Evening star., 1947-06-23
Rest Of House Recorc
In Anfi-Fascisf Case
Is Read 10 Jurors
By kewbold Noyes, il.

After a defense motion for a new
trial had been oyerruled. the Gov
ernment today continued reading to
a District Court jury the record of
testimony given by Is leaders OF the
Joint Anti-Fascist Refugee Com
mittee before the House Committee
on Un-American Activities April 4,
1916.
Carefully deleted from the
transcript was all reference to al
legged Communist connections or
other political activities of DIR.
Edward E. Barsky and the other
defendants in the mass trial, who
are charged with contempt of Con-
gress.
Justice Richmond B. Keech denied
the mistrial request at bench con-
ference as court convened this
morning. Defense Counsel o. John
Rogge claimed that an article in
Washington newspaper this morn
ing, linking defendants with Ger
hart Eisler, alleged Communist
ringleader, had made it impossible
for the jury to render an impartial
verdict.
Saw No Connection.
In a request last week for a
change of venue in the Anti Fascist
trial, Mr.. Rogge had asserted there
was no connection between the
case of his clients and that of Els
ler, recently convicted of contempt
of Congress and still facing passport
fraud charges.
The article cited by Mr.. RoggeI
asserted that Attorney Ruth Leider,
one of the Anti Fascist defendants,
certified on an Eisler application
for an alien exit permit that she
had known the Communist leader
for six years.
Mr.. Rogge told Justice Keech that
Mrs. Leider had stated she knew
Eisler six months. He said the ar
ticle also contained other inaccu-
racies.
About half of the record of testi-
mony given by the leaders of the
committee before the House Commit
tee on Un-American Activities was
read to the jury Friday.
The record of the House commit
tee hearings, read by Assistant
Prosecutor John P. Burke, showed
that the defendants individually de-
clined to produce subpoenaed books
of the Anti-Fascist committee, |
claiming they did not have custody
of them.
Likely to Rest Case Today.
With only one or two witnesses
scheduled to take the stand briefly
after the reading is completed, it
was likely the prosecution would
rest it's case this afternoon, Charles
B. Murray, assistant United States
attorney, said.
The Government charges that DR..
Barsky and his associates conspired
to withhold, and did withhold rec
ords of their organization from the
House committee last year.
Defense attorneys are uncertain
what witnesses they would summon
after the Government rests.
Wallace Unlikely to Testify.
Former Vice President Wallace,
who agreed last week to testify, had
been advertised as the first defense
witness to take the stand before
the jury A spokesman for the
Anti-Fascist group said today, how
ever, it now was considered unlikely
MI. Wallace would be asked to come
down from New York to testify.
The trial is in it's seventh day
before Justice Keech. How long it
will continue depends largely on
whether Mr.. Rogge decides to in
troduce character witnesses for each
of the defendants. He does not, at
present, plansto put the defendants
themselves on the stand.
Justice Keech today excused Lam
don B. Holt, 1914 Fort Davis street
Sc, one of the jurors, from further
service Mr.. Holt had complained |
of feeling i'll and was replaced by
Minnie E. Ogden, 5040 New Hamp-
shire avenue NV, an alternate.
The change brings the number of |
women IN the rapaI tn oioht