1NGDALE PUBLIC LIBRARY
274 Main St.
Farmingdale, N, Y. 11735
Jfarmtngial? ( § b& vwtx
10*
On newstonds or
$ 4 per year by mai I AH OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE INCORPORATED VILLAQE OF FARMINGOALE
SERVING GREATER FARMINGDAL E. BETHPAGE & MELVILLE
Vol. 5 No. 47 Second Class Postage has been paid at Farmingdale, N Y . 11735 Thursday, July 11, 1V68
MYSTERY FLAG; ASSASSIN
THREATS, BARED AT LIBRARY
Two small flags, a yellow flag with a coiled snake with the
slogan ' Don't Tread on Me' and an American flag on a stand
were set down on the Farmingdale Public Library Board of
Trustee's table by Trustee Carl E. Gorton, an avowed member
of the John Birch Society, at the opening of Tuesday night's
annual reorganizational meeting.
tion League of B'nai B'rith. The organization, which is considered
more extreme than the JBS was named for the East
Berlin boy who was shot by the Communists while escaping
over the Berlin wall. According to Harry Rosenkranz, Community
Consultant of the New York Regional Area of the Anti-
Defamation League, the group is supporting George Wallace
After the meeting Gorton told The Observer that the flag was for United States President. The organization has been known
to picket a leading department store in New York City because
they sold Polish hams and another store for selling Czecho-slovakian
Christmas tree ornaments, because they came from
Communist countries behind the Iron Curtain. The group believes
in guns and training a militia and guards. Rosenkranz could find
no supportive evidence that the flag was t h e i r symbol.
a pre- Revolutionary flag that he has had on his desk at home
for the past two years.
According to a governmental agency, a similar flag may have
been adopted two years ago by a newly formed organization
called the ; Peter Fechter Brigade.' The right wing organization
was founded by an ex- member of the John Birch Society,
a Gregory Bittner of Smithtown, according to the Anti- Defama-wnen
questioned by The Ob Tilford, Farmingdale Observer Minutemen.
columnist. Hillary Boss, trustee.
Dr. Albert Meyerstein and former
School Board Trustee Bernard
Lang had each received through
the mail in a plain envelope, postmarked
July 8, Jamaica, Queens,
server after the meeting, Gorton
evaded any answer to any modern
day use of the flag.
Later in the evening. The Ob
server learned that Library Di
rector Orrin B. Dow: defeated
Library Trustee incumbent Paul a threatening letter from the
According to the Anti- Defamation
League, the Minute Men is
an extremist group, whose leader
is Robert DePugh, who is said to
be a fugitive from justice, who
is sought by Federal authorities
in connection with a conviction on
Kichard Adams anil Susan Klos receive their awards as L968 Top l i e n s m
Farmingdale for their work in the recent ' Icon Drive for the Nassau County
Chapter, Association for the Help of Retarded Children ( AUKC). Making the
presentation is Assemblyman Martin Ginsberg ( center). Mrs. John Cottone
was Drive Chairman for the Farmingdale AI1KC Auxiliary.
a charge involving fire arms.
The letter which invaded the
homes of the key ' liberals' in
Farmingdale had a line drawing
of a gun site with cross hairs
and read:
" Traitors." Beware. See the
old man at the corner where you
buy your papers? He may have
a silencer equipped pistol under
his coat. That extra fountain pen
in the pocket of the insurance
man who calls on you might be
a cyanide gas gun. What about
your milk man? Arsenic works
slow but sure. Your auto mechanic
may stay up nights studying
booby traps. These patriots are
not going to let you take their
freedom away from them. They
have learned the silence knife, the
stranglers cord, the target rifle
that hits sparrows at 200 yards.
Traitors beware. Even now the
cross hairs are on the back of
your necks. Minutemen."
Later Gorton was asked by The
Observer whether he had anything
to do with the Minutemen
letters. He said that he was tired
of denying things and that no one
believed him anyway and he just
wouldn't bother, because people
believed what they wanted to believe.
The Board meeting became
quite explosive when Callahan
introduced a motion to expend
up to $ 600 on a series of Presidential
candidates forums which
would include, lectures, motion
pictures, book displays similar
to one run by Library Director
Orrin B. Dow four years ago.
Trustee Gorton said that he would,
not trust the discretion of the
library director on this subject.
He said he was leaning" left of
center' as was the entire library
board majority. Trustee Meyerstein
took exception to this remark
and said that Gorton spoke
with a forked tongue like a snake.
Gorton replied by reading ihe
yellow flags slogan'Don't Trend
on Me." During public participation
Mrs. Bea Dealt of Massu
pequa Park asked Gorton to explain
what he meant by ' left of
center\ An harrangue with cat
calls and laughs from the audience
ensued.
Newly elected Trustee Warren
Altmann, who was supported
in his campaign by Gorton took
the oath of office. He was elected
Secretary of the Board. Incumbent
Chairman Robert Callahan
was re - elected President and
Mrs. Khan Musa was elected
Vice President.
Gorton's motion, which was
seconded by Altmann specifying
that Library Director and
the Assistant Library Director
should not have overlapping vacations
was defeated.
Gorton made a motion that
the American Flag be saluted at
the opening of the library board
meetings, and that the purchase
of a flag and stand be made.
The Board made the same appointments
as last year, Kendrick
Smith as Attorney, James Ryan,
Treasurer, Franklin National
Bank as bank depository and the
three local newspapers as official
papers of the library district.
Before the period of public participation
Trustee Meyerstein
made a public announcement that
since Gorton often gave him recommended
reading, tonight he
had a present for Gorton, a copy
of " The President Day Ku Klux
Klan Movement," a report by the
Committee on Un- American Activities,
House of Representatives,
1967." Later, Trustee Meyerstein
told this reporter, " 1
thought I left all of this back
in my native Germany during
Hitler's lime. To think it is all
here in Farmingdale."
According to a report by the
\ l » l , which was sent to a committee
on gun control in Washington!
the gun toting Minutemen
are one of the more dangerous
groups in. jhe United States. Miu-
{{. outinui. il on Page 4)
