Herbert John Burgman
Herbert John Burgman | |
---|---|
Born | Deceased | April 17, 1894
Conviction(s) | Treason (18 U.S.C. § 2381) (13 counts) |
Criminal penalty | 6 to 20 years imprisonment |
Herbert John Burgman (April 17, 1894 – December 16, 1953) was an American broadcaster of
Biography
Herbert John Burgman was born in
Burgman married a German national, Johanna Karhl, in 1924.[1] Their son was born in 1925. By 1941, he was a committed Nazi sympathizer and when Germany declared war on America on December 11, 1941, he chose to remain in Germany rather than return to the U.S. with the repatriation of the embassy staff.[1][2]
Propaganda for Nazi Germany
During
Arrest
Burgman was arrested by American soldiers at his home in Rumpenheim,
Burgman was rearrested on the instructions of the Justice Department on November 22, 1948, and returned to military custody in Frankfurt. He was returned to the United States on February 4, 1949, to face trial for treason.[7]
Trial
On April 1, 1949, Burgman was arraigned on 69 counts of treason at the Washington U.S. District Court. On May 9, 1949, Judge
A motion for a new trial was denied on December 15, 1949,[16] and five days later, on December 20, 1949, Judge Alexander Holtzoff sentenced Burgman to imprisonment for 6 to 20 years.[17]
On February 8, 1951, the use of electrical transcriptions of his wartime broadcasts in his treason trial was upheld by the
Death
Burgman served his prison sentence at the federal prison in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. His health deteriorated, and on May 12, 1952, he was transferred to the U.S. Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield, Missouri, where he died from acute pulmonary edema due to heart disease on December 16, 1953, at the age of 59.
Burgman died on the first anniversary of the death of fellow
See also
References
- ^ a b c Profile, sos.mo.gov; accessed April 26, 2015.
- ^ Walser, Ray (December 2021). "Recalling Dec. 11, 1941: When World War II Truly Began". American Foreign Service Association. Archived from the original on 2023-12-16. Retrieved 2024-02-02.
- ^ Profile, books.google.co.uk; accessed April 26, 2015.
- ^ Burgman profile, fultonhistory.com; accessed April 26, 2015.
- ^ Profile, justice.gov; accessed April 16, 2015.
- ^ Profile, justice.gov; accessed April 16, 2015.
- ^ Former Berlin Embassy Clerk Here to Face Treason Charge Archived 2012-11-04 at the Wayback Machine, The Washington Post, February 5, 1949.
- ^ Court Orders Sanity Test for Alleged Traitor Archived 2012-11-04 at the Wayback Machine, The Washington Post, May 10, 1949.
- ^ Another Accused Traitor in Dock, The Pittsburgh Press, October 14, 1949.
- ^ Two German Women Testify That Burgman Boasted How Much His Broadcasts Hurt U.S.[permanent dead link], The Washington Post, October 20, 1949.
- ^ 'Mentally Ill' Plea Pressed By Burgman[permanent dead link], The Washington Post, October 22, 1949.
- ^ Burgman's Insane Acts Told by Wife[permanent dead link], The Washington Post, November 1, 1949.
- ^ TRAITOR GIVEN 6 TO 20 YEARS, The Montreal Gazette, December 29, 1949.
- ^ TREASON: No. 12, Time Magazine, November 28, 1949.
- ^ Burgman Guilty of Treason; Jury Out Nearly Five Hours Archived 2012-11-04 at the Wayback Machine, The Washington Post, November 16, 1949.
- ^ Court Bars New Trial For Burgman Archived 2012-11-04 at the Wayback Machine, The Washington Post, December 16, 1949.
- ^ Burgman Is Sentenced To Prison As Traitor, The Owosso Argus-Press, December 20, 1949.
- ^ BURGMAN v. UNITED STATES, openjurist.org; accessed April 26, 2015.
- ^ Death certificate, sos.mo.gov; accessed April 26, 2015.
External links
- Herbert John Burgman a/k/a Joe Scanlon (1894-1953) Find a Grave memorial
- Courtroom Battles of World War II (3 Parts). contains information on the careers and fates of some of the Nazi broadcasters and other collaborators.