Evening star., 1947-07-22
EisIer Once Selected
Top Red Committee,
Ex-Communist SAYS
By Newbold Moves, Jr.


agent here. is on trial, charged with
failing to tell the Government when
he applied for permit to leave the
country in 1945 that he had Com
munist afi1liations in this country,
had used aliases, and had been in
the United States in the 1906.
Joseph zack Kornfeder, a charter
member and former leader of the
American Communist Party, testi-
ned for the Government all morn
ing. He depicted Eisler as a man
whose word was law In Communist
ranks.
Mr.. Kornfeder told the jury he
was expelled from the party in 1894,
one month after Eisler had warned
him he would be ousted If he did
not conform to the party line on
labor policy.
Eisler, as representative Of the
Communist International, also d.
rected American Communists to at
tempt to infiltrate the Civilian Con-
servatioh Corps, the American Fed
Grafton of Labor and several veter-
ans organizations during the early
years of the Roosevelt administra-
ton, Mr.. Kornfeder said.
Delegates Hand Picked.
The witness, who said he was in
charge Of labor relations for the
Communist Party in Ohio and Ken
lucky, asserted that in 1884 Eisler
not only hand-picked delegates from
Ohio to the party's national con-
vention, but also selected the slate
which was unanimously elected to
the Central Committee at the ma
tional convention in May.
"Eisler told me that he saw to 1t
that the incoming Central Commit
tee was composed of such members
as would act with unanimity," Mr..
Kornfeder said. 80 He said we
must make sure to have a commit
tee which would be unanimous and
thus eliminate vacillation."
It was at this convention, accord
ing to Mr.. Kornfeder. that Eisler
twice warned him of serious conse-
quences" If he Kornfeder) insisted
on speaking against the labor poll
cies which Eisler had laid down for
the party at that time.
This policy, Mr.. Kornfeder said,
was one of infiltrating the AFL,
whereas his view was that "the main
activity should be among morgan
lied workers"
Expelled From Party.
Mr.. Kornfeder, who had planned
to address the convention for 80
minutes on the subject, finally made
a five-minute speech, he said.
Later, Mr.. Kornfeder said he met
Eisler confidentially in New York
park"
Mr.. Eisler asked me to make
written statement for publication in
Communist newspapers repudiating
my criticism of the Political Bureaus
position on labor policy" Mr.. Korn-
.feder said. "He told me that If I re-
fused to make such q statement, I
would be expelled from the party.
Mr.. Kornfeder said nevertheless
he refused.
And were you expelled from the
party after that?" asked, Assistant
United States Attorney william Hitz.
"Yes," Mr.. Kornfeder replied.
How long was that after the con-
versation In the park?"
within . month";" said Mr..
Kornfeder. ''
Recruiting for CCC Urged.
The witness said that in the sum-
mer of 1888 in Cleveland, Eisler told
him the Ohio branch Of the party
must recruit several hundred young
persons for work In the newly Or
ganized CCC camps.
1T Is necessary for the party to
establish contact with this move
ment in order to win over the young
people in the camps" Mr.. Korn-
feder quoted Eisler as saying.
An another time, according to
Mr.. Kornfeder, Eisler informed him
the party must organize q commit
tee for activity among the veterans" ="
Mr.. Kornfeder short. stout, bald
and bespectacled man who speaks
with a heavy accent and is now
employed by the V-Seal Corp. of
Detroit, told the jury yesterday he
had served as representative of the
Communist International in South
America In 1881.
Before that, he said, he had spent
three years studying revolutionary
strategy at the Lenin Institute in
Moscow. The Government contends
that Eisler worked with this organ
i3ation in 1881 and 1882.
Yesterday the Government sought
to bring out that in 1885 and 1885
two trips by Eisler from the United
States to Europe were paid for BY
the Communist party.
Records introduced.
Records of a New York travel
agency, referring to the ocean trips
of one Samuel Liptzin," were intro
duced in evidence. Samuel Lipt-
zn," said the Government. was
Eisler.
The name Blake" appeared on
these records and Mr.. Hitz brought
out this meant the trip in question
was to be charged to q person OF that
name.
Manning johnson. former Com