Evening star. [volume], October 15, 1939, Page A-3, Image 3

About Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972

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. Communist Activity
At Navy Yard Halted,
Dies Inquiry Hears
Russia Sent Agents to
Procure Industrial
Secrets, Witness Says
* By JAMES E. CHINN.
Communist activities at the Wash
ington Navy Yard went "under
ground” in February, according to
information given the House Com
mittee on Un-American Activities
yesterday by a source which mem
bers declined to reveal.
The Communists, who up to that
time reportedly had been active in
seeking recruits among workers at
the big naval gun factory and pub
lishing a periodical called "The
Navy Yard Worker,” suddenly ceased
t their activities, it was said, when
Acting Secretary of the Navy Edison
Asked Congress for legislation giving
Army and Navy authorities a new
and modern weapon with which to
deal with subversive movements.
The draft of a bill proposed by
Mr. Edison, however, is still in a
House committee.
Letter to Bankhead.
In a letter to Speaker Bankhead
* Urging enactment of the proposed
legislation, Acting Secretary Edison
aaid:
"Literature of a nature subversive
to the Government has been dis
tributed in increasing quantities in
recent years to the personnel of
the Army and Navy. The literature,
apparently emanating from Com
munist organizations, seeks to un
dermine the morale of the services
by urging disloyalty and disobedi
ence of laws and regulations for the
Government of the armed forces.
"Existing law is inadequate to
Curb this propaganda. * * » ”
Mr. Edison also pointed out that
the legislation he proposed would
not infringe on the rights of free
speech or a free press and would not
prevent any person from advocating
a change in existing laws by “lawful
means.”
"It does, however,” he added,
‘‘prevent persons from urging mem
bers of the armed forces to violate
laws and regulations by which they
Communists Keeping Quiet.
• All other information given the
commitee in the last few days, in
connection with its intensive inves
tigation of Communist activities at
the Navy Yard, indicates that if
there are Communists in the plant,
they are keeping quiet. Even the
report seized in the raid on the
Communist party's Washington
headquarters about 10 days ago
* declared “our work” at the Navy i
Yard is “at a standstill.”
Six Navy Yard workers were
questioned by the committee last j
week behind closed doors. Four
others whose names were furnished !
voluntarily by a union official at
the plant are to be called later.
Meantime, the committee is await
ing receipt of any reports the naval
intelligence may have as to Com
munist activities at the yard.
The committee plans to resume
Its public hearings tomorrow at 10
a m., at which time it will call sev- j
eral union leaders who were identi- [
fied as Communists by former wit- j
nesses.
One Witness at Hearing.
The only witness at yesterday’s
two-hour public hearing was Robert
Pitcoff, a New York electrician,
who identified himself as a former
official in the control department
of Amtorg, official Soviet trading
corporation in the United States.
Mr. Pitcoff, who said he was a
member of the Communist party in
the United States from 1926 to i933,
told the committee Russia had sent
numerous commissions to this coun
try to procure information, secret
or otherwise, in American industrial j
plants, especially those engaged in
, the manufacture of munitions.
Amtorg. he declared, arranged for
the visits of these special missions
to the industrial plants.
By visiting the industrial plants,
through the purchase of equipment
and through Communist party
agents, the witness testified, the
Russian commissions wrere to get
eecret information.
"If a Communist party member
, In any plant is requested for infor
mation, he's certainly going to try to
obtain it," he declared.
Wanted Aviation Information.
The Soviet "government, he said,
was especially anxious to procure
information about the aviation in
dustry because it considered Amer
ican planes superior to those of
other countries. He said many air
plane engines and obsolete planes
had been purchased from Amer
ican manufacturers.
Mr. Pitcoff also charged that Am
torg has a special department on
aviation headed by military offi
• cials of the Soviet government. A
“good percentage" of Amtorg em
ployes, he said, are Communist party
members.
The witness testified, too, that
special efforts were made by the
Communist party to get American
citizens affiliated with it employed
as Ogpu agents and placed in the
Industrial plants. "Americans,'’ he
said, "have better access in those
plans to be investigated.’’
, Turned Down Proposition.
Back in 1931 Mr. Pitcoff said he
was asked by an official of the
Communist party if he would be
Interested in becoming an Ogpu
agent in a foreign country. He said
he considered the proposition “for
awhile," but turned it down.
