AVAAAMCO
31 Oct 66
20 SEIZED INSTATE
AS RIGHT-WINGERS
IN WEAPONS PLOT
Police Say 3 Private Camps
Were Marked for Attack,
by Leaders in Queens
'TONS' OF ARMS FOUND
Conspiracy Laid to Bands of
Minutemen—Evidence to
Go Before Grand Jury .
By MURRAY SCHUMACH
Twenty men and "tons" of
weapons and ammunition were
seized yesterday to break up
what the police called a conspiracy by right-wing extretnIsts in the metropolitan area to
"devastate" three privately
owned camps in New York
State, New Jersey and Connecticut.
In a series of raids that Began in Queens shortly befOrt
dawn and was still spreading
across the state late in the day.
the police seized arsenals that
included mortars, bazookas,
machine guns. semi-automatic
rifles, homemade bombs, more
than a million rounds of antmunition, machetes, crossbar;
and garroting nooses.
According to District Attrit,
ney Nat If Hentel, Of Queen*
the prisoners: and weapons be,
longed to bands of Minutemen,
a right-wing group that believes a Communist uprising,ut
', invasion is imminent.
He said; with neaing agreemerit from Chief. of Detectives
Frederick M. Lumen, that
three of the band* were about
be;irt attacks on the came
!when the police closed in.
t'amps Not Massed
*.ir. Hntel refitailAS ldaettltY
.-AmpF, hut 1:124
1=
Vinutisn-ten
"destrolting and dan104011‘11
C, immunist. left-wing Mgt ?Me
eral installations."'
Under questioning he re,peatsdly refused to giro details
about the camps. en the
SUSPECTS: Men arrested in raids hide faces approaching Fresh Meadow station in Queens
!tn
,grnoott; that the entire matter
was
, ^ntintling in..- estigation" and had not yet
me bK-fiire tile grand jury. It
was on ly after a reporter asked
e.ire it the targets were Boy
ARSE*C.A.L: Ikieetives inspect and tag weaporp, and arnmunit:, ni uneo. 0.Ni in
Scout maps that he said they
were privately owned.
(
"This is the biggest natal of
weapons and death-dealing material seized is this area In the
memory of veteran law-enforcement officers," Mr. Haste' said
p
"We have effectively broken ported t"ken in, the raids---a
up the secret organization in bazooka, hazatilta
nicutar
this area and have removed Continued on
40, enini non 1
literally tens of death-inflicting
weapon r. ending the possibility
of great loss of life and
PioPertY."
at a news conference in his
Mr. Rental displayed on his
( office.
beak some of the weapons re-
shell and two semi-automatic
!The Minutemen made a
Investigation Continuing
1
rifles. Around him were detec- careful study of the area around
1T limes 31 Oct 66
The prosecutor refused to say
tives, police officials and bomb the headquarters of The Daily
experts—part of the 110 men Worker, the Communist paper. how the prisoners had obtained'
who worked on the case under including the traffic-signal sass the pans or whether they hadl
the supervision of Chief Inspec- , tem. The building, at 23 West admitted they were Minutemen!
tor Sanford D. Garetlit and the • 26th Street, was subsequently He said he could not discuss
such matters because the in-;
immediate command of Chief bombed with a smoke b
of Detectives Lussen.
similar to those fatted in yes- vestigation was continuing andi
The arrest of the Minutemen terday's raids. Mr. Mantel $14 bad not yet gone before the
.yesterday was the climax of an he was looking into the
investigation that began last Wily that the Minutemen had' The reserve Special Force;
'unit
on
Staten Island that
been
responsibly
for
the
bombJanuary, when the police rethe- Minutemen were said to ,
ceived "confidential informa- ing
•
•
'lave
tried
to infiltrate Is airtion" that they passed along to
Conflict Reported Averted'
borne and trained some 800 men
Mr. Hentel.
The District Attorney said 1st year. It Is headed by Lieut.
When Mr. Hentel, who is run- the hate leaflets had been die- 'Cot. Joseph McCrane of Ranning for election as District At- tributed from speeding cars at cocas. N. J.
torney. was asked why the raids night and had nearly created The prisoners hooked vesterhad occurred so closed to Elecany day at Fresh Meadows and tite,fRayshore, L. I.; conspiracy tol
tion Day—which is a week from a race conflict.a- He• said
because the
tomorrow—he explained . that clash was
raiment charges, pending arraigiunent !comit arson.
obtained
Joseph Russo, 20: brother of!
the police had learned the at- of "local papers" to AVOW pub..today, were reported as follows:
SalvittOPC •thitit- driver.
20i
tacks on the three camps were
Andrew Zum, 24 year old, a Henry 'Street; Bethpage, of
licizing
•
the
•incithet
until
it
L.
to take place yesterday.
could
be
presented
to
the
pub'cab
driver
of
2015
Foster
Aveconspirady
to
commit
arson
and
"Once we learned they were
oue, Brooklyn; conspiracy to Sullivan Law violation.
• making their move," he said. lic in perSpective.. Mr.
did not name the papers.
Frank Ferraro.
milkman,
commit arson, violation ,
"we had to make ours."
As the police were baiting
of the 150-rt 115th Street, Ozone Park ;
Weapons FM a Truck
prisoners yesterday on chalsges Sullivan Law, unlawful assem- conspiracy Whowhisit arson and
.
