Evening star., 1938-11-05
Bund dSeeks0verthrow
OF j. ). Government,
Dies Witness Says
Milwaukee Salesman
Stotes He Was Advised
To String Along

The House Committee on I'm
American Activities received testi-
mony today that the Amer
lean Bund seeks the overthrow of
the American form Of government.
Bernhard Holman, a Milwaukee
radio salesman and president of two
German-American organizations.
told the committee he had advised
1t would do him "a lot of good" If
he went along with the Bund Or
ganization.
Under questioning by Committee
Investigator John C. Metcalfe, Mr..
Holman said he had met George
Froboese, Middle West leader of the
German American Bund, on a train,
trip to Chicago in 1885. The wit
ness said the Bund leader then
believed he could win me over"
"He indicated" Mr.. Hofmann con-
tinued, that only persistent move
ment ctuld succeed In this country
to create other conditions, by which
he undoubtedly meant an auto
cratic -
We'll, you don't know what he
meant" interrupted Committee
Chairman Dies.
On Overthrowing Government.
Investigator Metcalf. taking up
the questioning, then asked:
They tthe Bund) wanted to
change the form of government in
this country?'
They wanted to overthrow the
form of government" the witness
answered. Yes"
Mr.. Holman, testifying in a
heavy German accent, said he was
president of the Wisconsin Fed
Grafton of German American So
cieties and president of the Mil
waukee German American Fed
Grafton.
He told the committee members
OF these organizations had received
numerous threats because they re-
fused to participate in the German
American Bund movement.
The witness said that "a lady
came to me on the street only the
other day and said she had been
told that If she made some more
remarks about conditions in Vienna
her relatives would have to suffer
across = -"
In other words" Chairman Dies
interrupted again. German -Ameri-
cans who criticized what is going
on in Germany can expect some
harm from the Nazi government"
YES" Mr.. Holman replied.
Claims He Was Threatened.
The witness read extracts from
two communications which ne said
had threatened him because he
would not participate in the bund.
The writer's names were not dis
closed.
One of the communications, Mr..
Hofmann asserted, said that your
time will come, Holman"
Another prospective witness was
Leroy Schulz, vice chairman of the
Protective League of Milwaukee.
Two Ohioans told the committee
yesterday a member of the Com
munist party directed the Strike
Committee at Warren, Ohio, during
the c. I. O.'s 1887 steel strike. They
said he was Gus Hall, also known as
Arva Halberg.
The witnesses were Lester j.
Adele of Cleveland and Edgar
Herzog of Elyria. Adele, adjutant
of the 73rd Brigade, Ohio National
Guard, testified that strikers who
were convicted of bombings related
that Hall was the head of the group
which obtained the dynamite and
nitroglycerine they used.
Told to Bomb Property.
Abele also testified that three
members of the dynamite squad
confessed they had received in
structions to blow up property of
the Republic Steel Corp, homes Of
non-strikers, railroad tracks and
bridges, highly volatile" tanks of
benzol owned by Republic. the
municipal electric light plant and
reservoir which supplied the city
with water.
Adele, who said he assisted in OBJ
tanning the confessions, asserted
that seven or eight men indicted
pleaded guilty to charge of possess
sion and use Of. explosives. He said
the eighth was Hall, who, he con-
tinued, later pleaded guilty to
lesser charge and was fined $500.
Four were sentenced to the State
Penitentiary for to 20 years and
three were paroled, he said.