Mr. Pitcoff declared he joined the
Communist party in the belief it
was working for improvement of the
, workers, but later became “con
vinced” the organization was in
stituting “a form of slavery” on the
workers and he resigned. Since the
party does not recognize a resigna
tion, he said, he was later ex
pelled.
SEARCHLIGHTS PATROL SKIES IN MOCK AIR RAID—The 800,000,000-candlepower lights used
in last night’s anti-aircraft defense demonstration by National Guardsmen are seen concentrat
ing on the “enemy” raiders.
The operating crew of a 50-mm. machine gun is seen in action near Sixth street on the
Mall in the theoretical defense of downtown Washington against “enemy” aircraft.
—Star Staff Photos.
Air Raid
(Continued From First Page.)
been intended. And the raid was
carried almost exactly as planned—
except about 20 minutes later than
scheduled.
It appeared to be that extra 20
minutes that threw so many poten
tial observers off the track. That
and the strong, zipping north wind,
which confined tjie sound of gunfire
and chilled all but the most heavily
protected outdoor witnesses.
The '•enemy” planes from the
104th Observation Squadron of the
Maryland National Guard were
scheduled to hove in sight at 9 p.m.
at about 4,000 feet flying from east
to west on a line just south of the
Mall.
Much Wasted Neck Craning.
Practice manipulation of search
lights and rehearsal firing of ma
chine guns and anti-aircraft guns
beginning shortly after 8:30 p.m.
caused a lot of wasted neck craning.
Then, when the planes arrived close
to 9:20. they flew lower and farther
south than the script called for. So
the temporary headquarters of the
“defense” forces radioed the air
squadron to swing around and come
over as planned. Meanwhile, the
artillerymen and machine gunners
were pecking away at the planes
which had been ferreted out by the
searchlights. This was not difficult,
since each plane bore clearly dis
tinguishable lights.
5-inn n thp rniriprc rnurspH nvpr. .
head, according to formula, first in a
neat triangle formation, with the
defense force's three 800,000.000 can
dlepower searchlights illuminating
the planes to a likeness of three glis
tening, soaring white birds. On the
ground, guns blazed away with
blank ammunition. In 20 minutes
the mock war was over, and the
enemy squadron was on the way
back to its Baltimore base.
The defenders—detachments from
the 260th Coast Artillery (anti-air
craft) regiment—were commanded
by Lt. Col. Walter W. Burns. What
misunderstanding there was arose
despite advance announcements as
to the extent of the operation and
repeated statements as to its lim
ited purpose. Col. Burns and other
officers stressed that the mock raid
was planned simply as a small
scale demonstration of part of the
night-time functions of anti-air
craft units—and to stimulate a local
National Guard campaign to recruit
about 552 guardsmen.
Full Strength 1,235.
When the anti-aircraft regiment
attains its authorized full strength
of men and equipment, it will boast
1,235 men, 15 searchlights, 12 3-inch
anti-aircraft guns, 24 37-mm. guns,
24 50-mm. machine guns and more
than 200 motor vehicles, according
to Col. Burns. It now has 770 men,
4 searchlights, 12 3-inch guns, no
37-mm. guns. 4 50-mm. machine
guns and 60 motor vehicles. Eighty
seven of the additional guardsmen
sought in the enlistment campaign
are to be assigned to units other
than the anti-aircraft regiment.
Two Saved, Two Missing
After Boat Sinks in Bay
By the Associated Press.
BALTIMORE, Oct. 14.—Two men
were saved and two were missing
tonight after a 34-foot cruiser sank
in Chesapeake Bay.
Albert C. Bruns and Edward Ku
hen of Baltimore were picked up
from the water by Dr. Cecil Bag
ley's 77-foot cruiser Wilmer IV.
They said two other men aboard
the sunken craft were Gerald S.
Schueh of Baltimore and one they
knew only as ‘'Frank."
They said the four started from
Rock Hall, Md.. off Baltimore, to
day, Hut that the boat sprang a leak
and filled. Bruns and Kuhens took
to the water in life preservers, but
the other two clung to the bow of
the boat, then above water. The pair
saved drifted away in the dark
ness.
'Muddling' of Neufrality
Issue in Senate Charged
By the Associated Press.
PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 14.—Fred
erick J. Libby, executive secretary
of the National Council for Preven
tion of War, said tonight adminis
tration forces in the Senate have
“muddled" the neutrality issue by
“pretending that we must choose
between" the arms embargo and
the proposed cash-and-carry system
of trade.
“There is no reason in law or logic
why we cannot have both,” he de
clared in an address prepared for
delivery before the American Acad
emy of Political and Social Science.
