Evening star., 1949-06-11
U. 5. Preparing
forest CopIonn
Case Monday
Jury Still Must Digest
Reports, One Naming
Kent, Recent Suicide

The Government planned to
close its case against Judith Cop
lon Monday before a<jury which
now has permission to delve into
the innermost files of FBI counter
espionage agents and their secret
informants.
Both sides we're agreed, how
ever, that there is scant time for
the jury to read and digest even a
small part of the voluminous ma
terial contained in "a FBI reports
on Communist activities which
include these details:
i. That one of the men men
toned in the FBI investigations
was Morton e. Kent, 48, Of Chevy
Chase, Md, a Harvard graduate
and member of the New York bar,
whose throat-slashed body was
found floating in the Potomac
River last Saturday beside Three
Sisters Rocks above Key Bridge.
MIR. Kent, an unemployed business
executive and Russian born for
mer State Department aide. was
pronounced suicide. An informer
had reported to the FBI in the
document made public yesterday
that he had been in contact with
Soviet secret police.
Life History Included.
2. A life history in some $4,000
words of a suspected Soviet agent
and author alleged to have brought
about the execution of her first
husband in Russia and described
as q friend" of an Arlington cou-
pie whose parties for service OFF,
GERS brought them under suspicion
in the closing months of the war.
8. The efforts of David K. Niles,
White House aide, to expedite a
passport application during the
war for a man said to have been
o pal" of a suspected Soviet
espionage agent and an associate
Of known Communists.
4. The suspicion that a couple
formerly employed on the secret
Russian desk in the War Depart
ment were giving out information
to NKvD, the secret Russian
police.
Expected to Rest Case Monday.
The Government. which has
been presenting its espionage case
in District Court against the 28-
yeAr-old former Justice Depart
ment analyst since April rs. was
expected to rest Monday, The
first defense witnesses probably
will be several top-level FBI off,
cials, according to Attorney Archi-
bald Palmer.
Mr.. Palmer and Chief Prosecutor
John M. Kelley. jr.. were to confer
Monday morning before the regu-
lar court session to see If they can
agree on a stipulation as to the
handwriting and typing on papers
found in the defendants pocket
book when she was arrested in
New York on March 4. She is on
trial on charges of taking secret
Government documents.
Mr.. Kent, whose wife conducted
q Photographic studio here for
years under the professional name
of Peggy Duffy, had been the
manager of an Office appliance
sales firm for the last five years
after working for the State and
Labor Departments and the Board
OF Economic Warfare. He spoke
nine languages.
..a Driven to Boathouse.
= Mrs. Kent had driven him to a
boathouse at Key Bridge last Sat-
urday morning. There he rented
a canoe. donned swimming trunks
and padded up the river after
leaving his clothing in a locker.
He appeared cheerful. his wife
said, and told her he was going to
eat a picnic lunch in the sun.
He was found a few hours later
with throat slashed almost from
ear to ear. Canoeists on the river
saw him summing on the rock
shortly before the tragedy. The
coroner's office said hesitation
marks" in his throat indicated his
hand had faltered before he made
the fatal stroke. The case was