Evening star., 1940-01-18
Browder' 'sSignature
Identified by u. 5.
Passport Agent
Judge Permits Move
Over Objections Of
Defense Counsel
By the Associated Press.

|
NEW YORK, Jan. 18.-Over re-
peated defense objections, Federal
Judge Alfred c. Coke today permit
ted a Government passport agent
to identify the signature of Earl
Russell Browder, Kansas-born Com
munist leader, on a 1894 passport
application.
The agent, James j. Hughes, tes-
titled the blank indicated Browder
did not present his old passport
when applying for the new one, as
required by law.
The defense has already conceded
that the 1884 passport was the first
taken out by Browder in his own
name. The prosecution accuses
Browder of having previously OBJ
tained passports under three other
names, including that of Nicholas
Dozenberg, a former Communist
official, who has pleaded guilty to
passport fraud and who may testify
against Browder.
Browder, on trial for passport
fraud and facing a maximum SEN
tence Of 10 years in prison and a
$4,000 fine If convicted, also is ac-
cused by the Government of using
the aliases George Morris" in 1927
and ALBERT Henry Richards" in
1881.
Judge Coke again refused to per-
nit the defense to ask Government
witnesses whether Browder obtained
renewal of his last passport in 1887
and applied for a new passport in
1888, all under his own name.
Elma Waldron, a State Depart
ment agent, identified a passport
renewal application signed by Brow
der on February /, 1897, on which
Browder had written that he was q
journalist and wished to travel to
France, Switzerland and Soviet Rus
STA "for business for self"
Browder, dressed in a gray busi-
ness suit, leaned back in his chair
and studied the faces of the jurors
II men and l woman-as this testi-
mony was given.
Browder himself acknowledged
yesterday through counsel that he
used one of the three assumed
names, contending that at the time
in NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. of
safety required him to hide his
identity abroad.
But the specific charge on which
he is being tried-and which on
conviction could result in q sentence
as high as 10 years-is that when
he obtained in 1894 his first wholly
legitimate passport from the State
Department he obtained it under
the false representation that never
before had he had such document
To Rely on Written Evidence.
United States District Attorney
John T. Cahill, who Joined
Judge Coke and Defense At
torney George Gordon Battle in ad-
monishing the jury that Communism
was not on trial, disclosed he in
tended to rely almost entirely on
written evidence and the services
Of handwriting experts.
An offlcial statement Of the New
York State Committee of the Com
munist party Issued last night
claimed that political issues" were
involved In his trial, recalled that
Browder Is now q Communist can
didate for Congress to fill the va
cancy left by the recent death Of
Representative Siroyich, Democrat,
of New York and thus quoted the
leader himself:
Il am not only running for Con-
gress, but I have been nominated
by the Government for the Atlanta
Penitentiary. am happy to COM
bine both campaigns and in both
of them there is the distinct DOS
sibility that we will win" Nothing
was said as to the precise time the
statement was made.