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of" THE AMERICAN LEGICY PRLRING CYNE Prepored and Distributed By The Nationa! Americanism Commission, P. ©. Box 1 _ Indianapolis. Indiana 1 Subectiption rate §3.00 per rear Ne AOE” v2 anuary 1, 1956 H A report of another amnesty petition for imprisoned Communist Party leaders convicted under the Smith Act made front-page headlines in the December 21, 1955 issue of the Daily Worker. Conceived by REV. A. J. HUSTE, Secretary-Emeritus ¢f the Follewship of Reconciliation, this new so-called "Christmas amnesty petition" was signed by 45 other Americans ee ee ee, Ce es and BEnL tO Fresigent Eisenhower on December 15, 1555. a s VOL, NO. V, NO, 1 a women now in prison be commuted to time already served, and that 180 cases described se now awaiting trial or outcome of appeals be postponed. Asserting that the convictions had occurred in a “cold war" period, the petition contended that "there had been a recent ‘noticeable trend to reaffirm the basic democratic traditions of our country'." According to The New York Times of December 21, 1955, page 20, those 16 Communist Party: he 2) functionaries now serving prison sentences in federal penitentiaries were identified as follows: The petition urged "that the sentences of the sixteen men and OH! i" i 4 ALEXANDER BITTELMAN, ELIZABETH GURLEY FLYNN, BETTY GANNETT, CUS HALL, VICTOR J. JEROME, ARNOLD S. JOHNSON, ALBERT F. LANNON, JACOB MINDEL, PETTIS PERRY, ROBERT THOMPSON, LOUIS WEINSTOCK, WILLIAM W. WEINSTONE, 2 PHILIP FRANKFELD, GEORGE MEYERS, SID STEIN and CARL ROSS. MUSTE, who is currently involved in criminal proceedings for ." oS refusing to take shelter during a civil defense air raid drili in New 7 yc York City on June 15, 1955, has admitted that he wrote lettera on November ==; 2? 1955 that led to the ferm*tion of an "initiating group" which sub- a, sequently forwarded the petition to the President. According to The Tabiet of December 24, 1955, nage 40, the following individuals were liated as 4 ' “" signers of this "Chrietmas amnesty petiton': LLP | ha ROWLAND H,ABAINTON, Yale Divinity School. Cone, , JOHN C.NBENNETT, Dean of Union Theological Seminary (petition initiator). ft! ; yuh GusTAVe J.\BISCHOF, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, City College. -- , 24%) feo STEPHEN G).CARY, Secretary, American Seetion, Americen Friends Service «9s? Committee. pow 100-3-74 — 14331 jay ) INDEXED - § NOT RECORDED ™ / WeNRy STEELE | COMMAGER ,' rrotetee of BECO ng HNO BSB Vere TY: . fp 7. va 1 ALBERT SPRAGUE\COOLIDGE, Lecturer“n Chemistry, Harvard tuifersity.; B ELE: a “ ' not 7 COPYRIGHT 1955 BY THE aAMERICAN LEGION va FER Gnanen IN WHOLE OR PaRT WITHOUT AUTHORIZATION 18 PROHIBITED. tek +> wow id