Evening star., 1944-06-14
bundists Souqhi
Part in Politics.,
Witness Says
Sedition Jury Hears
Group Took More
American Name
BY CARTER BROOKE JONES.

William Luedkte, national secre.
Ftary of the German American BunC
during the last two years of its oficia
existence, testified today at the mass
sedition trial in District Court thai
the organization took this name
dropping the title Friends of New
Germany, because it's leaders wanted
it to take a more active part ir
American politics and the new name
would sound more American"
The Government called this i'm
portant witness after Chief Justice
Edward c. Eicher had disposed OF
two pending matters.
The court denied defense mo-
tion to strike from the record a
mailing list of Nazi propaganda
addressed to certain of the de-
PENDANTS and to members of the
armed forces, among many other
Americans.
Justice Eicher also set fer hearing
Monday renewed defense motion
for directed verdict of acquittal
based on the Supreme Court de-
cision of Monday reversing the con-
viction of Elmer Hartzel of Chicago
charged, like the present defend
ants, with trying to incite the
armed forces to mntiny.
Joined Group in 1888.
Luedkte said he joined the Friends
of New Germany in Philadelphia ir
June, 1888 The name of the ,or-
ganization was changed to the Ger.
man-American Bund at a conven.
ton in Brooklyn in 1886 which
he attended, he said.
Asked by Special Prosecutor
Joseph w. Burns why the name
was changed, the witness said Frit;
Kuhn, then national leader, tolc
the convention why this was being
done.
Mr.. Kuhn stated" said Luedkte
that he wanted us to become NOR,
active in American politics and {
more American name was desired.
Luedkte said he moved from Phila
delphia to New Jersey in 1885 ant
became leader of the Passaic Count,
unit of the Friends of New Ger
many. From December, 1899, to De
cember, 1941, he was national secre
tary of the German-American Bund
he testified.
! Luedkte said he received $50 /.
week for promoting the German.
American Business League, which
he described as the Commercial
branch of the buhd, and IS a weel
directly from the bund.
Identifies "Bund Commands"
He identified document as list,
ing .l3 "bund commands" original!
drawn up by Kuhn and later issuec
by Kuhn's successor as nationa
leader, Gerhard William Kunze, {
defendant on trial. -
The issue of the Hartzel case wa
brought into the sedition conspiracy
case after defense counsel hae
studied the Supreme Court decision
The majority opinion held the Gov
ernment failed to show Hartze
intended to stir disloyalty anon,
soldiers and sailors, although som.
OF them had received scurrilous ant
defamatory matter mailed by tn,
defendants. Hartzel was prosecuted
under the Espionage Act of 1917
The % defendants in the Distric
Court case are charged with violat
ing an act of 1910 forbidding agita
ton intended to promote disloyalt,
in the armed forces.
Winrod Attorney to Act.
The acquittal motion will be ar
gued by E. Hilton jackson, attorne,
for Gerald Winrod, who presented
the original motion on othe
grounds.
Mr. Jackson told the court h,
would show in his argument tina
the Hartzel decision applied direct
ly to this case, and there Woult
have been no indictment here i
the ruling had been made at tn,
time.
Chief Prosecutor o. John Roggt
denied the Government relied on tn,
Hartzel case, and pointed out th'
Circuit Court of Appeals decision
affirming conviction had not ever
been cited when the prosecution
argued against the previous motion
for a directed verdict, denied ther
by the court.
Mr.. Rogge promised to disclose t,
the court Monday enough of wha
the Government expects to prove t,
show it could not be ruled out unde
the Hartzel decision. He deniet
there would have been no indict
ment against the 90 defendants i
the Hartzel case had been decided
Customs Office Compiled Exhibits.
The exhibits left in the record b,
the court were compiled by the Lo
Angeles Customs Office, accordin,
to testimony, from printed matte
sent from Germany in l94l ant
confiScated by the postal authori
ties AS 'unmailable. " The com
plete mailing list, identified by
Government witness but not Offered
in evidence by the prosecution
showed that a mass of propagand;
from Germany, Japan, Russia ant
other countries had been addressed
to thousands of Americans, includ
ing public relations officials, editors
educators and to such institutions
as libraries schools and corpora
tions.
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