Evening star., 1947-07-13
FB| Seizes.2 Former Sergeonts
With Documents and Photos
Showing How to Make A-Bomb
Student at Princeton,
Chicago Man Held;
Dutu Gone for Year
by Vincent DIVER

Two former Army sergeants
accused of taking documents and
photographs which show how to
make an atom bomb were ar
rested by FBI agents yesterday.
The FBI said the documents and
photographs have been recovered.
There is no indication, spokesman
said, that there was any connection
between the arrested men and any
foreign power and. none that the
two former sergeants showed any
Of the documents or photographs to
any one. although they had them
for more than year.
Those arrested are Alexander Won
der Luft, %, OF Alb Serpentine drive,
Mount Lebanon, Pa, and Earnest D.
Wallis, "a, of ISL West Burton place,
Chicago, both formerly stationed at
the Los Alamos New Mexico)
atomic testing station.
Secret Documents Recovered.
Won der Luft, student of chem
tcal engineering at Princeton Uni
versity, was arrested at his home.
A search of his room at the univer-
sity, the FBI said, resulted in recov-
cry Of about 200 pages of handwrit-
ten notes and other documents
marked Secret" pertaining to the
atomic bomb.
From wall safe in Won der Luft's
family home, FBI agents said they
recovered folder which contained
confidential and highly restricted
data pertaining to the development
and construction of the atomic
bomb"
Wallis was arrested in Chicago
where he operates a photography
studio. About 200 photographs and
negatives which showed various
phases" of atomic bomb experiments
were seized in the studio, the FBI
said. Experts of the Atomic Energy
Commission found many of the pho
tographs and negatives were classed
as top secret"
There is no connection between
the two men and "in fact they did
not know each other" the FBI
said.
Complaints Being Fixed.
Complaints are being filed the
Justice Department said before the
United States Commissioner at
Santa Fe, N. Mex, charging von der
Luft and Wallis with willfully and
unlawfully removing and concealing
records and documents in violation
of the United States Criminal Code.
Penalty is a fine of not more than
$4,000 or Jail sentence of not more
than three years, or both.
Won der Luft will be arranged in
Pittsburgh and Wallis in Chicago,
the FBI said. No charge could be
filed under the Atomic Energy Act
because the offenses occurred before
its enactment.
Senator Hickenlooper, Republican
of Iowa, first disclosed disappearance
of important and Classified" files
from the Los Alamos atomic installa-
ton in a speech to the Senate
Wednesday. He said then the two
former Army sergeants were SOU
venir hunters" and there was mo
effective breach of security"
J. Edgar Hoover, FBI director,
said the investigation started on the
evening Of April 30 1947. when the
FBI learned documents we're miss
ing from Los Alamos. This was
more than a year after they were
removed fronr~the, files of the New
MeYico installation
First Led to Won der Luft.
This investigation first led to Won
der Luft, who had enlisted in the
Army in April, 1943, and was dis
charged on March 8, 1916 after
having been assigned to the Man.
haitian Engineer District and de-
tailed to Los Alamos He was 10
Gated and interviewed at Princeton,
where he had resumed his studies
after his discharge. His military
record shows he was given the good
conduct medal, the victory medal
and the meritorious unit award. He
was a staff sergeant when dis
charged.
The investigation of Won der Luft
caused FBI agents to look for Sec
ond person who had removed Sc
cret" documents-a search that led
to Wallis. He had enlisted in the
(see ATOMIC, Page A-7D