Evening star., 1939-10-27
The Dies Committee

In publishing list of some 600
Federal employees who belong to or
are on the mailing list of the Ameri-
can League for Peace and Democracy
the Dies Committee has stirred up
tempest of no small proportions.
Criticism of the committees action,
part of which springs from within it's
own membership, is two sided.
First, exception is taken to the
committees assertion that the league
is Communist front" organization,
whatever that may mean, and, Sec
ond, it is claimed that the commit
tees failure to distinguish between
actual members and those who are
merely on the mailing list does an
injustice to the latter group.
The record is far from clear on the
first point. The term front organi-
cation is indefinite, although as
used in this instance it would seem
to imply that the league is a shield
behind which it's membership active
ly engages in subverslve communistic
activities. If the committee intended
to convey that impression, it has
drawn an inference for which ade-
quate support cannot be found in the
evidence which has been made pub
lie. There has been considerable
evidence, however, tending to show
that the American League Against
War and Fascism, which was trans
formed by change of name into the
League for Peace and Democracy,
was largely controlled by Commu-
nists. Earl Browder was vice president
Of the League Against War and Fas-
cism, and the change of name does
not relieve the present league of
communistic coloration, regardless
of whether it is or is not a front"
organization.
It must be conceded, of course,
that any American citizen has right
to join such an organization if he
sees fit to do so, but when the men,
Der is also an employe of the Federal
Government it is ridiculous to con-
tend that there is anything in the
Bill of Rights which can or should
operate to keep knowledge of his
membership from the general public.
The rank and file of taxpayers, in the
aggregate, are the real employer, and
1t can hardly be denied that they are
entitled to knowledge of the activities
of their employees, especially when
those activities are political in char
acter.
In this particular case it is regret
table that the committee did not
make distinction between members
and those who merely happened to
be on the leagues mailing list The
failure to make that distinction has
worked an injustice, and the COM
mittee should endeavor to rectify it
by identifying those on the list who
are members and those who are not.
But it does not follow that the
work of the committee as whole is
W US ulSSl lColCCu UCSduSC "a Glllo OllO
blunder, despite the rather obvious
efforts of certain of the leagues Of
ficials to accomplish that result. The
task of the Dies Committee is diff
fcult one, and it has not received any
noteworthy cooperation from other
departments of the Government.
The committee has been repeatedly
accused of red batting" apparently
in the expectation that its usefulness
would thereby be ended, but the
members have refused to be turned
aside from their investigation, and
have pursued it to the best of their
abilities. In the face of many dis
couragements, the committee has
achieved some important results,
and, granting that it has made mis-
takes, it still should be supported in
its effort to direct public attention to
those who clamor for the protection
of Americas free institutions while
striving to encompass their destruc-
fion