July 25, 1947, was a day of drama and delay in the passport fraud trial of Gerhart Eisler, a man accused of being a Kremlin agent. The trial, which has been bogged down in legal technicalities, stalled again as attorneys clashed over the admissibility of key evidence. Assistant United States Attorney William Hitz had expected the government to wrap up its case by today, but now he’s forced to wait until next week to rest his case. The holdup centers around the testimony of FBI agent Francis X. Plant, who spoke of an interview he had with Eisler on July 19, 1946. Plant, a native of Washington D.C. who still resides in the city, took the stand in the absence of the jury to avoid prejudicing them in case some of the evidence turned out to be irrelevant. A principal point of contention was whether Plant should be allowed to tell the jury that Eisler admitted to – but never confirmed – certain statements made during the interview. The prosecution wants to use this testimony to build its case against Eisler, but the defense is fighting hard to keep it out.
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Key Facts
- State: National
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Era: Historical
- Source: Library of Congress — Chronicling America ↗
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