Evening star., 1939-08-27
Foreign Agents
Flood Propaganda
Over U. s., Says Dies
Hundreds of Them
Seeking to Shape Our
Diplomacy, He Charges
RACKGPnYND

BACKGROUND
Special House committee, headed
by Representative Dies, Demo-
crat, OF Teras, ,Das set up more
than a year ago to Investigate
subuerSipe actipities in this coun-
try. Various forms of "isms" haze
been subject of inquiry to date,
Nth most attention gipen to
Communists. Committee dre1p
sharp rebuke from President
Roosevelt at one stage, due to its
manner OF taking testimony.
By the Associated Press.
The House Committee on Un-
American Activities charged las,
night that hundreds" of agents OF
foreign governments were flooding
this country with propaganda
through every medium of commu-
nication of ideas" in an effort to
shape American foreign policy.
In special report, the committee
asserted it had substantial evil
dence" Of well-financed activities by
many agents in violation OF the
statute requiring them to register
with the State Department.
Under an act Of Congress, all
agents of foreign governments, COM
panies or individuals are required to
register with the State Department
and give full information as to their
activities and remuneration. The
report said only 351 such agents had
registered as of July IL, 1899.
Two Major Groupings.
Asserting that American resources
may we'll become the decisive factor
in any war waged in the world to-
day." the committee said there ap-
peared to be two major groupings
of nations attempting to win this
country to their side.
THE first of these is the London
Paris entente: the second. the Ber-
lin-Rome exis, and in addition to
these. Russia is in special cate
CORY" the report continued.
"All Of the propagandistic slogans
to the contrary notwithstanding,
both of the principal combinations
and Russia have certain vital inter-
ests to protect, interests which ap-
peal to the American people only
when they are shrewdly concealed
under false slogans.
When all of the war slogans have
been stripped away from the un-
derlying interests which they con-
ceal, it is plain on the one hand
that certain nations have empires
and want to keep them and on the
other hand that other nations do not
nave umpires mot imposing ones at
least but want to acquire them.
MoscoWs special interest-clearly
established by its own propaganda
over many years-is that these on
posing combinations shall DESTROY
each other, and that proletarian rev.
olutlon and dictatorship shall be
extended on that destruction. These
are the issues reduced to their SIM
plest terms
Thorough Probe Favored.
The committee said it would an
pear to be in the interest of a dem
ocratic formulation of American
foreign policy for this committee
10 inquire thoroughly into the ac-
tiVltles OF many of these agents of
loreign principals who have com.
phed with the provisions of the
Registration Act"
Mere registration" the renort
aooed, is not enough to inform the
american people adequately of the
nature and extent of current war
from abroad"
The committee asserted that IN.
OF the chief objectives of some of
the propaeandists was to dipict
world Jewry as a threat to ciyii-
zatlon. 1t said fantastic tales of
Jewish plots were being dissent
mated on an increasing scale and
had won acceptance among manv
Americans who now openly declare
their partisanship toward the
Eome-Berlin axis on this basis
alone"
When the committee resumes its
hearings tomorrow, the chief wit
ness, Chairman Dies has announced.
vii! be Earl Browder, secretary-gen-
eral OF the American Communist
party. Mr.. BroWder, who has indi-
cated ne wishes to be heard.
will be asked, among
other things. about implications of
the Soviet-German non-aggression
pact.
His testimony is expected to oc-
cupy two days.