6tamey Dianche Denies Charge He Was an Informant for FBI 1rntibee92 5117/7/ By HOWARD S. SHAPIRO instance, and I'd say, 'Listen, Of The Imvuro, aln/J pal, don't call us with this Former civil rights fire- stuff." brand Stanley E. Branche CODE LETTERS flatly denied on Sunday allega- FBI code letters "POI" ap- tions that he had been a confi- pear in front of Branche's dential informant for the FBI. name in the documents, but The charges were made by are undefined. Branche said the Citizens' Commission to he had no idea what the code Investigate the FBI, the group meant. In the other portions distributing files allegedly of the document, his political stolen from an FBI office in history is sketched. Media on March 8. The Com- mission made the charges in a Branche was unaware that cover letter accompanying the such files were released, latest packet of files. along with the committee's Branche, of Devon, was for- charges, when he was con- merly chairman of the Chester tacted by a reporter. Committee for Freedom Now "I don't like what the and former executive director FBI's doing (in its files)," of the Philadelphia Black STANLEY BRANCHE he said. "I said many times Coalition and the Greater . blasts Hoover I think J. Edgar Hoover's a senile old buzzard, and the Chester Movement. ferent people about different Philadelphia division ('of the SENT TO PAPER things pertaining to the civil FBI), doing all this ... , is rights ,movement," Brariche The alleged FBI files, sent worse than any demonstrator said in answering the charges. to The Inquirer and other se- could be. "They would come to our civil lected newspapers this week- "I am really not concerned cnd and bearing a Detroit rights offices periodically and ask what we had planned. So how long they've followed tne, postmark, reported that because I have done nothing Branche was questioned on did other agencies, like the civil disobedience squad. to be ashamed of in the civil May 20, 1970, by the FBI and rights movement." "advised he did not know" a we were going to march, certain ihdividual "and he I would tell them we were JAIL RECORD could furnish no information going to march. But some- Branche countered the Citi- about him." times, they'd .call and ask, zens' Commission's charge "'The FBI would call dif- 'Do you know Joe Jones?' for that the documents help -to explain why Branche is not in jail for civil rights acti- vities. He cited his jail re- cord and said: "I've gone to jail over 100 times — but not for sticking a pistol in my pocket and saying, 'This is The movement.' I'm not ashamed of anything I've ever gone to jail for." The commission also claim- ed the documents helped ex- plain Branche's verbal attack Continued on Page 9, Column 1 Branche Is Called Informant by Group Investigating FBI Continued from Page 1 no "black activists who for- merly worked with him," probably referring to Branche's opposition to Mu- Branche said he was pres- hammed Kenyatta, of the ently unemph He re- Black Economic Development cently sold his portion of own- Conference. ership in the plush Rolls Royce Kenyatta's group has le- Club, a center city restaurant manded reparations f r n in dnd bar. church groups for damages in- : Among his best friends are flicted on blacks throughout Major Coxson, flamboyant America's aistory. lilack entrepreuner, who was "I still don't believe in LAMES GORBEY i partner with Branche in knocking on a door and . backed by Branche their Rolls Royce venture. throwing the sacraments on 'NO MOVEMENT' the floor," Branche said Sun- During the last two years, day. "That's why I was op- lie has not been active with posed to the whole thing." divil rights organizers. He ex- NAME IN FILES plained this Sunday by saying He added there was "no there is no more civil rights daubt in my mind" that his movement, name is in scores of files : "We don't have a concerted dealing with civil rights effort to fight these problems, groups in the 1960's. "They like housing, jobs and educa- (the FBI agents) have trailed tion, anymore. That stopped the, followed me, tapped my when all the Federal funds Sthone. But if they have me came down the tine. Some- ;Clown as a paid informer, body's going to have to come Oey'll have to prove it." - up with a new approach, and -Branche speculated that the when they do, I'll be the first group involved in stealing the to participate." FBI files were the persons "I The Citizens' Commission chased out of Chester years also charged that what they before. Because of what they claimed were alleged FBI- have said, doesn't mean I have ties showed why Branche sup- ' to prove something to them. I orted former Chester Mayor do not condone them and they James H. Gorbey for a Fed• do not lead me. And they eral judgeship. Gorbey had know that (their actions) isn't been mayor during the early my kind of schtick." 60s, when violence occasion- ally swept Chester's streets during demonstrations. • "I backed him (Gorbey) simply because he had demon- Itrated compassion as a judge in Delaware County, wherein in percent of the people who came before him were black," branche said. "I'd rather have somebody there that we know, tlian somebody we don't know." Bra nchc, who recently moved to Devon from Chester, has four children: Mark, 10; Stanley Jr., 5; Wilma, 4, and 14 19b2 wnen ne took uvei L,.. Alexander, 2. He and his wife, weak NAACP there. From his Anna, are both 37. street marches, Chester be- came a leader in northern His brother, Gilbert, is as- racial unrest. After a falling- sistant chief of county detec- out with several NAACP mem- tives. under the office of the bers, he began the now-defunct Philadelphia District Attorney. Committee for Freedom Now. DEFUNCT UNIT During the 60s, when he -- Branche, a powerful orator, in the civil lights forefr...,. became well-known in Chester Branche held seminars for la..v in 1962 when he took over the enforcers on the need for civil weak NAACP there. From his rights' activities. He was a street marches, Chester be- leader of many protests, a came a leader in northern number of them against the racial unrest, After a falling- Chester School District. out with several NAACP mem- In 1967, Branche sought bers, he began the now-defunct the Democratic candidacy in Committee for Freedom Now, Chester's mayoral race, but was knocked out of the pri- mary when a court found his petition to be fraudulent. He was a controversial di- rector of the Black Coalition, a self-help job and business organization which lasted a year during 1968-69. He re- signed from his post shortly before the debt-ridden coali- tion was dissolved. Shortly after that, he faded from the civil rights scene. .