Evening star., 1953-07-30
Communist Leaders
Seized by FBI;; Bail
Is SET al S175,OOO
By the Asseeiated Press

PHILADELPHIA, july 3O.-SlX
men, described as Communist
leaders. were seized by Federal
Bureau Of Investigator agents
last night and early today on
charges they conspi'ed ito advo-
cate the overthrow of the United
States Government by force and
violence"
-Four of the men were arrested
in their homes, the fifth in his
summer cottage and the sixth as
he emerged from a Communist
cell meeting.
Severa hours later the six were
taken to 7hiladelphia's Moya-
mlnsing Prison after a total of
SITS, 900 bail was set. by United
States Commissioner Henry P.
Carr.
Seized After Meeting.
Joseph Kuzma, 41-identified
by the FBI as a Communist
Party Trade union secretary in
Eastern Pennsylvania and Della
ware-was arrested, the FBI
agents said, as he walked away
from a Communist Party meet
ing in Northern Philadelphia. He
was held in $4,000 bail for a
further hearing August 6 after
Assistant United States Attorney
Joseph Hildenberger told Com
missioner Carr he considered
Kuzma "the leader of this
group"
Kuzma, identified as a native
of Brooklyn, N. Y, told Mr.. Carr
he couldn't remember his home
address in Philadelphia and
would require "a telephone book
to recall it,"
Held for a further hearing on
August 6 in $4,000 bail each
were:
David Dubensky, also known
as David Davis, 46; Sherman
Labovitz, 20; Walter Lowenfels,
Sc; Thomas Nabried, 81, and
Benjamin Weiss, 80, all Phila-
delphia. Nabried is the only
Negro in the group.
LoWenfels was arrested at his
summer cottage in Weymouth,
N. j.
Background of Men.
Kuzna was described by the
FBI as associated with the
Communist Party since the mid
del 1905" Labovitz as "a one
time Communist Party organ
izer." LoWenfels as "Commu-
mist Party candidate for Penn
sylvania Representative in 1910
and former managing editor of
the Pennsylvania edition of the
Worker" Nabried as organizer
of the Communist Party in
Eastern Pennsylvania and Della
ware" Weiss as treasurer of
the Communist Party in Eastern
Pennsylvania and Delaware for a
number of years." and Duben-
sky-Davis as lone time member
of the National Committee of
the Communist Party"
A United States attorney said
all six were members Of the Dis
trict Committee Of the Commu-
mist Party. And Mr.. Hildenber-
ger also told Commissioner Carr:
"The District Committee of the
Communist Party in this area is
the hub from which all Com
munist Party activities steam"
Only Dubensky-Davis was rep
resented by counsel at the early
morning hearing before Commits
sioner Carr. His attorney. Da-
vid Cohen, asked for lower bail
for his client as member Of
the Philadelphia community and
organized labor movement for
the last 20 years." but Mr.. Carr
overruled that plea because this
is about the most serious charge
that could be placed against a
man" The $500 bail asked by
Mr.. Hildenberger stood.
The arrests were first an
nounced by FBI Director ]. Ed
gar Hoover in Washington.
81 Arrested Under Act.
The six were charged specific
ally under the Smith Act with
conspiring to advocate the over
throw of the Government. Their
arrests brought to 81 the number
Of Communist Party officials
seized under the act since 1948,
the Justice Department said.
At the hearing before Mr..
Carr. all six kept tight lips ex-
cept Weiss. who asked "IS this
a formal arraignment?"
He was told by Mr.. Carr it was
just a preliminary hearing. Then
he asked to be represented by
an attorney and Mr.. Carr decided
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