Evening star., 1942-03-02
Viereck
Continued From First Page J

only occurred before the indictment
but before enactment of the foreign
agents registration law, which Vie
reck is charged with violating. JUS
tice F. Dickinson Let's upheld the
objection.
Questioned About Speech.
Daniel F. Cohalan, jr., one Of the
defense attorneys, asked Senator
Guffey about speech which Will
liam c. Bullitt, then Ambassador
to France, made at Independence
Hall, Philadelphia, August 18. 1910.
YVES that speech printed in the
Congressional sRecord?" the witness
was asked.
1T was" said Senator Guffey.
At this point Prosecutor Maloney
asked the purpose of the inquiry
and Justice Let's summoned the
attorneys to the bench. The defense
then excused the Senator without
further questions.
The apparent purpose had been
to show that if, as the Government
charged, Viereck had been intru-
mental in having anti-war speeches
made in Congress and printed in
the Congressional Record, he was
doing no more than many others
were doing at the time.
The defense also lost an attempt
to place in the record a sheaf of
correspondence brought under sub
poena from the State Department.
This included letter from Viereck
to President Roosevelt in 1888. In
the letter the publicist and author
said he had returned from a tour
of Europe and had information
which he believed of value to this
country. He suggested conference
with the President. The letter was
referred to the State Department.
Another letter, about the same
period, was addressed to Secretary
Hull.
Although Defense Attorney Emil
Morosini contended that this cor
respondence bore directly on
Viereck's motives and good faith,
the court upheld the Governments
argument that it had no bearing on
the indictment, since it was written
long before the charge was brought.
Justice Let's, however, admitted
all correspondence in the files of the
State Department relating directly
to ViereckS registration as Ger
man agent. He is accused of failing
to report his propaganda activities
for the Reich in supplementary
registration statements.
Pleads for Husband.
Earlier Mrs. Norma Ward Lun-
deem, widow of the Senator, made a
dramatic plea for Justice" to her
husbands memory as court pro-
cedure shut off what she wanted to
say as she testified for the defense.
People are thinking my husband
Is on trial." she exclaimed, after she
had tried repeatedly to make a
statement" as she expressed it, and
Justice Let's had instructed her to
conf1ne herself to answering ques-
tions. Again the court warned her
not to volunteer remarks.
I'm entitled to a little justice"
Mrs. Lundeen retorted, almost hys-
terically.
Quiet down" said Justice Let's
gently, land answer the questions.
Witness Agitated.
Senator Lundeen was linked
closely in Government testimony to
the propaganda activities of Viereck.
Mrs. Lundeen was highly agitated
as she sought futilely to answer
questions which were ruled out and
she often made comments before the
court could stop her.
Opposing counsel got into the
sharpest wrangle of the long trial
when Defense Attorney Moro
sini charged that the refusal of
Treasury officials to produce certain
records for which Justice Let's had
signed a subpoena savored of "a con-
spiracy to obstruct justice"
That's outrageous replied Pros
ecutor Maloney. ITS the most ir-
responsible statement I ever heard"
Justice Let's intervened as the
attorneys shouted at each, other,
saying he did not like the reference
to a conspiracy and instructed the
jury to disregard 1t.
The f1areup grew out of the re-
fusal of Forrest D. Neal of the Fed
eral Revenue Bureau to produce
three letters filed with information
concerning Senator Lundeens in
come. These letters, according to
Mrs. Lundeen, tended to refute the
charge of two former employees of
the Senator that he forced them to
@kick back" portions of their sal
aries. Mr.. Neal, called to the stand,
produced letter signed, he said, by
the Acting Secretary of the Treas
ury, instructing him not to bring
the letters into court.
Over the vehement objection of