Evening star., 1953-02-24
Steve Nelson
MdyBeCaIIedin
Weinberg Trial
Scientist X Focing
Court Here on Charge
Of Perjury Today
By Jack Jones

boss now in prison, as witness
IN its perjury case against DIR.
Joseph w. Weinberg.
: DR.. Weinberg, identified by the
House Un-American Activities
Committee as the mysterious
Scientist X' suspected of Slip
ping atomic secrets to Russia,
Wasto go on trial this afternoon
N S. District Court for the
sDistrict, Of Columbia. The case,
originally scheduled to begin at
10 am. was postponed until
las pm. because of a delay in
another case in the courtroom of
Judge Alexander Holtzoff.
DR.. Weinberg worked on the
A-bomb project at the Univer-
sity Of California during the war.
Nelson was organizer for the
Communist Party in that area
at the same time.
X Serving State Term.
Government attorneys were
attempting to iron out legal
blocks to calling Nelson as
witness. The former Commu-
mist organizer is serving a 20
year sentence in Pennsylvania
for violating that States anti
sedition law. State authorities
are not required to honor Fed
eral writs seeking release Of
prisoners for testimony in Fed
eral trials.
The attorneys were holding
conversations late last week
with Pennsylvania prison au-
thorities in an effort to obtain
their agreement. for Nelson's
appearance here.
The slim, bespectacled DR..
Weinberg is accused of lying
three times to the House COM
mittee when it was looking into
wartime atomic spying. He ap-
peared before the committee
May 25, 1949, and told it's men,
bers, among other things:
l. That he had not been a
member of the Communist Party.
2. That other than one Com
munist Party meeting in Oak
land, Calf, during World War
II, he did not believe he had
attended any meeting he thought
to be Communist.
8. That he did not remember
knowing Steve Nelson before
1949, when the two faced each
other before the committee.
Accusation Denied.
The perjury charges were
based on these statements.
In subsequent report, the
committee identified DR.. Wein-
berg as the Scientist K" who
turned over atomic secrets to
Nelson for transmittal to Russia.
DR.. Weinberg has denied the ac-
cusation.
Nelson refused to tell the COM
mittee whether he knew DIR.
Weinberg on the grounds that
to answer might incriminate him.
In its early reports, the commit
tee had identified the man asso-
c1ated with Nelson in the San
Francisco spy case only as "Sci-
enlist x" Later, the committee
identified the mystery man with
DR.. Weinberg.
A grand jury here indicted DR.,
Weinberg last March.
It is expected, too, that
Paul Crouch and his wife, Syl-
via, will be among prosecution
witnesses. Mr.. Crouch has testi-
fed in previous Government
Communist cases. He preceded
Nelson as the Communist Party
organizer in Alameda County,
Calf.
Other Names Mentioned.
The Governments interest in
calling Nelson despite his refusal
to talk to the House committee
raised speculation that others
who would not previously an
swer questions about association
with DR.. Weinberg also might
be called.
Among these are three former
associates of the physicists at the
University of California Radia-
ton Laboratory. They are David
Joseph Boehm, SO, of Princeton.
N. j.; Irving David Fox, 33, of
Berkeley, Calf, and Giovanni
Rossi Lomanitz, 80, of Oklahoma
City, Okla.
All three were researchers at
the lab at the time DR.. Vein.
berg worked there. They were
indictedSon charges of contempt
Of Congress for refusing to
answer various questions, includ-
ing queries about association
with DR.. Weinberg. They later
were cleared.
Another possible Government
witness is DR.. Kenneth o. MAY.
who was graduate student at
the University of California with
DR.. Weinberg in the late 193O's.
DR.. May formerly was a member
OF the Communist Party but
withdrew his membership and
served in the Army during World
War II.
Union Leader.
There also was speculation
that Marcel Scherer, former
leader of the Federation of
Architects, Engineers, Chemists
and TechnicianS, might be
called. This union later was
merged with the United Office
and Professional Workers, which
was expelled from the CIO in
1850 on charges of pro-Com-
munist leadership.
1t was reported during the
House hearing that Mr.. Scherer
helped recruit DR.. Weinberg and
several other atomic scientists
into his union.
Oppenheimer House Mentioned.
A bill of particulars presented