Evening star., 1942-02-20

er-Laborite, which Mr.. Fishs former
clerk, George Hill, testified yester-
day he mailed out by direction Of
Mr.. Fish and Viereck, the witness
said:
That speech of Senator Lun-
deems was not sent over my frank.
knew nothing about it. I never
saw 1t. had no connection with
Mr.. Viereck except to know him as
an American citizen. I did not know
he was registered as a German
agent. My acquaintance with him
was exactly the same as my ac-
quaintance with Franklin Delano
Roosevelt"
Maloney Charges Insult.
Prosecutor Maloney jumped to his
feet and said:
That is a public insult to a great
American"
Justice Let's told the attorneys to
proceed with the questioning and
Mr. Maloney asked:
Would you know Nazi propa-
ganda if you saw it?"
NO" Mr.. Fish shouted. 'I
wouldn't know Nazi propaganda If
I saw it because 1 don't know any
thing about it."
Representative Fish earlier was
questioned about Hills statements.
He did not deny he had introduced
Viereck to Hill, as Hill testified, but
Mr.. Fish admitted Viereck had been
in his Office, but he could not recall
whether the pubicist was there the
day Hill mentioned, which was dur
ing late June or early July of 1910.
Doesn't Recall Meeting.
"I see no reason to deny it," Mr..
Fish added. "I don't have any rec
ollection of it, but Mr.. Hill says it
happened, and I'm not quibbling
about that"
Neither could Mr.. Fish recall,
under further questioning, whether
he had ever discussed the Lundeen
speech with Viereck or with Hill.
1t could have happened, the wit
ness conceded, though he said he
had no memory of it.
Mr.. Fish, before going on the
witness stand, gave the press an
informal statement in a courthouse
corridor in which he set forth the
substance of what he later said
on the stand.
Mr.. Fish said:
II make this statement because I
don't know whether the questions
in court will bring out all these
matters.
mo Nazi propaganda of any kind
was ever given out from my office,
directly or indirectly, with my
knowledge and consent.
Met Viereck In 1880.
"I have known Mr.. Viereck for
| years-the same as any other public
official from New York, including
President Roosevelt, Secretary Nor
genthau, Senator Wagner and 9TH
ers. I first met him when I was
chairman of House committee to
| combat Communism in 1880, when
he was writing articles for Liberty
and the Saturday Evening Post
on Communism.
He has not been in my Office for
over a year and a half. I had no
idea back in 1910 that he was a
registered agent of German news
paper with the State Department,
nor did know or have the faintest
idea that he had any connection
with editing or revising a speech for
Senator Lundeen.
Nothing has gone out from my
Office, directly or indirectly, except
speeches by isolationist members of
Congress for the purpose of keeping
us out of war, and I certainly have
no apology to make to any one for
that.
II saw that Mr.. Hill stated yes
| terday that he had seen Mr.. bennett
, prescott bennett, then chairman of
an organization to require Europe
to pay war debts) in my office
frequently. believe Mr.. bennett
was in my Office once or twice. But
last week sat in chair next to
Judge Let's courtroom and after
talking to him for five minutes.
asked him who he was.
Knew Of No bennett Donations,
Il want it clearly understood
had no knowledge, as Mr.. Hill had
stated, that Mr.. bennett contributed
a single penny to send out speeches.
| Mr.. Hill, a disabled veteran, was
a clerk in my office. He was not a
secretary. Outside of office hours.
he acted as public contractor to
send out speeches for members of
Congress and he employed women to
mail these speeches outside of my
Office.
This was the private business of
Mr.. Hill. He received and sent out
some OF the speeches by members of
Congress, and I never had any
knowledge Of 1t or knew about what
speeches he may have received. I
had no knowledge of who paid for
this work.
HE made all the arrangements
and mailed them outside of my Of
fice.- He never used my frank for
the purpose. am not attacking Mr..
Hill. I regard what he did as per-
fectly legitimate"
Mr.. Fish, in response to question
about some mail sacks that were
found in his private storeroom in
the House once Building, said he