
victed of sedition by the Peoples
Court today and sentenced to three
years in prison-less the "A months
he already has served.
Simpson. sailor on the S. S. Man.
haitian, was convicted in a swift one
day trial, during which he admitted
without reservation that he and three
German Communist friends had tried
to set up a popular front govern
ment in Nazi Germany with three
small balloons and packages of anti
Nazi propaganda.
In pronouncing sentence, the pre-
siding judge warned the slight, some-
vhat-deaf sailor that leniency was
being observed this time, but that
the next foreigner caught attempts
ing to spread Communistic doctrines
in Germany could expect harsh
treatment"
Simpsons German co-defendant,
Bruno RietZ, was sentenced to four
years in prison.
In his frank witneSS-stand narra-
tive, Simpson said his ambitious prop.
aganda venture failed because one
of his associates proved to be spy
for the Gestapo German secret po-
litical police.
Admits Smuggling Literature.
He admitted freely that he repeat
edly brought Communist propaganda
into Germany aboard the S. S. Man.
haitian, on one occasion smuggling
10000 Death to Fascism" stickers
into the Reich.
He testified that when one OF his
German associates asked if he could
get them some balloons for distributing
handbills from the sky. he offered to
| obtain the balloons in New York and,
in fact, brought in three equipped
with fireworks contraption for re-
leasing the handbills.
Simpson, however, disagreed with a
previous witness who told of seeing
some one hand him data on submarine
and aircraft construction. He ex-
planned that the data concerned a
radio which some one had wanted him
to bring from New York.
The only conversation on the SUBJ
ject of submarines, he said. was in
spired by articles in an anti-Fascist
SSIlIld ld1lE 11CNSPdRCL RAOlAoAlCo
in New York.
Being seamen. We always talked
about sea ships" he told the court.
Says 200 of Crew Speak German.
Simpson explained much of the
Communistic material found in his
possession aboard the Manhattan was
intended for use aboard ship, rather
than in Germany.
But you just told us these hand
bills and stickers were in the Ger
man language" interposed the pre-
siding judge, "and that the Manhat-
tan is an American ship"
Yes" the defendant answered, "but
German is the language of about 400
of the crew"
Asked if it was not illegal to dis
tribute Communist propaganda in any
language aboard ship, Simpson re-
piled: Its against the ships regula-
tions. but otherwise there is no
trouble
The seaman said he joined the
Communist party in 1928. Material
which he brought to Germany was
put aboard the ship in New York,
he added. He was not questioned as
to his New York source of supply.
Simpson told his story to a court
consisting of one presiding judge, on
assessor. one high ranking police Of
fcer and two brown-uniformed Nazi
party functionaries, one of whom
wore a furiously bristling grenadier
moustache
Small of build and hollow checked,
the defendant. who awaited trial for
more than IA months, stood clutching
the back of a chair while he testified.
Frequently he leaned forward to
hear the judges questions. He spoke
in fairly fluent German, but had diff.
flculty at times in grasping the pro.
csdure.
At the close of the testimony the
prosecuting attorney recommended
the espionage charge be dropped, as
unsupported by evidence.
Defense attorneys asked for Glenn
ency for Simpson. pleading that as an
(See SIMPSON, Page A-5.)