The real question underlying the
current Senate debate on neutrality,
Libby said, “is whether the Ameri
can people are going to give Presi
dent Roosevelt a green light to line
us up with Great Britain and France
in the hope of overthrowing Hit
lerism by ‘measures short of war.’ ”
U. S. Senator Elbert D. Thom
as of Utah declared in another pre
pared address that repeal of the
arms embargo would "tighten up
our neutrality, remove haphazard
national shipping policy and secure
us a position of strength, dignity
and peace.”
Gasoline Standards
Legislation Asked to
Protect D.C. Motorists
Roberts Says Fraud and
Unfair Competition Are
Extensive in Capital
Insisting that misrepresentation,
fraud and unfair competition pre
vailed to a “considerable extent” in
the quality of motor fuels sold in
the District, George M. Roberts, su
perintendent of weights, measures
and markets, yesterday urged the
Commissioners to sponsor correc
tive legislation at the next session.
Such a bill was considered last
winter but was pigeonholed for the
time being. A redraft of this meas
ure, with some minor changes, was
offered by Mr. Roberts as a part
of the legislative program of the
Commissioners for the forthcoming
regular session.
"This bill is Intended to protect
consumers by making available to
them information about the quality
of gasoline and oils they buy and
to protect honest business concerns
selling motor fuels and oils from
grossly unfair competition to which
they are now being subjected,” Mr.
Roberts said.
ii tnis Dill becomes a law the
District will have the best and most
effective statute on the subject in
the United States. The cost of ad
ministration will be negligible as
compared with the benefits to the
public.”
The bill would direct the Com
missioners to establish and publish
uniform and reasonable definitions
of standards of quality and fitness
for use of high-test, straight and
third-grade motor fuel. No person
would be permitted to sell, advertise
for sale or transport into or within
the District any gasoline, motor fuel
or other petroleum products used
in the operation of any intemal
combusion engine or motor vehicle
unless such products complied with
the proposed District standards.
The Bureau of Standards would be
directed to supply needed advice and
assistance to the Commissioners in
fixing standards.
MenVCIub Plans Dinner
The Men’s Club of Pinkney Me
morial Episcopal Church. Hvatts
ville, Md„ will give its annual tur
key dinner, October 26.
Man Wounds Friend in Head
During Trick-Shot Exhibition
“See If you can sfcoot the hat off
my head.”
This was the invitation of Charles
Worrell, about 30, unemployed, police
were told, shortly before he was
wounded In the temple by a friend at
an exhibition of trick rifle shooting
last night.
The friend, John W. Elliott, 38,
and a companion, John Joseph
Wagner, both printers living at 1014
I street N.W., where the shooting oc
curred, were held for Investigation
at No. 1 precinct station house.
Worrell is under treatment at Emer
gency Hospital.
Elliott told Detective Sergt. Aubrey
Tolson that he used to be a marks
man with a carnival. He said he
was showing his friends how well
he could shoot a .22-calibre rifle in
the basement at the I street address
about 6 o'clock last night.
He had borrowed the rifle to kill
rats, he said. Elliott was quoted as
saying he broke a bottle held in the
hand of his 13-year-old daughter,
Vivian, and made several other
crack shots.
According to Elliott, Worrell was
impressed and volunteered to let him
shoot his hat off. Worrell, it was
said, stood against the wall across
the basement while Elliott took aim.
The marksman told police that
Worrell straightened up slightly just
as he pulled the trigger. Worrell fell
unconscious with a wound in the
right temple. The girl had left be
fore the shooting occurred.
Elliott and Wagner summoned an
ambulance from Emergency Hos
pital and notified police. Tolson said
he was told at first that Worrell shot
himself accidentally. The story was
changed, the detective said, after he
found Worrell's hat with a bullet
hole through the band at the front.
Worrell was to undergo an opera
tion for the removal of the bullet.
His condition was said to be critical.
Trailed by Jinx
DALLAS, Tex., Oct. 14 OP).—Mr.
and Mrs. Gilbert E. Males of Dallas
planned to start yesterday with
their small daughter on a motor
tour vacation to California. Mr.
Males, recalling it was an unlucky
Friday the 13th. postponed their ■»•
departure until after midnight. At
2:40 a m. today Mr. Males. 24, was
killed, the victim of an automobile ..
accident. •' ■»
A
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GREEH-LINDSAY MOTOR CO.
SUCCESSORS TO
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