Soviet and also got him elected head of the English group 
Their original captain had no prestige with them. 

Continued Saturday morning. 

We had our trial, a semi-comic-opera affair, and got 
twenty days, which means that we get out Friday morning 
of the same week you receive this. Our lawyer made a really 
eloquent address. Summarized, it follows: "There are laws 
and laws, crimes and crimes. Theirs is a political crime---
that they loved liberty, democracy and peace. Before this 
court I want to pay homage to these 25 Americans who left 
homes, jobs, families and friends to fight for their ideals. 
Let us not forget 1914 to 1918 when many more Americans 
came to our beloved country to fight for these same ideals. 
Every true son of France should pay homage to these prison-
ers. I beseech this tribunal to temper justice with the great-
est mercy and sentence them to 15 days, so that by tomorrow 
night they can be on their way." 

The court was packed with workers as were the streets 
outside. The three judges seemed to have it all settled be-
forehand and in two minutes handed down their verdict. 
Even the prosecutor was far from bloodthirsty. The owner 
of our fishing boat and the two French seamen with him 
got suspended sentences of three months and two months 
respectively. So you see that the People's Front really does 
mean something, even though they do jail anti-fascists. 
Even better---the judge and prosecutor flatly refused the 
American Consul's request that he be given our passports. 
They convinced him that the passports were a necessary 
part of the dossier of the case and that neither he nor we 
could have them. The Consul threatened to take it up with 
the American ambassador, but I think nothing will come 
out of it. Our solidarity and discipline impressed him so 
much that he didn't even try to speak to the others this

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