Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-04-03
Ben Gold Convicted
OF Lying About His
Communist Links
By Howard [. Dutkin


Ben Gold, president Of the
international Fur and Leather
Workers Union, yesterday was
found guilty on two counts of
lying in q Taft Hartley nom
Communist affidavit sworn to on
August 80, 1850.
A jury in the q. S. Dis
trict Court for the District of
Columbia returned the verdict
at 2:15 pm. after having re-
ceived the case Thursday at
11:10 am.
Gold faces a maximum penalty
Of five years Imprisonment and
a $4,000 fine on each count.
Specifically he was found guilty
of lying when he swore he was
not a member of the Communist
Party at the time of the affidavit
and was not then a supporter of
the party. He was found not
guilty of q third count charging
him with lying when he said he
was not affiliated with the party.
The indictment against him was
returned under false statement
statutes.
Commenting on the conviction,
Attorney General Brownell said
it proves Communists have no
regard for the truth and lie as
their foreign leaders instruct
them to do"
Bond Continued.
Judge Charles F. Mclaughlin
continued Colds bond of $4,000
pending arguments on a motion
for a new trial. Defense Attor-
neyS Vito Marcantonio and Da-
vid Rein were given eight days
to file motions.
The attorneys said they will
seek a Supreme Court ruling If
their motions for a new trial are
denied.
The trial lasted almost seven
weeks. Prosecutor Joseph Low
ther paraded a number of wit
nesses. formerly high in the
Communist Party, to the stand.
Among them were Louis Budenz,
now a teacher at Fordham Uni
versity, and Benjamin Gitlow.
The witnesses testified as to
what they considered the real
meaning of a notice of resigna-
ton from the party written by
Gold and published in the Daily
Worker.
In his statement Gold said
that, although he was quitting
the party, he did not give up
his belief in true democracy"
The witnesses declared that to
a Communist the words true
democracy" means only the die
tatorship of the proletariat.
Spoke at Parades.
Other damaging evidence
against Gold included testimony
that in 1851 and 1852 he had
spoken at May Day parades in
New York. It was testified that
he spoke from a stand occupied
by high Communist officials and
that such an incident would be
impossible if Gold were not a
party member. 5
Mr.. Lowther declared the
Communist Party operated much
as a military organization and
he decribed Gold as general
in the party. He told of others
who had broken with the party
and who were Immediately ex-
coriated in the Communist press
as renegades. But, he said. Gold
was treated very kindly follow
ing his alleged break.
Defense counsel based their
arguments largely on Colds &C
knowledged letter of "esigna-
ton and cited the law as speci-
flying merely that one must quit
the party without necessarily
engaging in dispute with it later.
They characterized the Govern
ment'S witnesses as trained
seals" and the trial as a frame
up.
The defense admitted that
Gold had been a Communist for
many years. but insisted the
resignation" was legitimate.
Court sources say that seven
persons have been indicted
throughout the country on
charges similar to those against
Gold. Four have been convicted,
but one conviction was reversed
and appeals have been noted in
two of the other cases. Three
others remained to be tried. Gold
is included among the seven in
dicted.