◆ SpookStack

‘Amerasia Case Fell Apart, . . Says Ex-Federal Prosecutor * | By JERRY GREENE Robert M. Hitchcock yesterday testified before a Senate investi- gating committee that the gov- ernment’fAmerasia spy case fell apart at the seams and he was lucky to get two of six defendants ‘a fair way to beat the rap com- pletely. Defense Finds Loophole Philip Jaffe, editor of Amerasia magazine, and Emmanuel Larsen, Bintan a art Feet State department official, were fined $2,500 and $506 respectively 4-26 Tolson Ladd Clegg Glavin Nichola Rosen Tracy Warbo Belmont Mobr Tele. Room__ Nease Gandy. to pay nominal fines. Hitchcock, Buffalo lawyer who|for illegal possession of classified | was in charge of the prosecution|government documents. An_ in- of the Amerasia case in 1945, saidjaictment against Lt. Andrew jhere was no evidence of any|Roth, former naval officer, was consequence against three of th¢| finally dismissed. A grand jury wrote Bien Fee a There was a a refused to indict Kate Mitchell, ase against another and th|Mark Gayn, writers, and John inal two, who were fined, were im) Stewart Service, State depart- i - ‘ment foreign officer. Larsen found the leoophoie in the government’s case when he filed a motion to suppress evidence " AF erp, “ ‘obtained in a search of his apart- nie Mt «} 195 ‘ment without a warrant. Hitchcock ay 2 | ‘said the government hastily got an agreement for Jaffe to plead guilty ee before he or his attorney learned of the Larsen move. teeny, . imeem d ior RERpEG— iNDEXED - 6s Thinks Senience Inadequate | “T have never believed that _Jaffe’s sentence was adequate,” iHitcheock told the committee headed by Chairman Tydings of Maryland. “I know that had we Mighell ts selena i ets niet al mat disposed of Jaffe's case as we ‘did, there would have been no con- Page viction of Jaffe, and, of course, . & no punishment, even to the extent of a fine. ’Times-Herald _& Hitcheeck candidly told the committes how the FBI tapped telephones of the suspects for ‘weeks and how the Amerasia of- ‘fiees and Larsen'’s home were | searched several times. The Jus- tice department hoped the defend- ants would not learn of these activities, he said, but Larsen’s landlord inadvertently tipped him off and the motion to suppress the evidence was filed at at ontt——— Saterday Eltror,; Wash. Post _ Wash. News _ Wash. St N.Y. Mirror —.. fb oe — sinpcihfh pl alain iste Sema a Niland m= | i Date: O77 7730"