Evening star., 1940-07-08
Bund Leader Denies
Organization Has
Any Foreign Links
Fights Registration Bill
Because 1t Is Loosely
W'orded,' He Says b
BY BLAIR BOLLES.

cans wholly without -oreign connec-
ton.
Senator Connally, Democrat, ol
Texas, subcommittee chairman, con-
stantly expressed his doubt of this
statement during Kunze's hour o1
testimony against a pending bill tt
force registration of organizations
suspected of subversive activities.
Acting President Kunze was ar
rested July during a bund meet
ing at Camp Nordland, N. j., and
charged with violating ION or prior
to June 16" the so-called anti-uni-
form law of New Jersey. He is out
on $1,000 bond.
Friend of New Germany.
Senator Connally elected from
Kunze the information that he had
once been a member of the organ
ization called the Friends of the
New Germany, founded in Chicago
In 1888 and dissolved in 1886. The
bund was organized in 1886.
Under examination, the witness
said the new Germany" in the
title was the German government
that came into power in January
1888, when Adolf Hitler assumed
the German leadership.
Senator Connally showed frequent
irritation because Kunze, American
born successor of the jailed Fritz
Kuhn, defended the bunds use of
the German language, stated that
the bund kept no membership list
and because he conferred often with
the bund general counsel, Wilbur
Keegan, who sat at Kunze's elbow
Kunze appeared before the COM
mittee voluntarily in order to tes-
tify against the pending bill, already
passed by the House.
The bund official protested that
while his organization completely
lacked any seditious or subversive
coloration. the bill was so loosely
worded' that it could be used
against the bund.
Fights Discrimination, He Says.
"All this bill does is make you
register" Senator Connally said
'What is there about your organi-
zation you want to keep in the
dark?"
Kunze said the bill, in his estima-
tion, was directed at his group
whose purpose, he said, was tc
"counteract discrimination against
persons of German blood"
Senator" he said, the German
element here went through one war.
He recalled that during that war he
was public school student who suf-
fered "beatings" because of his
ancestry and his name.
Senator Connally, reading from
some bund literature, noted that the
organization was militant" He
questioned the implication of the
word.
There is tremendous differ.
ence," the bund president said, "be-
tween militant and miltaristic."
He denied it had any military
aspect, although later Senator Con-
nally took membership book from
him in which was pasted picture
Of Kunze in a uniform.
Kunze hardly had been sworn al
a witness before his attorney spoke
quietly with him. At once Senator
Connally said to Mr.. Keegan:
Listen. I intend to interrogate
the witness myself. I don't care tc
have you sit there and prompt him
If he has sense enough to run the
German-American Bund, he has
sense enough to testify without youl
whispering in his ear"
Mr.. Keegan observed that he con-
sidered the Senator's first few ques-
tions, concerning the present where
about of the Jailed Fritz Kuhn, as
irrelevant.
The bund leader said he was born
In Camden, N. j. He spoke serious
ly and in a low voice. He wore a
gray suit, had slight red mus
tache slightly more ample and diff
ferently shaped than Hitlers.
Reason for Joining Bund.
Senator Connally asked him why
he joined the bund.
Kunze-Because I am a German
American.
Connally-I don't recognize any
such thing. You are either a Ger
man or an American.
KunZe-Every American is de-
scended from some member of an
other nationality. I have no polit-
ical allegiance to Germany.
Connally-Which country do you
put first? I notice you put the Ger
man first in the title.
Kunze-German there is an ad-
jective.
Then he defended the loyalty OF
the bund to the United States. He
said:
THE German-American Bund is
an organization of Americans with
out foreign connection. So far as
am concerned, Germany is for
eign nation.
This bill would force the organ
ization out of existence because il
is impossible to comply. The slight
est mistake in the registration state
ment would be held against the Or
ganiZation."
WOruS III herman Language.
Later, pursuing the question of the
Dund's addiction to the German
language, Senator Connally, after
getting Kunze's membership card
noted that its words are in the Ger
man language. Kunze defended the
use o. the German language on the
gro nd that there was no consti-
tuti0nal bar against it and that ii
did not interfere with loyalty to the
American form of government.
Senator Connally questioned
Kunze about the relations of the
bund wita the German Consul Gen
eral in NV York. Kunze recalled
that two tears ago representative
OF the c,reN general addressed q