Evening star., 1941-06-12
Prosecution Witness
Tells Of Investing
In Bookniga Corp.
Clothing Manufacturer
Testifies; Days Recess
Taken in TriuI

How he was persuaded to invest
in the now defunct Bookniga Corp.
of New York City by assurances Of
credit backing of the Russian gov
ernment was related by a prosecu-
ton witness yesterday afternoon at
the District Court trial of three
former officers of the corporation on
charges of violating the law reQuir-
ing agents of foreign principals to
register with the State Department.
Isaac Cominsky, New York cloth
ing manufacturer, said that in 1885
one of the defendants, Morris Liskin,
81, persuaded him to invest $4,000
in the corporation with statements
that he had the exclusive agency
from the Soviets for sale in this
country of Russian books and peri
odicals and could obtain $2l 900 in
credit. The witness said he helped
form the corporation after being
assured by Liskin that he had OBJ
tained the services of man widely
experienced in the business, Raphael
Rush, SO, another defendant.
The trial, which entered its third
day yesterday, was adjourned BY
Judge F. Dickinson Let's until 10 80
o'clock tomorrow morning. The
days recess was called because Of
the lawyers picnic.
Liskin, former president of Book
niga, already has pleaded guilty to
failure to register and is standing
trial on a conspiracy count, while
his associates, Rush, former vice
president, and Norman Weinberg,
%, Secretary-treasurer, are charged
with failure to register and con-
spiracy.
Through numerous letters intro
duced yesterday. Benjamin Parker,
special assistant to the Attorney
General in charge of the prosecu-
ton attempted to show that the
Bookniga Corp. was the American
outlet for Observation-Disclosures
of Moscow, the book monopoly OF
the Soviet State.
The Government contends that
Bookniga was an outgrowth of the
Amkniga Corp, and had a definite
link with the book division of the
Amtorg Trading Corp, official Soviet
trade agency, with headquarters
once next door to Bookniga on
Fifth avenue.
Sells Holdings.
Mr.. Cominsky told the jury he
entered the corporation in good
faith from a profit motive and did
not suspect it was organized for
any other purpose. 1t was brought
out that he sold his interest for
$500 when he decided to get out
five months after the corporation
was organized
The defense will seek to show
that the Bookniga Corp. was oper-
ated solely for profit, and disposed
Of such material as art reproduc-
tions, rare books. maps and various
publications from Soviet Russia
with little, If any, political signifi-
canoe.
Anthony Sokol, New York news
paperman, testified that in the
spring of 1882 he met Elias Dour-
mashkin. who said he was going to
Russia and suggested that he call
on him in Moscow at the head
quarters of the book trust when he
learned Mr.. Sokol also planned a
trip to the Soviet Union.
Mr.. Sokol said he followed this
suggestion. He next saw Dour-
maShkin, he said, in New York in
1895. At that time the other sug-.
gested he help form an agency to
dispose of Soviet literature in this
country. A few months later, the
witness continued, he saw Dour-
maShkin at the newly y-formed Book
niga Corp, where the latter intro
duced him to the officers-Liskin
and Rush.
Evidence was introduced by the
Government to show that Rush had
been employed by the Amtorg.
Amkniga and Bookniga Corps. at
various times in the last 10 years.
Rush is a former bank clerk.
Liskin, Mr.. Cominsky testified,
formerly operated dress shop at
New Rochelle, N. Y.
Weinberg, Mr.. Cominsky said, was
not an officer Of the corporation