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SIGHSRS OF THE PETITION FOR AMA FOR SMITH ACT VICTIMS MaTiWp SROUP ‘ “BENN EIT Lm, Union Theological Seminary Faculty FINCH acuity,’ Sarah Lawrence College HALO HARRINGTON New York City Bronxville, N.Y. mnfgser, Community Chutch Naw York City WR ENCE , Brooklyn College Brooklyn, MW. ¥. 1S MUMFORD Amenia, N.Y. * MUSTE ertetary Emeritus, eiiowshep Gf Reconciliation LE, SCHERER rofessar of Homiletics, bnion neological Seminary MAN THOMAS LAND WATTS ecretary Workers OCefense League (TIONAL SIGNERS AND A. BAINTON ‘aie Divinity School TAVE J. BISCHOF few York City Wew York City New York City New Yorn City New Haven, Conn. rofessar, Department of MLE, “4 Cottege | of New York New York City PHEN G. TARY : retary Perorene Cocrae, thean Fr ers Ber ece Committee Philadelphia, Pa. WAY STEELE GCNAAGER clumbla Us secsty Haw York City tRE spre due’ COOLIBGE ecturer gy Chem.stry, harvard University Cambridge, Mass. HRY HY CRANE mister, Ceatral Methodist Church J FAULKNER astor, Corgregational Chutch Detroit, Mich. f Park Mancr Chicago, Ill. HARD B. GREGG wthor demalca, ¥t. ails Kaan uF58 tefeaset, mee ot Fhestogy, acute Schoo! of Rergion Bernoley, Cait. PED HASSLER . ster, Fellowship New York City JOHN TS RPULIM ; rapid. 4, Columt. a Uniwersiy New York City 1- LARRABEE retary New York Regoon ™ ; lewship of Reconciliation Mew York City J. LEHMANN refessor, Applied Christianity, . macetan Thealog: cal Semin: ‘y Princeton, A. J. LENS anager. AFL Union in Chicago Chicago, til. qRY LOFQUIST ecretary: South Presbyterian eace whee Bessemer, Ala. tenelary CY seh, Feliowship of Reconciliation Chicago THO MILLER tofessor cf Theology. Eden Seminary Webster Groves, Mo. It SMincar aculty, Andover-Newton ne logitat School re) WATHARSON Newton Centre, Mass. vader, Socrety far Ethicat Culture New York City srector of Community Service, , roadway Congregational Church New York City N HENRY RANDALL, JR. JE. Woodbridge Professor of . Tuosophy, Columbia Unive New York City RR RICE laywright and producer ew York City IS. ELEANOR § ROOSEVELT Myde Part, H. ¥. STANCE #—RUMBOUGH eacher, Weenday Religious ducatian, Frogram Harrisonburg, Ya RERT OU RUTENGER rolesser, tastern Baptist bealogien! Semcnary ‘ Philadelphia, Pa. N NEVIN SAYRE o- Treasurer, tnternational eligw ship of Reconc lation New York City K ®. SHRw ortheaslern Secretary. emocracy Unlimited Metros, Mass. ¥ PARKER S'MN e APE 9 -TWIOW To the Presid: he United States On Amnesty for Smith Act Victims and Postponement of Trials Dear Mr. President: ( ° We respectfully urge you to grant an amnesty commuting the sentences of the sixteen men and womicn now in prison under the Smith Act (Alien Registration Act of 1940) to time already served. and to use your influence to secure the postponement of TOM ances erecan ses preseni trials in the 180 ca ly awaiting Triat Court or Appeals Court decisions under the Act. Those who present this petition are in fundamental disagreement with the philosophy of the Communist Party and with essential elements in its program and are motivated in their present action by their attachment to the democratic way of life and the desire tO maintain and strengthen it. We call attention to Supreme Court Justice Black’s description of the character of the Smith Act and the trial of Communist Party leaders under it'in his dissenting opinion when appea! from the convictions under it was before the Supreme Court: “At the outset I want to emphasize what the crime involved in this case is and what it is not. These petitioners are not charged with an allempt to overthrow the government They were not charged with non-verbal acts of any kind designed to overthrow the gov- ernment. They were not even charged with saying or writing anything designed to overthrow the government. “The charge was that they agreed to assemble and talk and publish certain ideas at a later date. . The indiciment is that they conspired to organize the Communist Party and to use speech or Newspapers and other publications in the future to teach and advocate the forcible overthrow of the government.” Recently the Supreme Court itself, by agreeing to 1eview the California Smith Act prosecutions, has recognized the appropriateness of a “second look” at the act. Among the sixteen for whom we are requesting a Christmas amnesty are eiderly and iif persons. The indictments and convicticns in these cases were carried through in a period of the “cold war” and in an atmosphere often marked by hysteria. Fortunatziy, in recent months conditions have changed for the better and there is a noticeable trend to reaffirm the basic democratic traditicns of our country. It is our conviction that your aquiescence in our request would serve to give further impetus to this healthy trend, would give oroof cf our confidence in democratic institu- tions, would encourage and inspire our friends throughout the world and win new friends. Thus, we believe, it would also contribute toward peace in the world about which you are so deeply concerned and would ve in ‘ine with the policy you set forth through Secretary of State Dulles on Nov. 18, 1955: “l know that no setback, no obstacle to progress will ever deter this Government a our people from the great effort to establish a just and durable peace.” 21 Audubon Avent, New York 32, N. ¥ {names of other signers appear in colunin ut. iejt a ARTHUR L. SWIFT Professor, Union Theo! Sgical Seminary JOHN | SWOMLEY, aR. Secretar: , Fellowstiip of Reconciliation New York City ROBERT 1 HAMIL New York City Minister, Ottawa St. Methodist Church Joliet, U1. LOREN WALTERS Staff, Evangelical and Reformed Church Headquarters ROBERT FO WCISKOTTEN Minister, St. John's tutheran Church Phitadeiphia, Pa. Richmond Hill, N. ¥. Syracuse, F. HERI WILL, WR. ¥ice- Chairman, Fellowship ef Reconciliation Lombard, Hi “CHARLES W. FORMAN Faculty, Yale University New Haven, Conn WALTER-WHTCHELL Bishoo of Arizona (Retired) Writer Grafton, N.Y. 8. F,; WcLauR » srotherneod a Pullman Porters” WALTER, Bur ER New York City Baetas 1 Gean, ees Boston, Bass JOHN OLIVER WELSON Faculty of Divinity School, Yale Un Hew Haven, Conn. annaceeSTEwant Women's Inti. League tor and Freecom Washington, D.C. irae eB cur Washington, D.C. 2 A.J Nfuste |