Evening star., 1949-06-29
Judge Corrects
sChargeAfte'
Defense Protest
Jurors Ask for Full
FBI Reports, Purse
And Its Contents
By james J. CuIIinone and
W. n. Shippen, Jr.

The fate OF Judith Coplon, frst
Justice Department employe ever
accused of espionage, was placed
in the hands of jury of four
women and eight men at 11:12
am. today.
In a 25-minute charge to the
Jury Judge Albert L. Reeves said
the brunette 28-year-old defend
ant should be acquitted on the
first count In the indictment
against her If the jury believed
her story that she was IN love with
her alleged Russian confederate
Valentine A. Gubitchev, and never
intended to transmit information
about this country's national de-
fense to a foreign power.
Judge Reeves told the jury there
is no question but that the de-
fendant removed documents deal
ing with the national defense
from Justice Department files and
had them in her purse when she
was arrested on March 4. In
considering the second count of
the indictment, which charges
merely that she unlawfully re-
moved the documents from Justice
Department files. Judge Reeves
said the jury should determine
whether she was following ac-
cepted practice.
To Consider "All Circumstances" !"
If they believed she took the
documents merely to prepare for
a civil service examination or to
aid her in writing a book, as she
testified. then Miss Coplon should
be acquitted on the second count.
Judge Reeves told the jury.
Judge Reeves told the jury 1t
should consider all circumstances
in connection with Miss Coplon's S
"clandestine and secret" meetings
in New York with Gubitchev, a
Soviet engineer employed by the
United Nations.
In addition to the trial here.
Miss Coplon faces trial with GU
bitchev in New York on charges
of conspiring to violate espionage
statutes.
Defense Attorney Archibald
Palmer took emphatic exception
to Judge Reeves charge after the
jury left the courtroom. He in
sisted there was nothing clan
destine or secret" about the meet
ing of Miss Coplon and Gubitchev
on January IA, the first occasion
on which the pair were trailed by
FBI agents.
Judge Corrects Error.
Judge Reeves recalled the jury
and told them he had made one
error in his charge. He said there
was nothing 'clandeStine or
secretive" about the January IA
meeting of Gubitchev and Miss
Coplon. The white haired rs
year-old jurist then told the jurors
to 60 to their room and elect a
foreman and begin their delibera-
tions.
Opposing attorneys were still
arguing a technicality an hour
after the jury received the case.
The jury had asked for the Sc
cret FBI reports on which the
data slips found in Miss Coplon's
pocketbook were based.
Objects to Marked Copies.
Mr.. Palmer objected to the jury
seeing copies of the volumInous
reports which had been lined in
red pencil by prosecution attor-
neys in the early stages of the
trial.
There were technical reasons. it
was said. why neither the steno-
graphic record of the reports nor
photostatic copies in the FBI files
would be acceptable to both sides
for the study by the jury.
Judge Reeves declined to return
to the bench to discuss the matter
and it was debated informally in
the courtroom. Miss Coplon tried
to get into the argument at one
stage, and her counsel told her:
sit still, Judy, for just a min
ute. can't you? Maybe you went