I'm looking for a copy of Assistant Attorney General of the United States John Rogge's opening statements during what is often referred to as "The Great Sedition Trial of 1944."
I'm looking for a copy of Assistant Attorney General of the United States John Rogge's opening statements during what is often referred to as "The Great Sedition Trial of 1944."
Dear Martin Sanborn,
Thank you for posting your request on History Hub!
“The Great Sedition Trial of 1944” refers to the case United States v. McWilliams et al., which was named for one of the defendants, Joseph E. McWilliams. The criminal case number for the proceedings is 73086, and the case was tried in the District Court of the United States for the District of Columbia.
We searched the National Archives Catalog and located the Index to Criminal Cases and Dockets, ca. 1938 - ca. 1991 for the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in the Records of District Courts of the United States (Record Group 21) that includes a card for Joseph E. McWilliams (see image 689) that lists the docket number 73086. This index has been digitized and may be viewed online using the Catalog.
The Index relates to the series Criminal Case Files, 1863-1992 for the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in Record Group 21, which may contain the transcript of the opening statement that you are seeking. There may also be some relevant information in the series Criminal Docket Books, 4/6/1863 - 3/1980 and in the series Criminal Minutes, 1863-1949 for the court. Most of these records have not been digitized. Please contact the National Archives at Washington, D.C. - Textual Reference (RDT1) at archives1reference@nara.gov for access to these records.
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We hope this is helpful. Best of luck with your research!