COMMITTEE ON UN-AMERICAN ACTIVITIES

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP64B00346R000200050020-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 26, 2012
• Sequence Number: 20
• Publication Date: May 10, 1960
• Content Type: PREL

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/04/26: CIA-RDP64B00346R000200050020-7
COMMITTEE ON UN-AMERICAN ACTIVITIES
PRESS RELEASE
TUESDAY A.M., MAY 10, 1960
The Committee on Un-American Activities today released the testimony
of Colonel Frantisek Tisler, former military and Air Attache, at the Czechoslovakian
Embassy at Washington, who revealed widespread communist espionage operations
in the United States via the Iron Curtain Embassies and the international
organization.
Testifying "at a time and place which cannot be revealed on the
record," Colonel Tisler, who defected from the Czechoslovakian Embassy
in Washington, D. C., this past summer, stated that his mission as
Military Attache at the Czechoslovak Embassy "ca? led for me to attempt
to personally recruit American citizens to act as agents and, in their
agent capacities, to furnish me with intelligence on classified materials
related to United States military developments."
He testified: "The officers of my staff were also engaged in similar
operations, although not all of them used the cover of the military
attache's office. As the military and air attache I had office facilities
in the Czechoslovak Embassy in Washington, D. C., and these office facilities
were used to house my records and equipment, which I used for clandestine
intelligence purposes. This means that the Czechoslovak Embassy was
used to house an intelligence residenture, which was engaged in activities
which were inimical to the best interests of the United States Govern-
ment."
Continuing, Colonel Tisler stated: "The Military Intelligence
Residentura in the United States during the period August 1955 to July 1959
generally consisted of five officers. Four officers were assigned to the
Czechoslovak Embassy in Washington, D. C., and one officer was assigned to
the permanent Czechoslovak delegation to the United Nations. I was responsible
for supervising the activities of all of these officers. Of this total
number, two officers used the cover of the military attache's office, whereas
one officer used the cover of the commercial attache's section of the
Czechoslovak Embassy and two officers used the cover of the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs."
"From August 1955 to July 1959," Colonel Tisler stated, "approximately
45 percent of the personnel at the Czechoslovak Embassy in Washington,
D. C., and of the Czechoslovak delegation to the United Nations in New York
was engaged in some type of intelligence activity while in this country."
Colonel Tisler stated that the Czechoslovak Government transferred
funds to aid in the defense of Anton K_chmarek, an American Communist of
Czech origin, who was on trail under the Smith Act in Cleveland, Ohio.
"Krchmarek," Tisler continued, "met various members of the embassy
staff on various occasions and furnished them with information on a wide
variety of topics. As an example, Krchmarek met Ambassador Petrzelka in
New York, during August 1958, and at this meeting Krchmarek told Petrzelka
that Krchmarek had recently been made a member of the Executive Committee
of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the United States of
America. At this meeting, Krchmarek informed Petrzelka as to the trends
and developments which were taking place within the Communist Party of
the United States of America. This information was subsequently relayed
by Petrzelka to the International Section of the Central Committee of
the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia."
Krchmarek received $3,000 for living expenses and propaganda activities
via the Czechoslovakian Embassy on orders from Prague, Colonel
Tisler stated.
With reference to Charles Musil, another American citizen, Colonel
Tisler stated: "Charles Musil was, or even still may be, the editor of a
Czech-language newspaper which is published in Chicago, Illinois, under
the title, Nova Doba. In December 1955, the Czechoslovak Ministry of
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Foreign Affairs requested that the Czech Embassy in Washington, D. C.,
offer advice as to whether the Czechoslovak Foreign institute should
establish direct contact with Musil in order that this institute could
send Musil propaganda material which they wanted to appear in Nova
Doba. I don't know what the results of this correspondence were, but I
am aware of the fact that the Nova Doba newspaper is Communist-dominated
and generally follows the line of the international Communist movement.
I also recall that in November 1956 the Czechoslovak Embassy in Washington,
D. C., advised the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Prague that Musil had
been accused by United States authorities as being a member of the
Communist Party of the United States."
