Evening star., 1960-11-03

VINO hao tormented me into my
confession" He avoided my
eyes.
A bailiff shouted everybody
Stand"-and the judges, two
air force officers lieutenant
colonel and a major-and an
army major, filed into the
room. The major general,
meantime, had taken his seat
in the prosecutors box.
The trial began. The Air
Force colonel, as presiding Of
ficer, asked me whether I ac-
cepted the jurisdiction of his
court. I said I did. Then the
witnesses were called in. Harvey
Bennett was first. The others
consisted of the border detach-
ment which had searched our
belongings when we tried to
leave the country.
The Air Force colonel said in
an almost inaudible voice: THE
prisoner will stand and tell his
story" This I did in a short
statement, telling the court
that I had, indeed, tried to
write an anti-Soviet book,
which I had hoped to market
in the States upon my return.
The judges seemed bored,
shuff1ing their papers and twid-
ding their thumbs. Then the
cross examination started. The
prosecutor asked me. why I had
intended to SANDER" the Soviet
Union. I repeated the state
ments which had been pounded
into me for over a month.
Then my lawyer took the pro-
ceedings in hand. He stressed
in his queries - feebly my
humble" background, that I
had worked in a factory, and
that Il have never gone to a
spy school,"
At the end of his tirade.
which the judges heard with
equally bored expressions, he
asked me to say something
about my "remorse." I made
"a statement to the effect that
i was sorry to have offended
the Soviet Union without
knowing what I was doing. I
used the words sincere re-
morse" I believe.
There was a brief recess for
lunch.
Questions Loaded
AS soon as the trial resumed,
the witnesses were called.
Again, Harvey Bennett was
flrst in line. The prosecutors
questions directed at him were
loaded" to say the least, such
as: Were the notes the ac-
cused took the notes a regular
tourist would take?"
Harvey, who had apparently
also been put through the
mill" said no, he did not think
a normal tourist would take
such notes, but that I had said
l wanted to write a book, and
that it seemed logical to him
l should take notes.
The testimony of the Russian
witnesses seemed to be re-
hearsed throughout. The kew
witness lost the thread in the
middle Of his statement and
stood there suffering before
prompting allowed him to re-
sumo.
His testimony set the stage
Tor the final summing = IN
speeches. The prosecutor pro-
duced and read a 25-paee
document, the bulk of which
indicted the United States and
the "U-2 plotters." Only three
pages were devoted to my case
The prosecutor asked for a
sentence of seven years in
prison.
Each Knows His Lines
My lawyers final statement
took the same line as he had
taken before. The whole thing
Went along briskly and busi-
nessllke, and reminded me of
play after a long run. Each
pfotagonist knew his lines to
perfection. W
ASKED to make a final plea.
i stated again that I was sorry
1or my crime" but that I had
not known I was violating RUS
sian laws when I took INV
notes. I again ended on a note
of apology
mat wound UP the session
Inc court adjourned for about
two hours, and at 1920 pm
Monday. September 10, I was
given the minimum sentence
seven years, to be served in a
labor colony. I was numb and
without emotion.
Next day, my lawyer told me
to appeal to a higher court,
Meanwhile. I was remanded to
prison, and the routine of wait
ing and despair resumed.
But on October 13 - since
then, my lucky day-my lawyer
arrived and told me that the
supreme military tribunal had
commuted my sentence to ex-
pulsion, after a higher court
had upheld the conviction.
The next day, I was re-
leased from jail. Harvey Ben
nett. whose house arrest had
also been lifted, and were
taken to Uzhgorod, where our
car was returned to us with
our luggage. The formalities
were brief this time, and we
drove through Czechoslovakia,
not resting until we had
arrived in Vienna, Austria,
back in the free world.
But not until a few days ago,
when the effects Of all the tor
ment and mental anguish
were beginning to wear off, did
I realize that was a free man
again. / was lying in nv hotel