Evening star., 1944-06-25
III ~
4 CaIifornians
Next Witnesses
In Sedhion Trial
Expected to Testify
About Activities Of
Bund on West Coust
By CARTER BROOKE JONES

(
Four witnesses from California
are slated to take the stand for the
Government tomorrow at the setii.
ton trial In District Court, and.
while the prosecution has not dis
closed the nature Of their testi.
'mony, indications are that they
will describe how the German
American Bund operated on the
West Coast.
Two Of the 20 defendants are
from Los Angeles, and previous tes-
tifnony has linked them closely with
the bund or its activities. They are
Herman Max Schwinn, identified by
several witnesses as West Coast
leader Of the organization, and Hans
Dlebel. referred TO as proprietor of
the Aryan Bookstore in Los Angeles.
outlet for books and other publica.
tions sponsored by the bund. There
were hints that other defendants
not belonging to the bund will be
linked by the new witnesses with its
national socialist campaign In the
Coast States.
Mentioned Frequently.
Schwinn is mentioned frequently
In certain Of the mass exhibits
issues of the bund's newspaper. the
Deutche Weckruf und Beobachter.
and minutes Of convention and
other documents which the Gov.
ernment has just introduced in eyi.
dence. Special Prosecutor Joseph
w. Burns has read portions OF these
exhibits to the jury and many others
are to be read in succeeding days.
A report of bund meeting in
Oakland, Calf, told OF q speech
Schwinn made In which he called
for "a gentle nation ruled BY gen.
tile Americans"
Schwinn, according to the doc.
mentary evidence, told a bund
convention in New York that I'VE
must attack the Jews as leaders of
Communism The Government is
charging that the bund, as the
spearhead Of q Nazi conspiracy
against Americas form OF govern-
ment, used Hitler's technique Of
stirring up racial hatred and cap
italizing on social and economic
prejudices to soften" this country
for the eventual Nazi coup.
Founded One Bund.
Schwinn was described in the
bund organ as q native OF Hamburg
and one-time Hitler Storm Troop
er in Germany. He founded the
Los Angeles bund unit.
Defendants not Identified with
the bund who were said to have
addressed its meetings included E.
j. Parker Sage, an of1cer OF the
National Workers League of De-
troit, and Robert Edward Edmond
son of Grass Valley. Calf, head sof
an economic research service.
The bund 'pictur6 first dealt with
Chicago, the cradle of the old .Teu-
tonia Society, which was organized
in the early 20s and became; sue
cessively, the Friends OF Hitler, the
Friends Of the New Germany and
the German-American Bund. This
phase was sketched by Peter Gissibl,
who helped found the organization
for immigrant Germans and finally
became Chicago bund leader.
Last weeks witness, william
Luedtke, former national secretary
of the bund, told particularly OF
activities at national headquarters
IN New York and on the East Coast.
This witness still has q lot to tell,
the Government has indicated, but
he is to be excused for a time TO-
morrow to make way for the CALI
fornia witnesses, who, the prosecu-
ton told Chief Justice Edward C.
Eicher, have been waiting for weeks
and are eager to go home. Justice
Eicher consented for them to be
called out of the regular order.
Keep Names Secret.
Chief Prosecutor o. John Rogge
is to question the new witnesses,
whose names, like those of other
Government witnesses, are remain-
ing secret until they take the stand.
The Government also hopes this
week to put on an identifying wit
PASS. a soldier who Is under orders
to go into foreign service. He is to
identify some documents which were
assertedly received here. establish-
ing, according to the Government,
an "overt act" in the alleged con-
spiracy giving the District jurisdic-
ton.
The trial was recessed for the
week end Thursday night.
rxI 49, A.