Honolulu Record, August 26, 1948, vol. 1 no. 4, p. 1
Izuka Admits Lying; Pamphlet was Ghosted
Ichiro Izuka faced the cross-examination of Attorney Richard Gladstein in the Reinecke hearing, now in its third week at Honolulu's Federal building, for the second successive day (Tuesday).
It was not until Izuka had left the Communist Party that he came to the conclusion the party advocated force and violence, the self-styled ex-Communist stated. He said he had been a Communist Party member for eight years.
This statement made by the prosecution's star witness Monday morning was only one of several surprising revelations made during the course of his testimony. Under intensive probing by Mr. Gladstein, concerning the widely distributed pamphlet, "The Truth About Communism in Hawaii," Mr. Izuka admitted, "I did not write it."
Secret Pact
Under further questioning Mr. Izuka said that the pamphlet was his idea but that it had been written by others. However, he refused to reveal any of their names or that of any one individual. Izuka stubbornly repeated, "I made a gentleman's agreement not to reveal his name." Big Five Attorney Gladstein turned to Izuka and asked, “Even if I gave the right names you are prepared to answer falsely, are you not?” Izuka answered, "Yes! Yes, on that question I am!"
On Tuesday morning Attorney Gladstein's questioning was again directed toward the phamphlet [sic] and those persons who had joined Izuka in producing and distributing it throughout the islands. Izuka reluctantly admitted receiving the sum of $1,490 from Arthur G. Smith, attorney for American Factors.
This payment, Izuka explained, was $10 short of the sum he was supposed to have received for "royalty payments" on 10,000 pamphlets to be translated into Ilocano. This translation, Izuka asserted, was arranged by Edward Berman who was unemployed at the time. Admits Berman's Part
Gladstein then tried to expose whether or not Berman had received any part of the money which Izuka had received from Smith. Izuka explained that Berman was a young lawyer, recently admitted to the bar, and that he was not working at that time. He said that they were not trying to make any money on the pamphlet and that "All we wanted to make was enough to publish it."
Throughout the morning attorney Gladstein continued to expose the contradictions of Izuka's story. At one point he reminded Izuka that under direct examination he had stated that he had seen Dr. Reinecke at a Communist Party meeting on Aug. 22, 1941.
Gladstein then introduced proof that Dr. and Mrs. Reinecke were aboard the Lurline at that time. The Lurline did not arrive at Honolulu until Aug. 27, 1947.
Izuka was flustered for a moment. After a long pause he admitted, "Maybe I was mistaken."
The last hour of Tuesday's cross-examination was spent in Gladstein's refuting Izuka's statement that Harry Bridges, ILWU president, had called strikes at Vultree and North American airplane plants in 1941. Izuka was forced to also admit that both strikes were involved with economic issues rather than political ones. In his direct testimony, prior to Mr. Gladstein's cross-examination, Izuka had implicated Mr. Bridges and stated that the strikes were called to hamper the war effort.
Three times during Tuesday's sessions Gladstein confronted Blatt with the assertion that he had instructed Izuka not to look into his— Gladstein's — eyes during cross-examination. Blatt denied that he had given the instructions but admitted that someone had given Izuka that advise because of the possibility of hypnosis.
Mr. Gladstein then stated to the board that he never had been, is not, and does not intend to ever become a hypnotist. At the same time he also demanded that Mr. Blatt instruct Izuka to refrain from taking signals as to how to answer questions from one of the court bailiffs. Mr. Gladstein accused the bailiff, a Mr. Miller, of signalling answers to Izuka as he was being cross-examined. The accusation was not denied.