The weapon seizures grew as ranging from -possession
Law Violation'
Matthew, Satter, 29. hearY-Sullivan
the raids went on. The police deadly weapons to unlawful ass equipment
operator, 647 Sobro John
44, a mold
maker,
r mum, Bay
riot
`said that in arresting Jack sembly, inciting—to ri- and Avenue, Franklin Square.
• u Lynn Boyce, 40 years old, at conspirac to COMMit anssa• conspiracy to commit anon and Shore, L. /.; conspiracy to cornmit amen.
his home, at Sunny Ridge Road, Chief Garelik arrived at the unlawful assembly.
Ratonah, N. Y., they found so Fresh Meadows stalk* house
Daniel P. Byrne, 24. mechanic,
Maw
s
1.
Foley,
24,
a
Trail 35 Catherine' kvenue, Franklin
many weapons that a truck was to confer with
........
netiet....
°111ehthi
mr„„, Mt - Authority conductor. 910'Square,
L. I.; conspiracy to consfilled. The arsenal included 10
Today, aceossasulrUinr""' Dinsmore
Avenue. Far Rocketmachine guns, "a number of" tel, two asaistant '
mit arson.
'
away,
Queens;
conspiracy
to
Martin
Skiffington. 26. me
bazookas. The arrested man tonwys—Robert 1114. iliskwarta cominit arson,
Sullivan Law chanic. 60
said he was a student at Dan- and Robert P. rand
-12 67th Ayenue,
violation
'Flushing,
Queens;
bury State College, Danbury, go before the grand NIT
conspiracy
to
Itichtual ,Azaro, 18, a clerk,
commit arson, Sullivan Law
Conn.
seek the indictment
. the .78-21.49ta Avenue. Middle
leo, :Queens: conspiracy to violation.
Another prisoner, when booked prisoners. Since not all .
prisoners
were
booked
Oft
Frank
Ferraro,
turned to
as
, commit arson, Sullivan Law William Garrett, 34, a landscape artist, 2118 Howell Street.
reporters and said: "We've got same charges, it was assumed violation. unlawful assembly.
there
would
be
differences
in Lebro Ferraro, 24, milkman, Bell more, L.
a statement for you---there was
the
indictments
commit
sought..
..
no police brutality. They were
104-32 XOdth Street, Osione violation. arson, Sullivan Law
An extraordinary- prol*W6 Park, Queens;
• very polite." Then he added that
conspiracy ter. Warren
T. Baldwin, 31, plashis nickname was "Nathan was taken after Uur
commit arson, Sullivan Law, terer, 672 Sylvan
Avenue. Bay-.
Hale." On the stock of one of were booked. Each wee assigned unlawftil asilembly.
port.
L.
T.;
conspiracy to comthe semi-automatic rifles was to the jail of a giftlanntPf!
.." LaWrence Conklin, 27, horsestamped: "Liberty or Death." duct, so that they wadi .$ vixen, • 158-06 14th Avenue, mit, arson.
A third prisoner, charged unable to exchange inierrnes:On Vsantestone, Queens; conspinicy
• to commit arson, Sullivan Law
with conspiracy to commit. ar- during the night.
One of the moat imPorthin violation. .
son, as well as violation of the
Sullivan Law, was a New York of yesterday's pp** raids was Salvatsare_Russo, 30, truckCity fireman. He was booked reported to have taken ptilicernest 3372 Fiddler Lane. Bethg as William KieswerS29, of 133- , between 5 - and S A.M. atipage, L. I.; conspiracy to corn13 130th Street, Ozone Park.i Goldy's Diner. at 130th Street•mit arson. Sullivan Law violaand o
OM. tion, unlawful assembly.
Queens.
South Ozone. Iliseens. There
John Deptuch. 30, port stewIn Milford. Conn.. Thomas the raiders picked'
up
Mis
mer
Hart, Connecticut state chair- who were having coffee. Ate ard, 1101 liartinstein Avenue,
man of the Patriotic party. Hentel said the suspects were
K.ESassE a and Boyce, in addition
which was founded by the Min- among
Minutemen plaiting
utemen, refused to believe the to me athe
to above — total, 17.
hunting trip as a covet
police version of the raids. He to destroy the camps.
called it "an apparent hoax" or
Number given in first uaragraph,.20.
In the car of one of these
nibniP of organizations.
awn, according to the proseRut Governor Rockefeller did cutor, the police, wise had
not share this disbelief. When search warrants, found three
informed of the raids, he said:
"These poop)e are misguided in pipe bombs, two grenades and
"a number of rifles."
their patriotism."
At about the same time the
•Mg their long investigation, the police said, they city police, sometimes acconalearned these things:
panted by state troopers and
!The Minutemen had tried to policemen from Nassau and
infiltrate the reserve unit of the Suffolk Counties, began other
11th Special Forces of the Army raids. One of thaw, in Syracuse.
—the "Green Berets"—at Miller led to the seizure of firearms
Field. 3. I., to learn guerrilla and field eqUipment.
tactics they could' use against
The police. according to Mr.
Communists.
Rents!, have obtained many
•
'Members of the group dis- search warrsusta and are looktributed racist literature in ing for files and records as Wen
Roosevelt, L. Z.p . and Latsrelton. as weapons.
The District Attoniey' said
Queens, purporting to be from
Negro extremities and urging that the reason the investigaNegroes "to kill white
... tion was centered in Queens
have the white women for our was that the police had discovered that the "focut of leadpleasure."
elbleld maneuvers were held ership" in the plans by the
Minutemen
seemed to be there.
in Suffolk County and in the
vicinity Of lellenville, N. Y., with
homemade bombs.