Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1941-06-09
Three Put on Trial
Here as Unregistered
Agents Of Soviet
Story of Propaganda
In U. S. Is Expected
To Be Revealed

agents OF lOTelgn governments 10
register with the State Department
began in District Court today when
three former officials of the defunct
Bookniga Corp. of New York went
on trial before Justice F. Dickinson
Let's. 1t is expected to continue
at least two weeks. There are 81
Government and "a defense wit
neSSeS.
The Government contends that
the three defendants were agents
OF the Soviet government, in their
capacity as officials of the Bookniga
Corp, and two of them are charged
with failure to register in accordance
with the terms of Mccormack
Act of June 8, 1888. All three are
charged with conspiracy in connec-
ton with their alleged failure to
register. The defendants are:
Raphael Rush, SO, born in Russia,
naturalized citizen, charged with
failure to register and conspiracy.
Morris Liskin. Sd, born in Russia,
naturalized citizen, charged with
conspiracy He pleaded guilty to a
charge of failure to register on De-
cember 10, 1889.
Norman Weinberg, 90, American
born, charged with failure to register
and with conspiracy.
Two-Year Sentences Possible.
The address OF each defendant Is
New York City. Mr.. Liskin was
president of the Bookniga Corp,
Mr.. Rush its vice president and Mr..
weinberg its secretary-treasurer
The indictments under which they
are being tried were returned here
December Is, 1899. Persons guilty of
failure to register are subject to a
flne Of not more than $1,000 or i'm
prlSonment for not more than two
years.
AS selection of the jury started
Benjamin Parker, special assistant
to the United States Attorney Gen.
eral, who is in charge of the prose-
cutlon, opened the proceedings by
outlining the background of the
case. Mr.. Parker is assisted bv
George E. Mcneil, assistant United
States attorney for the District; by
two special agents of the Federal
Bureau of Investigation, Charles
Boland and A. F. Ostholthoff. and
by three other lawyers from the
Justice Department, Charles Fisher.
George McNulty and Aaron Over
man.
Leo A. Rover, former United
States attorney for the District, is
counsel for Mr.. Weinberg; David A.
Hart OF Washington represents Mr..
Llskin and Isadore Highlander of
New York represents Mr.. Rush.
The Government expects during
the course of the trial to develop a
revealing story of the conduct and
operation of Soviet propagandizing
in the United States. If the Gov
eminent realizes its expectation,
problems involving the political re-
lations of the United States and
Russia may arise, inasmuch as the
Soviet agreed to refrain from
propaganda activities in this coun-
try as a condition of American
recognition of the Soviet.
Twelve Chosen for Jury
More than two hours was required
to select the jury of II men and
one woman. 1t was completed at
1882 pm, when Justice Let's an
nounced a recess until 100 pm.
The two alternate jurors still were
to be chosen.
Fourteen men and women were
excused from the jury panel before
the II at last were selected. The
question whether the jurors would
be prejudiced in their decision by
the allegation that the defendants
disseminated Communistic propa-
ganda was the point Gel which most
OF the challenges to the excused
jurors were based. The members of
the jury are:
Robert w. Ballard, 40, 14O1 Sheri-
dan street NV. secretary of the
Walter Ballard Co.; John H. Hall,
80, 804 Nineteenth street NV, res
taurant employe; Arthur Coplen.
40, 1908 Ashmead place NV. sales
manager for the District Whole
sale Drug Co.; Thomas G. Tassa.
SIS, 1865 Meridian place NV, food
merchant; Frank L. Shears, ST., 81,
APO Sheriff road NE, butler; Ar
thur Miller, Sc, 3071 Canal street
NV, carpenter; Mrs. Isabelle N.
Nichols, 81, 1881 Cathedral avenue
NV, clerk at the General Account
ing Office; George L. Howells, so, II
Nicholson street NV, plant super
tendent for the Chesapeake &
Potomac Telephone Co.; Noble L.
Veirs, 81, $50 Venable place NV,
salesman for the Charles G. Stott
Co.; Sol L. Kasdon, 3d. 1927 Belt
road NV, manager of the District
Tobacco & Candy Co.; William S.
Lunger, ir, IL, 1929 Columbia road
NV, district sales manager for
an auto finance company, and
Charles E. Yeatman, 46, 4005 Twen-
ty-frst street NE, manager of a
Safeway store.
According to the indictment,
Bookniga Corp, which had Offices
in Chicago and Los Angeles as we'll
as in New York, was "the duly au-
thorized agent and representative of
the Vseojuznoje, Objedineie, Mezh-
dunaradnaya Kniga of the city of
Moscow, U. S. S. r., for the sale
and distribution in the United States
of America of books, magazines,
periodicals and pamphlets of po-
litical and propaganda nature and
for political and propaganda pur-
poses"
The Mezhdunaradnaya Kniga is
the book trust of the Russian gov
eminent. The Government hopes to
prove that Bookniga was publicity
agent for M. K, which is the equiv
alent of publicity agent for Russia,
inasmuch as M. K. is an integral
part of the Russian government.
Mr.. Parker explained to the court
that Bookniga Corp. is not on trial
because it was dissolved April 6,
1899, before the indictments were
returned. Bookniga Corp was sue
ceeded by Bookniga Inc. The latter
concern and two officers pleaded
guilty after Indictment.