F.B.I. ROUNDS UP U.S. TOP REDS ON CONSPIRACY CHARGES

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22696, 22 July 1948, Page 5

F. 8.1. ROUNDS UP U.S. TOP REDS ON CONSPIRACY CHARGES

(N.Z.P.A.— Reuter—Copyright.)

(10 a.m.) NEW YORK, July 21. Charged with conspiring to teach and advocate the overthrow of the United States Government by force and violence, seven leading American Oommunist officials have been arrested, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation is seeking five others.

* The indictments were Issued by

the Federal Grand Jury which has been investigating top-ranking leaders of the Communist Party in the United States for over a year.

Six of the Communists were arrested in New York and the other in Detroit. Those arrested in New York are:

William Foster, the American Communist Party’s chairman. Eugene Dennis, the party’s general secretary and a city councillor. Benjamin Davis, a Negro member of the party’s national board.

John Williamson, a trade union secretary. Henry Winston, organising secretary

Jacob Stachel, educational secretary. In Detroit the chairman of the party’s Michigan State Council and a national committeeman, Carl Winters, was arrested.

Officers of the. Federal Bureau uf Investigation arrested the New York accused in a city building in which the Communist leaders were conferring. All pleaded not guilty when arraigned in the Federal Court. Bail was fixed at 5000 dolars each. Nature of Indictment

They.were named in one indictment charging them with violation of the Smith Act by “unlawfully conspiring, together with other persons unknown to the Grand Jury, to organise as the Communist Party of the United States, a society or group to teach and advocate the overthrow of the United States Government by force and violence.”

Six additional indictments charged the men with membership of the Communist Party, “knowing well that the said party was and is a society or assembly of persons teaching the overthrow of the United States Government by force and violence.” The Federal authorities said that Winters was arraigned on orders from New York He was charged under the Smith Act with conspiring to overthrow the Government by force and participating in a conspiracy to undermine the loyalty of the United States armed forces. He is held on a 10,000 dollar bond and will be taken to New York for the hearing. Five Others Still Sought

The five leaders still sought are. Irving Potash, manager of the C. 1.0. furriers’ joint council, New York.

John Gates, editor of the Daily Worker.

Robert Thompson, chairman of the New York State Communist Party. Gilbert Green, the Chicago district Communist Party chairman.

Gus Hall, chairman ot the Ohio Communist Party. An American Communist Party statement said the arrests were made on a “monstrous frame-up charge”.