Evening star., 1944-07-26
U. 5. Ready 10 Offer
Important Evidence
Al Sedition Trial
Identity Of Witnesses
Guarded as Examination
Of Bund Aid Neors End
BY CARTER BROOKE JONES.

BY CARTER BROOKE JONES.
Government witnesses whose
identity has been guarded closely
were waiting today to take the stand
at the sedition trial in District
Court with some of the prosecution g
most important evidence against the
20 defendants.
The first of these mysterious wit
nesses was ready to testify as soon
as defense attorneys completed
cross-examination of William
Luedtke, former national secretary
Of the German-American Bund
Luedtke was expected to leave the
stand some time today.
The Governments next evidence
will bear directly on the alleged in
tent Of defendants to undermine
the loyalty of the armed forces in
compliance with a supposed Nazi-
directed conspiracy against the
United States, Chief Prosecutor o.
John Rogge has promised, though he
has revealed no details Of how he
planned to show this.
Luedtke's direct testimony was
completed early in yesterdays ses-
sion after he had testified for parts
OF many court days. The rest of
the day was devoted to cross
animation.
Denies Major Parties Ban!
Drawn by P. Bateman Ennis.
counsel for Gerhard Wilhelm
Kunze, former national bund leader,
into a discussion of the organiza- :
tons political Affiliations in this
country, Luedtke denied that the
bund was opposed to both major
parties and favored some revolu-
tionary third party, as Special
Prosecutor Joseph w. Burns had
sought to prove
Luedtke said many bundists sup
ported Republican candidates "as
the lesser evil in their campaign
against New Deal policies.s
Some defense attorneys objected
to certain questions which other de-
fense counsel asked the witness, and.
during a wrangle, Marvin Bischoff
court-appointed attorney for Eugene
N. Sanctuary, protested against in
PRODUCTION OF photograph OF
George Washington, with an accom-
panying caption. from a bund docu-
ment. Later. after examining the
proposed defense exhibit, Mr.. Bisch-
OIL withdrew his objection.
The defense brought out that
Luedtke had served 18 months in a
Federal prison at Danbury, Conn,
after pleading guilty to counselling
draft evasion. He later had testified
for the Government in a number of
denaturs lization hearings, he said.
Ernest F. Elmhurst, a defendant,
filed in District Court an amended
complaint in his suit asking damages
of 100000 against his former at
torney. Ira Chase Koehne. and
Prosecutors Rogge and Burns for
allegedly conspiring to sabotage"
his defense.
Elmhurst recited in the new COM
plant that Mr.. Koehne had been
promised suitable reward if he
would help the Government convict
Elmhurst and the other defendants
and that Mr.. Burns told the defense
attorney the two prosecutors would
be rewarded with judgeships if they
obtained convictions. The suit Is
being pressed for Elmhurst by James
J. Laughlin. ousted defense attorney
in the sedition case.
Meanwhile. Henry H. Klein. Sane
tuary's attorney of choice, who quit
the trial July 5 in protest against
Chief Justice Edward C. Eicher' S
rulings, planned to fight removal
from New York to Washington to
face a contempt charge. the Asso-
ciated Press reported. United States
Commissioner Garrett w. Cotter set
the matter for hearing Friday. Mr..
Klein contends District Court here
is without authority to require his
return.