Evening star., 1942-05-20
Publisher Testifies
He Was Offered
Free Trip 10 Japan
Turned Down Proposal
Which Come After He
Refused Articles
William Wallace Chaplin, publisher

William Wallace Chaplin, publisher
Of the San Francisco Argonaut. a
news weekly. testified in District
Court today he had turned down an
all-expense paid trip to Japan Of
fered to influence him to present
that country "sympathetically" in
his magazine.
The offer came, he said, after his
refusal to accept for publication ar
ticles written by Frederick v. Will
liams, co-defendant with David
Warren Ryder against charges of
violation of the Foreign Agents
Registration Act. Both Mr.. Williams
and Mr.. Ryder are said by the pros
ecution to have been former pub
licity men for the Japanese Com
mittee on Trade and Information, an
alleged propaganda agency.
Mr.. Chaplin said he refused to
take advantage Of the free trip to
Japan on the advice of his wife.
She told me-" he declared, "she
had an intuition that we should
have nothing to do with Japan"
Printed Two Articles Previously.
Before the offer, Mr.. Chaplin told
the court, his magazine published
two articles written by Mr.. VIII
liams. One entitled ''Lindbergh Was
Right-The Russians Can't Fight"
appeared in October. 1898. In Nov
ember. 1899. the magazine printed
the other under the title Behind
the Scenes IN Asia"
Other articles submitted subSe-
quently by Mr.. williams were re-
jected for policy reasons, Mr.. Chaplin
testified. He said he informed Mr..
Williams at the time the magazine
was not interested in Japanese ques-
tions. After that, he pointed out,
came the invitation to visit Japan
at no expense to himself.
Leonard j. Lucas, San Francisco
newspaperman, formerly advertis-
ing and publicity director of the
Japanese steamship line, N. Y. K.
testified yesterday afternoon that
both Mr.. Ryder and Mr.. Williams
were frequent callers at the Offices
Of the lines manager, K. Takahashi,
at San Francisco. The Government
charges that Takahashi, now in
Japan, but indicted by the District
grand jury as co-conspirator with
the others, was chairman of the
Japanese Committee on Trade and
Information at San Francisco,
which was in reality hotbed OF
Japanese propaganda, aimed to
present Japan in a favorable light
and malign China.
Refused Free Radio Time.
Mr.. Lucas told Of arranging radio
programs to present the japanese
viewpoint, at the instance of Taxa
hashi, but said that both the Ma
tional Broadcasting Co. and the
Columbia Broadcasting System de-
clined to give time on the air, hold
ing the subjects involved were of a
controversial or political nature and
that equal free time would have to
be given to opposing views. There
was disclaimer" of any interest
in the attitude expressed in the
radio broadcasts, put on by the
station at San Francisco, and Mr..
Lucas declared that Takahashi was
displeased at this. Mr.. Williams
spoke over the air, the witness said.
and radio manuscripts were first
seen by Takahashi.
Mr.. Ryder and Takahashi fire.
quently went into conferences be-
hind closed doors, Mr.. Lucas as
serted.
Cross-examined by Defense Coun-
sci Samuel F. Beach, Mr.. Lucas said
that Mr.. Williams aided in arrang-
ing religious pilgrimages to the Far
East, utilizing the N. Y. K. lines
services. Defense Counsel Elisha
Hanson, appearing for Mr.. Ryder,
developed from the witness that he
received an excellent record on his
client when he inquired about him.