COMMUNISTS: One Stowaway

Three days at sea, the 16,000-ton Polish motorship Batory radioed a routine passenger count back to New York. It ended, ". . . additional, one stowaway, first-class passage paid." As required by law, the Gdynia America Line, operators of the vessel, forwarded the message to U.S. Immigration officials.

Immigration wanted more information on the stowaway. It got a hair-raising reply: "Re telegram 10th. Stowaway Gerhart Eisler, German, disembarking Gdynia." Was it the Gerhart Eisler—the chubby little Comintern agent who had been called the No. 1 U.S. Communist?

Gone. FBI agents rushed to the Manhattan apartment in which Eisler had been living...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!