Evidence that the German-American Alliance is financed by funds from the New York headquarters of the Nazi party operating in the United States under orders from Berlin, was introduced in the testimony presented in the trial to oust pro-Nazi offials of the organization at yesterday’s session. Superior Court Judge Guy L. Bush is officiating.
The highlight of yesterday’s proceedings was an order issued by Judge Bush for photographers to take a group picture of the persons present in the courtroom. The Judge said that he was prompted by the receipt of recent communications threatening bodily harm unless he should render a “right decision” ostensibly in favor of the Nazis.
A second photograph ordered by Judge Bush was intended to give him a record of the movements of defendants who were alleged to be giving the Nazi salute in taking the oath. Counsel for the plaintiff insisted that certian of the defendants in raising the right arm over the Bible, were deflecting in deference to the Nazi salutation, a diagonal arm position.
Sensational testimony has been presented before the court during previous sessions. John H. Schmidt said under oath that as a member of the local Nazi group he had attended secret meetings of the storm detachments. Their ultimate objective, said the witness, is scizure of the United States government.
According to Schmidt, who quoted a confidence of one Captain Pape, the possibility exists that following the domination of the American government by the Nazis here, members of the faithful will be able to return to their homeland and recover their German citizenship. In many cases, said the witness, the privilege will hold regardless whether the Germans had taken out American citizenship papers.
All meetings of the local Nazi units, asserted the witness, were marked with ceremonies which have become part of the retinue of the Reich Nazi party. The salutation “Heil Hitler” is observed with much fidelity, he said.
Another witness testified that he had been commissioned to gather information as to possible storehouses which might without too much trouble be transformed into armories and ammunition barracks.
Hugo H. Harris, counsel for the plaintiff, which seeks the ousting of Max E. Socha, Nazi president of the German-American Alliance, told the writer that the visit here of Samuel Untermyer is expected to have a bearing on the trial.
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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.
