Evening star., 1953-02-12
Provoo Found Guilty
Of Treason 10 u. S.:
Could Receive Death
BY the Assoeiated Press

NEW YORK, Feb. 12.-Former
Army Sergt. John David Provoo
today faced a sentence that
could be anything from five
years in prison to death for
treason while a prisoner of the
Japanese during World War II.
A Federal court jury found
him guilty last night Of four
overt acts of treason. It was un-
able to agree on three other
treason allegations.
The good looking, tall and
square-jawed veteran was pale
and tense as the court clerk read
the jury's findings in detail,
Judge Gregory F. Noonan Sched-
uled a hearing on defense mo-
tions and sentencing for next
Tuesday. The 35-year-old de-
fendant was taken to the Federal
House of Detention.
Responsible for Execution.
One Of the charges on which
Provoo was convicted was that
he was at least partly responsible
for the death of a fellow prisoner
of war, Army Capt. Burton c..
Thomson, of Swea City, Iowa.
Capt. Thomson was executed by
their captors on Corregidor after
Provoo. who was in favor with
the prison camp commanders,
reported him as unco-operative
and anti-Japanese.
The jury of seven women and
five men also found Provoo
guilty of Offering his services
to the Japanese captors and of
making two radio broadcasts
from Tokyo during the war.
The charges on which the jury
was unable to agree were that
Provoo tried to persuade an
American colonel to give a
United States Army code to the
Japanese; that he seized a pair
of boots from a fellow prisoner
and gave them to the Japanese,
and that he joined the japanese
in questioning a fellow Amer
ican prisoner for the purpose of
discovering where the American
forces on the Philippines had
hidden silver bullion.
Deliberated Over 13 Hours.
The jury returned the verdict
at $3.50 o'clock last night after
13 hours and As minutes of
actual deliberation. It had re-
ceived the case at 400 pm.
Tuesday. The trial started Oc-
tober 27.
The judge told the jurors: "I
believe in my conscience that
the verdict at which you have
arrived is justified by the evi-
dence."
The defense had called Provoo
and "a other witnesses to back
its contention that he remained
loyal to the United States after
his capture, but had courted the
- favor Of the japanese, so as to be
in a position to get extra food
and other benefits for his fellow
prisoners. The defense also con-
tended that Provoo's propaganda
broadcaStS for the japanese were
made after he had become con-
vinced that refusal would lead
to his execution.
Parade of Witnesses.
The prosecution called A wit
neSses. The witnesses for the
defense and prosecution were
brought from various parts of
the United States and Japan.
Provoo, a native American who
formerly lived in Sausalito,
Calf, quit his job in a San
Francisco bank before World
War II and went to Japan, where
he studied Buddhism and the
Japanese language. After re-
turning to the United States, he
enlisted in the Army and was
sent to the Philippines.
Two assistants to the United
States Attorney, Moses L. Kove
and Albert Binder, contended
at the trial that Provoo be-
trayed his comrades when Cor
regidor fell May 6, 1852. and
continued to aid the japanese
until Japan surrendered August
ID 1Qd5