1674-5 Herbert Frink• •
•PLEASE, •
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• HELP ME CLEAR MY NAME •
IIEIPMECLEARMYNAME!
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• Through the medium of a radio program broadcast from •
a night club, •
• and handbills now •
being circulated on Miami Beach, an employee of the •
• S & G gambling syndicate has charged that I was a member of the Ku •
• Klux Klan in 1927. He produced what was purported to be a photo- •
••
• static copy of a signed membership card, together with an affidavit of a ••
• handwriting examiner, employed by him, stating that the signature was
•
• genuine. ••
• When the photostat was turned over to the radio commentator, •
1 •
• asked that it be submitted to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for im- •
• partial examination. Upon inquiry I found that the FBI could not examine •
••• it for lack of jurisdiction. •
••
• But the retired head of the FBI document examination division, the •
• nation's foremost handwriting expert, was telephoned in Washington by ••
• the night club radio commentator. His name is Charles Andrew Appel, Jr., •
• who retired last January 1st after 24 years service with the FBI. I offer- ••
• ed to pay the expenses of the radio commentator to take the document •
• to Washington for Mr. Appel to investigate. It was decided, however, ••
• that Mr. Appel come here at my expense. •
••
• A Miami Beach Citizens' Fact -Finding Committee, which has been •
• investigating the matter, offered the 5 & G syndicate employee the op- •
•
• pportunity of submitting
the •
photostat and alleged original for a test, as did •
• the radio commentator. My accuser refused to permit even the photostat •
• to examination, although Mr. Appel arrived here by plane Saturday morn- •
• ing with equipment to put the docum ent to acid test. •
•
• The radio commentator had the photostat in his possession. When it ••
•• became known that Mr. Appel, of unimpeachable character and reputa-
• tion as an examiner of questioned documents, was on his way here, the •
• S & G syndicate employee took back the photostat from the radio com- •
•mentator. The reason given for refusal to let Mr. Appel examine the •
•••
document was that Mr. Appel's expenses were being paid by me. I am •
• ready to spend every dollar 1 have to clear my name for myself and my •
• •
family. •
• Mr. Appel is standing by to examine the document, should the 5 & G •
• Syndicate employee produce it. JUN 6 1.
• My accuser has stated that he has the alleged original card, but re- •
• fuses to produce it. Why? ••
• Upon arrival from Washington, Mr. Appel explained that a photostat •
• is not legal proof and cannot be accepted alone as evidence in any court. ••
• By simple photographic processes, Mr. Appel said, a plain card and a genu- •
• ine signature from some other document, can be manufactured to appear ••
• as a genuine document. •
•Therefore, I have done everything possible to establish my innocence •
• of the charge against which, it appears, I am to have no opportunity to •
•
• I_t__ .t....�
...� .11 4.ii.o PIPP+IAM. •
•
•
• Through the medium of a radio program broadcast from a night club, •
• and handbills now being circulated on Miami Beach, an employee of the •
• S & G gambling syndicate has charged that I was a member of the Ku •
• Klux Klan in 1927. He produced what was purported to be a photo- •
• static copy of a signed membership card, together with an affidavit of a •
•
• handwriting examiner, employed by him, stating that the signature was •
•• genuine. •
• When the photostat was turned over to the radio commentator, I •
s asked that it be submitted to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for im- •
• partial examination. Upon inquiry I found that the FBI could not examine • •
•
it for lack of jurisdiction. •
•
• But the retired head of the FBI document examination division, the •
• nation's foremost handwriting expert, was telephoned in Washington by •
• the night club radio commentator. His name is Charles Andrew Appel, Jr., •
•who retired last January 1st after 24 years service with the FBI. I offer- •
• ed to pay the expenses of the radio commentator to take the document •
•
• to Washington for Mr. Appel to investigate. It was decided, however,•
••
• that Mr. Appel come here at my expense. •
•
• A Miami Beach Citizens' Fact -Finding Committee, which has been •
sinvestigating the matter, offered the S & G syndicate employee the op- ••
•
• portunity of submitting the photostat and alleged original for a test, as did •
• the radio commentator. My accuser refused to permit even the photostat •
•
• to examination, although Mr. Appel arrived here by plane Saturday morn- •
• ing with equipment to put the document to acid test. ••
s The radio commentator had the photostat in his possession. When it •
• became known that Mr. Appel, of unimpeachable character and reputa- •
• tion as an examiner of questioned documents, was on his way here, the•
•
• S & G syndicate employee took back the photostat from the radio com- •
• mentator. The reason given for refusal to let Mr. Appel examine the •
s• was that Mr. Appel's expenses were being paid by me. I am •
• ready to spend every dollar I have to clear my name for myself and my •
• family. ••
• s Mr. Appel is standing by to examine the document, should the S & G •
• Syndicate employee produce it. JU$ 6 1�,
•
• My accuser has stated that he has the alleged original card, but re- •
sfuses to produce it. Why? •
•
s Upon arrival from Washington, Mr. Appel explained that a photostat •
• is not legal proof and cannot be accepted alone as evidence in any court. •
• By simple photographic processes, Mr. Appel said, a plain card and a genu- •
• ine signature from some other document, can be manufactured to appear •
•
• as a genuine document. •
s Therefore, I have done everything possible to establish my innocence •
•• of the charge against which, it appears, I am to have no opportunity to •
•
• defend myself before the election. •
• I say again that I am not now, nor have I ever been -member -o the ••
• Ku Klux Klan. ,%— ••
Herbert A. Frink •
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