Kamin, Furry Case Histories

These are some of the important events in the cases of Leon J. Kamin and Wendell H. Furry:

February 26, 1953: Furry appears before Velde Committee. Refuses to say whether he was then or ever had been a Communist. Cites Fifth Amendment to all questions.

March 26, 1953: Kamin appears before Jenner Sub-committee. Denies he was then a Communist, but refuses all other testimony. Cites Fifth Amendment.

May 19, 1953: The Corporation finds Furry's deception of FBI in 1944 "grave misconduct" but that since it "occurred nine years ago in a very different climate of political opinion" it will not dismiss Furry but place him on probation for three years. "Dr. Furry's teachin is of high quality and has reflected no Communisiant," the Corporation adds.

November 4, 1953. Furry appears before McCarthy Subcommittee.

January 15, 1954: Furry and Kamin both appear before McCarthy. They abandon use of the Fifth Amendment and freely testify about themselves and their own Communist activities, but decline all testimony about others.

August 1954: Senate, at height of battle over McCarthy censure, votes contempt citations against both Furry and Kamin.

December, 1954: A Federal Grand Jury indicts them.

April 25, 1955: Judge Bailey Aldrich ends a three month battle over the indictments by overruling defense objections to them as "premature." He orders a trial.

October 10, 1955: Kamin's trial opens with futile attempt to select a jury. Applause for McCarthy, chief government witness, causes a mistrial. Kamin and government agree to waiver of jury trial.

November 2, 1955: After government rests its case, Judge Aldrich acquits Kamin on two counts of his indictment.

January 2, 1956: Judge Aldrich acquits Kamin on all six counts. Government says it does not know what action it will take in Furry's case.