Evening star., 1942-03-13
Court Gives
Agent Stiffest
Possible Term
Defendant Avows
Devotion to U. S.
AS He Is Sentenced

George Sylvester Viereck, con-
victed American propagandist
for the Nazis, today was SEN
fenced in District Court to a
term of two to six years in jail
the StiffeSt sentence possible for
his crime of withholding certain
information when he registered
with the State Department as
foreign agent.
He also was find s1,50O-S5OO on
each of three counts-and ordered
to pay the costs Of the trial. The
sentence was imposed by Justice F.
Dickinson Let's.
Justice Let's then denied a de-
fense motion for the prisoners re-
lease on bail pending an appeal to
the United States Court of Appeals.
The sentence came this afternoon,
after Viereck had read a lengthy
statement to the court, justifying his
position. The prosecutor, Special
Assistant to the Attorney General,
William Power Maloney, also told
Justice Let's that Viereek had put
himself beyond the pale of mercy
IN his odlous comparison of the late
Senator Lundeen. Farmer-Laborite,
OF Minnesota, with President Roose-
welt, in the statement the accused
had just read before the tribunal.
Devoted" to the L. 5.
Vlereck recently was found guilty
by a District Court jury on charges
OF failing TO advise the State De-
partment fully of his activities as a
foreign agent. The defendant did
register. but not completely. the
Government contended. Justice
Let's sentenced Viereck under the
Foreign Agents Registration Act,
under which the greatest penalty is
two years imprisonment and $1,000
on each count of the indictment,
in which guilty verdict is returned.
1t is unusual for the court to require
the defendant to bear the costs Of
the trial
Viereck terminated his plea to the
court with:
Il avow my faith in the processes
Of democracy and the ultimate JUS
tlce of the American people"
The defendant declared: "I am
passionately devoted TO the United
States and all that she stands for
and she is the only country to
which I owe allegiance. 1 deplore
the cruel war that has come be-
tween the land of my birth and the
land of my choice"
Had Hectic Life"
Viereck told Justice Let's that for
the Wellbeing of western civilization
he wanted 10 see cooperation be-
tween the United States, Germany
and England, but he asserted that
he would never deny his German
blood and asserted that like Luther:
Here I stand-I can do no other"
asserting this with great emphasis
shaking his hand as he spoke.
The defendant told Justice Let's
that the law under which he was
convicted is obscure and that he
could have furnished additional
statement forms to the State De-
partment and he asserted that he
lost $1,000 in the publishing busi-
ness, adding that in the 81 years of
"a hectic life" he had never been
convicted of wrongdoing.
Cites Son Serving in Army.
Viereck pointed out to Justice
Let's that his son, George Sylvester
Vlereck, jr., is now serving in the
United States Army and that his
other son, Peter Viereck. who was
graduated from Harvard with a
Ph.D., on the same day that his
father was convicted, is about to
enter the Army. Both sons are
American born and as is his wife,
Mrs. Margaret Viereck of New York
City, the defendant asserted.
Mrs. Viereck, wearing a black veil
and hat with flowers on top. fur
neckpiece, white gloves and dark
CSee VIERECK, Page 2-X)