Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1950-01-27
FBI Agents Describe
Elusive Movements Of
Spy Case Defendants
By james J. CuIIinone
Sior StofF Correspondent


elusive movements of Judith Cop
lon, former Government girl, and
Valentin Gubitchev, Russian en-
gineer, when they were trailed to
a rendezvous in upper Manhat-
tan last January, were described
at their spy trial today by FBI
agents.
Special Agent Richard Hradski.
under cross examination, said
Gubitchev gave every appearance
OF a man who suspected he was
being trailed while FBI agents
were following him and Miss Cop
Ion. He broke off the surveillance.
Mr.. Hradski said, because he did
not want to arouse Gubitchev's
suspicious further.
He told how the Russian, who
was assigned to the United Ma
lions staff, bolted from his seat
beside Miss Coplon on an express
subway just as the doors were
about to close and ran across the
platform to board another train.
Took Circuitous Route.
He got of this train at the next
stop and took a taxi which fol-
lowed a circuitous route to an
other subway station, the agent
said.
Abraham Pomerantz. attorney
for Gubitchev. declared the FBI
investigators tipped their hand"
soon after they began trailing
Gubitchev. Mr.. Pomerantz told
the court his client knew he was
being followed but thought he was
being trailed by detectives hired
by his wife.
Special Agent Robert Bremen,
who accompanied Mr.. Hradski on
the surveillance, also described
the effort Gubitchev made to
elude pursuers. -.
Defense Defines Issue.
The jury of six housewives and
six businessmen trying the couple
in Federal Court on espionage
conspiracy charges heard defense
attorneys in their opening argu-
ments yesterday promise to prove
that passion, not spying, Is the
central issue in the case.
Justice Department Prosecutors
John M. Kelley, jr., and Raymond
P. Whearty promised the jurors
they would show that Miss Cop
Ion, trusted analyst of conf
dental documents in the
Washington headquarters of the
Justice Departments Criminal
Division, and Gubitchev had de-
liberately conspired to betray this
country's national defense secrets
to the U. S. S. r.
Explains Association.
For the first time since he was
arrested last march. Gubitchev
explained his association with
Miss Coplon yesterday. Through
his attorney, the blond. balding
Russian informed the jury that he
was the victim of horrible
neurotic conflict of man who
desperately wanted to be with q
girl but who was scared of his
wife and his compatriots and
afraid that the girl would lose her
job because of the loyalty pro-
gram"
The prosecutors resorted to the
same strategy they employed in
the espionage trial which resulted
in Miss Coplon'S conviction in
Washington last summer to coun-
ter the love defense raised in cur
rent trial.
Enlarged Photographic repro
auctions of street maps of Upper
Manhattan were placed on
pedestal before the jury and Mr..
Hradski was given a blackboard
pointer. AS he did in the Wash
ington trial MIR. Hradski traced
the devious routes taken by Miss
Coplon to keep her rendezvous
with Gubitchev on January IA.
1949.
The defense scored a major
point yesterday when it forced Mr..
Hradski to admit that he had
initiated an FBI surveillance log"
which said that Miss Coplon had
struck at Gubitchev with her hand
or q folded newspaper several
times after leaving an uptown
restaurant where they had dined.
Gestured With Newspaper.
Under direct examination, Mr..
Hradski testified that Miss Coplon
gestured toward Gubitchev with a
folded newspaper as they walked
away from the restaurant.
Archibald Palmer, attorney for
Miss Coplon, then read the sur
veillance log bearing Mr.. Hrad-
skis initials which said the small
defendant had struck at Gubit-
chev several times.
II put my initials there to show
I was present when the incident
occurred, but I would not have
used those words to describe what
happened" Mr.. Hradski said. ut
appeared to me that she was ges-
turing with the newspaper to