PLOT TO START REVOLUTION

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLVIII, Issue 21553, 16 January 1940, Page 5

PLOT TO START REVOLUTION

G-MEN ARREST LEADERS Bombs and Arms Seized United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright (Received January 15, 6.30 p.m.) NEW YORK, January 14. Mr J. Edgar Hoover, chief of Federal Bureau of Investigation,

announces the arrest of 18 members of the “Christian Front” on charges of conspiracy to create a revolution, overthrow the Government and establish a dictatorship. He declared that investigators unearthed a “small arsenal” in New York City intended for revolutionary purposes. Those arrested functioned as a “sports club,” which Mr Hoover described

as a secret organisation specialising in the training of men for a projected revolution. After stealing arms from the defence forces the club planned among early terrorisms beginning after January 20. the eradication of Jews, the seizure of public utilities, including power, water, railroads, communications and transport, also the bombing of the Jewish newspaper. “Daily Forward,” the seizure of the Customs House, the main Post Office in New York City, the Federal Reserve Banks throughout the I nited States, and the National Guard armouries.

Mr Hoover said that the principals among those arrested were John F. Cassidy, leader of the “Christian Front,” who is addressed as “Fuhrer”, also William Bishop, leader of the Sports Club. Federal Bureau Investigation agents confiscated compl ted and uncompleted bombs, rifles and thousands of rounds of ammunition. The arrested men include employees of the Edison postal, telegraph and cable companies. Cassidy and other members of the “Christian Front” often called Father Coughlin “oar leader’ ’and committed the “Christian Front” to the support of the principles c' social justice which Father Coughlin enunciated.

Father Coughlin declined to recognise any official connection and now declares that he frequently condemned the • Christian Front.” The use of Lis name was unauthorised.

Bishop, who was born in Vienna, was deported three times from Eng-

land and Belgium. The seven arrested men are members of the National Guard or Naval Reserve, three of whom are Irish, one German and three American-born. One is a captain in the National Guard.

Nazi Agents Active

The Mexico City correspondent of the Associated Press of America says it is reliably learned that secret police are investigating reports that Nazi

agents have their headquarters in Mexico City from where they are conducting sabotage in the United States. There have been no arrests. Government sources assert that the secret police have evidence that German agents are crossing the frontier frequently.

According to a New York message Karl Schluter, principal of the Rumrich, Hofman and Glazer spy trials in June. 1938. was found among the crew of the scuttled German liner Columbus during a check of the survivors’ status and was detained by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Schluter escaped to Germany in 1938 when Grand Jury indictments were prematurely made public and joined the liner’s South American run.