Rep. Samuel Dickstein (Dem.,N.Y.) today branded an article in Liberty Magazine written by Joachim F. Paffrath a fabrication and said that Paffrath, admitted Nazi agent, had never worked in his office.
Dickstein said he was turning over all information on Paffrath in his possession to the Labor Department and asking for cancellation of papers and his deportation. Paffrath became a citizen three years ago, and at that time, Dickstein said, he was an admitted spy.
Dickstein said he only met Paffrath on one occasion, that he never placed any confidence in him, and charged that Paffrath took two blank checks from Dickstein’s desk and forged them through the use of Congressional franking stamps. He failed to report the theft to the police, Dickstein said, because the checks were for only small amounts.
Dickstein said he intended to bring suit against Liberty Magazine “which has tried to make me look like a fool.” He has asked the Dies Committee to subpoena Paffrath and compel him to give the names of other Nazi agents in this country.
Paffrath said in the article that while a Nazi agent he obtained a position with Dickstein on an expense account and an additional daily amount from an anti-Nazi organization. He said he spied on persons bringing information to Dickstein’s office, “had the run of Dickstein’s office,” supplied Dickstein with relatively unimportant information about Nazi activities and even drafted notes for a radio speech which the Congressman delivered.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
