The Waterbury Democrat., 1937-11-23


 The meetings are held at the New York Turnverein, on Lexing- ton Avenue at Eighty-fifth Street. It was reassuring to find a Ger man restaurant with red-checked tablecloths at the front of the building, and as I passed I could see Q little orchestra and walters rushing around with steins of beer. The entrance to the hall where the meeting was to be held was on Eighty fifth Street, around the corner from the res- taurant. Just inside six men were standing in e line. They wore Sam Browne belts over gray shirts trimmed with black, black forage caps resembling the Le- gion'S, and black trousers, I joined the line of pleasant, middle-aged Germans who were shuffling by them in single file toward the door, where O uniformed man sat At 0 card table. In exchange for fifteen cents he gave each one Q little green ticket like those at the movies.
 Admission Fec
 He took my fifteen cents as readily as if I were Q Na2i. Yet he must have known that I was not c member, for without change of expression he handed me Q paper marked Application for Membership" It stated that the initiation fee was a dollar, that monthly dues were seventy-five coNts, and It's first sentence read, II am of Aryan origin, free from Jewish or colored blood"
 Inside the door, looked around. The hall was rectangular. At tho back was c linc of uni- formed men who stood with their hinds behind them and stared riRidly forward at hAlf-empty rows of seats which extended to Q platform at the from. Some of tho men wore spectacles, Many Wure not young and their coatless uniforms and snug-fitting trou- seys revealed tho saggingly bulg- ing contours of middle age. On tho platform was e narrow ros- trum, Q brown swastika painted on It's front. On the wall behind 1t was the shield of the United states to the right and Q swastika to the left. Nearby was c door, It's glass top suggesting that 1t led to an office. Tho lower half of the walls were panelled in green- stained wood; tho upper half, on each of the two sides, held an Identical mural. In each 0 hound, was about to bring down e fleeing stag and c red-coated hunter !n the distance was bounding over 6 hill on his steed. Near tS.e rostrun was an electric phonograph--a small, boxiike model, attached by an eleetrie-light cord to Q socket in tho wall.
 .u Cheerful CllnkS
 Tho lighting was rather dim but the atmosphere was cheerful, per- haps because one could hear the elink of glasses. tho lulllng fnur. Inur Of voices, and the strains of tho violin in the restaurant. did not realize in what easy coni- anunication we were with the fes- taurant until c man with Q han- diebar inustache waddled to 1t: tie panel in the rear wall and tapped on 1t. A waiter opened 1t and presently handed the man Q stein of beer.
 I was about to follow the same procedure when a young man in civilian clothes handed me his card, clicked his heels, and bowed. "You are not member?" he asked. I explained that was c reporter, and read the name on his card. It was James Wheeler HILL" l asked why he had so British e name and so German an accent. and he replied with pleasant finality, Tt Is just a habben so."
 The meeting, he said, would not start for a half-hour or more, and added politely that the name for the organization in English was tho German American Bund. l asked him about the membership. Hc said there were 1000 mem- bers in New York City and be- tween 05,OO0 and l20,000 in the entire country. There were seven- ty-nine units, he said. in seventy nine cities, but this was merely meeting of a neighborhood "branch," the smallest organiza- tional division of the Bund.' He said the object of the Bund was to fight for Nazi principles under the American Constitution and to train its members to combat a Communist uprising. asked him who was the head of the Bund and he pointed at the door at the front of the hall.
 Leader Too Busy
 He's in the office there" he said. Fritz Kuhn"
 "Can see him? Will he attend the meeting?"
 "He is too busy. Maybe you can see him during the intermission. The first half is in German, the second in English. There is an in- termission between"
 We watched people enter the hall, There seemed to be timid- lty about many. They entered sep- arately and sat alone when there was room to do so. as if ill-at- ease. I wondered if these people came because they were lonely In n strange country. Most of them. found. had not come to the United States until after the World War. Often. as they passed through the door, they gave icrky little salute, swinging up ,he riol.t forearm. inc elbow held