Show l PLANE FOUNDRY INDICTED FOR SABOTAGE I Charge S Says ys Company Supplied Defective II Air Engine Castings WASHINGTON May 7 UP RI- RI Attorney General Biddle announced Friday that the National Bronze and Aluminum Foundry company and arid seven of its top officials had been indicted at Cleveland Ohio on charges of violating the sabotage sabotage sabotage sab sab- otage law and conspiring to defraud defraud defraud de de- de- de fraud the government Biddle said the charges were based upon allegations that the defendants rad conspired with 21 company named named as coconspirators co- co conspirators and conspirators and with others to supply the Packard Motor Car company with defectively cast aluminum superchargers rs for Rolls Roy Royce e airplane engines b being ing made for the government The indictment in nine counts charges that defective castings were deliberately welded and plugged in vic violation lation of specifications specifications the attorney general said and nd these violations were concealed from Packard It is charged also Biddle said that the alleged conspirators removed removed removed re re- re- re moved heat and serial numbers from rejected castings repaired the castings and returned them to Packard with new numbers He said that the defendants also are accused of misrepresenting the I source of test bars supplied to Packard I The individuals indicted Biddle announced are John L. L president of the company Frank FrankI I I. I plant manager Ed- Ed SEller assistant plant chief rn lleras lm plant sif n encl encl- t. t John service ent en- en h.- h. 1 t W Chrysler chief department foreman o 0 oT the cleaning department and chief inspector of rough castings casting Seven counts of the indictment indictment- as announced by the a attorney orney gen gen- Continued d on P PAge pe Pour our Column Five FIRM INDICTED IFO FOR SABOTAGE Continued from Page Paga On One eral charge that the defendants with reason to believe that their act might injure interfere with and obstruct the United States I and Its associate nation Great Britain In preparing for and carrying carrying carrying car car- on the war f knowingly wilfully unlawfully and feloniously felonious- felonious ly made and caused to be made the castings in a defective man man- ner nerThe The indictment charges Biddle BiddIe Biddie Bid- Bid die dle said that In carrying out the conspiracy the defendants gave workers instructions as to the time of day when castings destined for Packard were to be welded usua usually usual ly at night and ordered the the castings castings castings cast cast- ings removed from the w welding room when Packard officials l visited visited visited vis vis- vis- vis the plant Estimate Saving Biddle said there had been no accurate total of the allegedly defective de defective defective de- de castings supplied thus far but that it was estimated that in one five-day five period the defendants had saved approximately by welding castings which otherwise otherwise otherwise other other- wise would have been rejected The maximum penalty under the sabotage charge is 30 years' years Imprisonment Imprisonment Im Im- and fine filie off on each count One count charging conspiracy to violate the wartime sabotage statute alleges that the violation extended from December 8 1941 the day after Pearl Harbor Harbor Harbor Har Har- bor to the present Biddle said A justice department statement described the National Bronze and Aluminum Foundry company as one of the largest manufacturers of aluminum castings in jn the United States It said the cast superchargers were designed for or Rolls RoUs Royce Merlin engines to be installed in fighter planes panes costIng costing costing cost- cost Ing between and The department quoted Packard engineers as st stating ting that castings lose at least 20 per cent of their tensile tensie strength as a res result lt of weld weld- I ing It said also that the welded portions of the superchargers do donot donot donot not expand under the heat generated generated generated gener gener- by the engines to the same degree as sections thus causing cracks or splits |