Evening star., 1946-10-18
Ex-Communist Editor
Identifies German as
Party's Head in U. 5.
BY the Assoeioted Press

BY the Assoeioted Pres.
NEW YORK, Oct. 18-Louis F
Budenz, former editor of the Daily
Worker, Communist paper, who re-
nounced communism to rejoin the
Catholic Church, has identified a
man he said was known as Hans
Berger as the mysterious figure di-
recting all Communist activity in
the United States.
Mr.. Budenz, who left the party
a year ago and now is an economics
instructor at Fordham University,
told newsmen yesterday that Mr.
Berger's real name is Gerhard Els
Ter. Mr.. Budenz said he took or
ders from Mr.. Berger when he was
editing the paper.
Mr.. Budenz refused to give further
information about Mr.. Berger, de-
claring he would be a witness late
next month in Washington before
the House Committee on un-Amer-
lean Activities, and that he would
lay before the committee certain
documents and references contain
ing information about Mr.. Berger.
Made Reference i'm Speech.
In a speech Sunday at Detroit.
Mr.. Budenz told of the existence
of secret but dominate figure in
American Communist affairs, but
mentioned no name.
Concerning the alleged No Com
nunist director, Mr.. Budenz said
then:
He never shows his face. He
does not appear in official Com
munist buildings. Few Communist
leaders here ever see him. They
all. however, follow his orders or
suggestions implicitly. His name
on an article is sign that 1t is
official. The average rank-and-file
American Communist, however,
never heard of him."
The Daily Worker. in today's edi-
tion,, published an interview with
Gerhard Eisler, quoting him as say
ing the charges were too ridiculous
to answer" The story did not refer
to him as Berger.
Meanwhile, PM quoted Mr.. Eisler
as saying in an interview he didn't
know Berger from Adam" The story
in PM stated that "Eisler believes
he was the intended victim of a
carefully conceived plan to nourish
the growing anti-Soviet feeling in
this country"
Had Been Scheduled to Sail
The interview in the Daily Worker
described Mr.. Eisler as slight,
scholarly, middle-aged journals" "
and said he and his wife had been
scheduled to sail for their native
Leipzig today with State Depart
ment approval
But their exit permit" the story
continued, had been Cancelled with
out reason on Wednesday after their
baggage had already cleared Gus
toms and been placed aboard ship.
During the course of the inter-
view. the Daily Worker quoted Mr..
Eisler as saying:
81 have been a member OF the
German Communist Party, but I
have never been a leader or rep
resentative of the Communist In
ternational during its existence"
Left Germany in 1888.
The paper gave these details about
Mr.. Eisler:
I'm 1888 (he) was forced to
leave Germany and, until 1886, kept
one Jump ahead of the Nazis from
Austria to Czechoslovakia, Denmark
and France. In 1886 he fought in
Spain in the Loyalist ranks. Dur
ing all this time he actively sup
ported the German underground.
"Just before the outbreak of
World War II, at the end of August,
1889 Chez was arrested in France
for voicing opposition to the Munich
betrayal. For two years he was i'm
prisoned in the Infamous Vernet
concentration camp"
The Daily Worker also quoted Mr..
Eisler as saying he landed in the
United States against my will and
Intentions" 1t added:
He landed on American shores
June 3. 1941, and was placed on
Ellis Island, where he was kept for
two months"
Entered Z. S. as Visitors.
The story said Mr.. Eisler and his
wife finally were permitted to enter
as visitors and added:
For one and a half years since
the end of the war. the Eislers have
been applying for permission to
work for a democratic Germany in
their native land"
The Daily Worker said Mr.. Eisler's
activities have been entirely lit
erary. It said he wrote THE Les
son of Germany" helped edit an
anti-Nazi German language paper
and did all he could to partici-
pate in Che war effort as an air.
raid warden and blood donor"
A police department official said
last night the man named by Mr.,
Budenz was we'll known to police
here as a Communist and that the
department had a large file of in
formation concerning him.
In Washington, neither the FBI
nor the State Department would