Evening star., 1938-12-06
Aviator Sentenced
For Taking Planes
To Aid Revolt
New Indictments Name
Mexicon Army Officers
In Conspiracy
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
BROWNSVILLE, Tex, Dec. g.
Cloyd P. Clevenger, New York avi-
ator, today was sentenced to 18
months in a Federal penitentiary on
his admission that he transported
two airplanes from the United States
to Mexico to be used in the unsuc-
cessful Cedillo rebellion early this
year.
Sentence was passed by Federal
Judge c. B. Kennamer of Mont
eomery, Ala.
The judge yesterday dismissed, on
motion of the Government, charge
against the flyer of conspiracy to
violate the United States Neutrality
Act of 1887.
The court freed Howard F.. Klein
of New York and Mexico City of
any part in the conspiracy or the
actual violation of the act.
Klein pleaded innocent to both
charges, and Assistant United
States District Attorney George
John said the Government had es-
tablished conclusively that Klein
withdrew from the transaction to
sell and deliver the airplanes to
Gen. Saturnino Cedillo when the
State Department withdrew a Ii
cense to fly the two planes to San
Louis Potosi, Mexico from the
United States.
Second Group of Indictments.
In a second group of indictments
Federal grand jury today returned
true bills against Gen. Roberto
Fierro, former head of the Mexican
Army Air Corps; six other Mexi-
cans, two Americans and a Mexican
aviation company, alleging conspir-
acy to violate the Neutrality Act of
1885.
The indictment named as a CO.
conspirator, but did not indict. Felix
Gordon OrdaZ, Spanish Ambassador
to Mexico.
Also listed as a co-conspirator was
Jose Melendreras-Sierra, Military
Attache to the Spanish Embassy.
The bill charged 10 airplanes were
transported from the United States
to Mexico for transshipment to 10y
alist Spain.
The Federal prosecutor said at
least 10 or II other planes were
moved into the southern republic
from Texas and California for use
as war machines to fight Spanish
insurgents.
List of Indictments.
The indictment specifically charged
these men: Gen. Fierro, Col. Rafael
Monroe, Gen. Alfredo Lazama Alva-
rez and Col. Gustavo Leon of the
Mexican Army; Fritz Bieler of Cali
fornia, Cloyd P. Clevenger, New
York aviator: Sixto Del Rio, Carlos
Paini and Jose Aspe Suinaga, listed
as manager Of the C. 1. A. (com-
pany) De Transportes Aereos Pa
cif1co. The company also was in
dicted.
The indictment was the second
handed down by the Federal grand
jury Of the Southern District of
Texas in two weeks involving al
legged Neutrality Act violations. The
first. returned at Corpus Christi,
named Gen. Cedillo, Clevenger,
Klein and three Mexicans. They
were charged in an alleged plot to
transport American-made planes
into Mexico ostensibly for use in
a Mexican revolution. Cedillo re-
Gently was vanquished in a revolt
by aggressive action of President
Lazaro Cardenas.
Conspiracy in Capital.
The indictment charged the con-
spiracy to transport planes into
Mexico was formulated in WASH
ington. D. c., Brownsville and Mex
leo City.
The planes, Assistant United
States District Attorney George
John of Houston said, were bought
in this country and the majority of
them were flown to Brownsville,
thence to Mexico City and from
there to Vera Cruz, Mex. Then
they were shipped to Spanish Loyal
list ports he said
Prosecutor John said today's in
dictment was based on different
proclamation by President Franklin
D. Roosevelt than that on which
Gen. Cedillo. Clevenger Klein, Mex
ican Army Maj Adolpho Pima and
two other men, both Mexicans, were
indicted at Corpus Christi.
Federal Bureau Of Investigation
Agents have been probing the ac-
tivities of foreign agents for several
months along the Texas-Mexican
border, he said.
Neither United States Attorney
Douglas McGregor nor his assistant
would hazard guess as to whether
President Cardenas would deliver to
the custody of the United States
the principals named in the indict-
ment.
n