"In January 1956, Musil had several meetings with Ambassador
Petrzelka and, during the course of these meetings, furnished the
Ambassador with information related to Krchmarek's status and diffi-
culties. In this period Ambassador Petrzelka used Musil as an inter-
mediary between himself and Krchmarek. The use of Musil as an inter-
mediary seems to have its origins in the fact that, when Ambassador
Petrzelka talked to Soviet Ambassador Zarubin in January and February
1954 regarding Ambassador Petrzelka's contacts with Krchmarek and the
Communist Party of the United States, Soviet Ambassador Zarubin
recommended that in view of the likely harmful repercussions which
could develop if the (rchmarek trial revealed that Krchmarek was in
direct contact with members of the Czechoslovak Embassy, it was
recommended that this contact be handled via intermediaries. In this
connection Zarubin told Ambassador Petrzelka that the Soviets never
maintained direct contact with members of the Communist Party of the
United States, because theSoviets wanted to avoid any embarrassment."
Congressman Francis E. Walter (D-Penn.) today issued the following
statement from Naples, Italy, where he is attending an international
migration conference:
"The Tisler testimony confirms and reiterates the
overwhelming evidence of widespread Communist espionage on
American soil, conducted under the guise of legitimate
diplomatic activity. The shooting down of the United States
reconnaissance plane over the Soviet Union must not distract the
attention of the worlc from the wholesale espionage sabotage and
propaganda operations conducted by the Communists in every
country of the free world.
"Let us never fo-get that the International
Communist empire is at total war -- with the United States as
its principal target."
Both Anton Krchmarek and Cha.rlec, Musil are under subpoena to
appear before the Committee on Thursday, May 26, 1960, it was announced
today.
There are attached hereto brief biographical sketches of Anton
Krchmarek and Charles Musil.
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 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/04/26: CIA-RDP64B00346R000200050020-7
Anthony Krchmarek was born on January 20, 1898, at Pittston, Pennsylvania.
Krchmarek is a member of the National Committee of the Communist Party,
a member of the National Steel Commission of the Communist Party, and, as chairman
of the Ohio State Communist Party, the only paid Communist Party functionary in
the Ohio District.
Krchmarek's Communist Party membership dates back to the early 1930s.
Between 1933 and 1935, he was section organizer of the Southeast Section of the
Communist Party in Cleveland, Ohio. In 1944, he was elected chairman of the Ohio
State Committee of the Communist Political Association, In addition, he has been
chairman of the Ohio Valley Communist Party, county chairman of the Communist
Party, Cleveland, Ohio, and state legislative and state educational director of
the Communist Party.
In November 1953, Krchmarek wa3 arrested for violation of the Smith Act
and in February 1956 was sentenced by the U. S. District Court in Cleveland, Ohio,
to five years' imprisonment for conspiracy to overthrow the Government of the United
States by force and violence. A new trial was ordered and the case eventually
dropped in August 1959, due to the requiements set forth by the Supreme Court
in the Yates case.
Charles Musil was born in Czechoslovakia on December 19, 1900; entered
the United States on July 3, 1921; and was naturalized on September 1, 1927.
Musil has been identified as a member of the Communist Party by several
witnesses in testimony before the Committee on Un-American Activities, the most
recent identification being by John Lautner on November 13, 1956. This and other
testimony documents Musil as a long-time Communist Party functionary, having held
the position of treasurer of a party unit in 1929 and membership on the Nationality
Committee in the 1950s. In addition, he has held leadership positions in many
Communist front organizations, including the position of treasurer of the New York
City Chapter of the American Committee for Protection of Foreign Born.
In an appearance before the Committee on November 13, 195G, Musil
repeatedly invoked the Fifth Amendment in response to questions intended to elicit
information respecting his eativitics on behalf of the Cc:nmunist Party and its
front organizations.
In a statement of ownership filed with the Post Office Department on
October 2, 1959, Musil was list,::d 's editor of the Czechoslovakian-language
newspaper Nova Dobn ("New Era"). This newspaper, which is referred to in the
attached consultation as an i_nstruu.ient of Czechoslovakian Communist propaganda,
is published by the Nova Doba Publishing Association, 1510 West 18th Street,
Chicago, Illinois.
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