Conspiracy Charges Laid By Uncle Sam

Chronicle (Levin), 22 July 1948, Page 5

Conspiracy Charges Laid By Uncle Sam

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Received Wednesday,. 7 p.m. NEW YORK, July .20. . Charged • with conspiring to teach and advocate the' overthrow of the (Jnited States ' Government by force and violence, seven leading American Cominunist oflieials have been arrested and th.e F.B.I. is. seeking five others. Indietments were issued. by a Federal Grand Juiy which had been hnvestigating topranking leaders of the 1 CommuniSt Party in "the United States for over a year. Six of the Communists Wefe arrested in New' York and the "Other in Detroit.- - 1 Those arrested in New York are: — William Foster, American Communist Party chairman; Eugene ' Dennis, the Party 's general secretary . and City councillor; Benjamin Davis, a Negro member of the Party 's national" board; .fohn Williamson, trade union secretary; Henry Winston, organising secretary; and Jacob Stachel, educational secretary. In Detroit the chairtnan to the Party 's Aliehigan .state council and national committeeinan. Carl * Winters, was arrested. Federal Bureau of - Investigation officers arrested the New York accnsed in a city building \yherein tlie Communist leaders were conferring. * All pleaded not guilty when arraigned in the Federal Court. Baib was set at 5000 'dollars each. They were named in one indictment eharging them with violation the Smith Act by ' 1 unlawfully conspiring together with" other .persons nnknown to the Grand Jury, to organise'as the Communist Party of -United States, a society or group to teach and advocate the overthrow of the United States Government by force and violence." Six additional indietments charged the men with ruembership of the Commnnist Party "knowing well that the said party -was and is a society or assenibly of persons teaching tbe overthrow of the United States Government by force and violence." Federal authorities said Winters was arraigned on orders from New Yorlc. He is charged tlnder the Smith Aet with conspiracy to undermine the loyalty of the United States armed forces. He is held-on a 10,000 dollars' bond and will be taken to New York for the hearing. The five leaders still sought are: — Trving Potash, manager of the C.I.O Furriers' Joint Council, New York; John Gates, editor of the Daily Worker; Robert Thompson, - chairmau of the New York State Cummunist Party; Gilbert Green, Chicago Distriet Communist Party chairman; and Gus Iiall, chairman of the Ohio Cominunist Party. An American Communist Party statement . said the arrests were made on a "monstrous franieup charge."