No title {Arrest} Long Walk Original Manuscript (Image #507)

Party, questioned Verwoerd in parliament as to whether he had received a letter from me at the time. The Prime Minister replied in the affirmative adding that it was in an "aggressive tone". The general comment of the press on the first day of the 3 day strikes which was called for May 1961 was that it had been a failure. BNut evidence of another important State witness, who was secretary (?) of the PUTCO Bus Service showed beyond doubt that the press comments were incorrect. He furnished in court facts and figures of the normal nuber of commuters and the amount of fares collected. The difference was indeed striking when these were constrasted with those of the first day of the strike. (Check figures and include). During the proceedings a British advocate, Louis (?) Blum Cooper, attended the trial on behalf of Amnesty and sat next to me. He took a lively interest in the proceedings and made many useful suggestions. On the second day of the trial he informed me that during the luch adjournment the presiding magistrate had accompanied the investigating officer, warrant officer Dirker, and another sergeant from the Security Branch and had driven away together and that they had returned together at 2 p.m. when the court resumed. On his own initiative Blum Cooper had had an affadavit drawn up to that effect and had it sworn before the Registrar of the Transvaal Supreme Court. I felt that the magistrate had been guilty of improper conduct and therefore applied for his recusal on the ground that the facts mentioned earlier created the impression that he had administering justice secretly. The magistrate replied that he was under no obligation to offer any explanation