New York, July Offcials of Amtorg, the American trading organization of the U. 8. S.
to-day insisted that the Cor gressional committee investigating communist activities should conduct a thorough probe of their own organization and operations and ive Amtorg a clean bill of health.
Otherwise, they intimated, Russian purchases -totalling appro: mately G$100,000,000 a year a1 likely to go elsewhere than the United States.
The officials declared that charges by Mr. Grover Whalen, former York police commissioner, and others, to the effect that. Amtorg had engaged in communist propaganda, were "ridiculous" and that this was shown by the fact that Amtorg conducts its operations through leading American ban} Widespread publicity given such allegedly wild statements justifies Amtorg in demanding that the full facts shoold be obtained and the truth published.
July 24, Mr. John Sprivak, of the large McFadden group of publications, to-day told the Congressional com mittee investigating Communist propaganda that the letters ostensibly fnvolvingAmtorg, the the Soviet Government, for which reason he regarded their apprehension as a most significant discovery showing Soviet activity in America.
The men-gave the names Jacob] Krietz and F. Schafran, according to-Mr. Tuttle, who said that they had 600 swatches and also badges which indicated that they were trusted Soviet agents.
Their books, the attorney said, indicated that the watches were the property of Amtorg, the Soviet trading organization in the United States.
Another book contained 25 names of alleged Soviet secret agents in America, China and Japan, Mr. Tuttle said. He declared that Schafran had admitted that he had connections with Amtorg, saying that the organization owned the watches.
Both men were said to be Hot Russian descent,"
Mr, Tuttle said that Krietz possessed a forged baptismal certificate purporting to have been issued by St. George's Church in Brooklyn.
The hearing has been arranged to take place on August 7. Bail was set to-day in the sum of G$15,090 for each of the defendants.—United Press.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.