Evening star., 1939-12-22
Dies Uses Publicity
In Strategy Of
PummeIing 'Isms'
Telling Blows Fall
Despite Grotesque
Hoymokers
(Second OF a Series.)

By the Associated Press.
Martin Dies has failed the air
with many a grotesque haymaker
intended for the solar plexus of
some ism" outfit in the United
States. He and his committee in
vestigating un-Americanism have
also hit EN- where it hurts-hard
Mixed in with such telling blows
as the indictment of No. l Com
munist Earl Browder for passport
fraud, are offers from Strip -Teaser
Gypsy Rose Lee to disclose all, if
only the committee will come to
her.
And just when Mr.. Dies drags
IN testimony relating supposed i'm
morality in the German American
Bund and brings Bundster Fritz
Kuhn unfavorably into the lime
light, one of the committee men,
bers mistakes Christopher Marlowe
for Communist, and streaks off,
hell for leather, to scalp this ter
rible Red. Too late, he realizes
he's jousting with the ghost of a
18th Century dramatist who never
heard of Communism.
The Phantom Waiter.
Then, of course, there was Dud-
ley Pierpont Gilbert and the phan-
tom waiter who knew all of Ameri-
cas- political and military secrets,
but who never could be found. Mr..
Gilbert is the fellow who bought
himself $1,000 retreat in Ken
lucky against the day this winter
when the revolution will wipe out
the good old United States as we
know it.
But the Dies Committee is sure
1t has done more practical pun
melting on the Reds and the Nazis
than either of the other two ism"
hunters in Congress since 1880.
Although the Fish Committee of
1880 and the Mccormack Commit
tee of 1885 gathered interesting
testimony and made thoughtful
recommendations to tighten the re-
strictions on aliens, both of them
missed the boat so far as perma-
nently hurting any of the ism"
boys and their left wing friends.
Uses Publicity.
With Mr.. Dies it's different. He
uses the widespread publicity his
committee gets to put the political
screws on people whose names ap-
pear in the testimony of his wit
neSseS.
The Bridges case is an outstand-
ing example AS soon as anti-C. I.
o. witnesses had testified that Harry
Bridges was a Communist and a
deportable alien from Australia, Mr..
Dies accused Secretary Perkins of
the Department of Labor of coddling
enemy aliens. Secretary Perkins
was adamant. She wouldn't hound
Mr.. Bridges until the Supreme Court
passed out definition of a de-
portable alien. That went on for
months. Finally the Supreme Court
eased by the question, and at long
last this fall Harry Bridges was
brought before an immigration
hearing. A decision is now pending.
Publicity is the one wide-open
avenue to results for any congress
sional mittee investigating
'isms."
Pact "Down His Alley"
The Russo-German non -aggres-
sion pact, signed last August, was
right Gown Mr.. Dies alley. In no
time at all he was bowling derisive-
~ at those unnatural bedfellows.
"Communazis," he shouted. with
an 1-told-you-so CLINT in his eye.
And there's little doubt but what
that pact gave the Dies committee
added luster
Mr.. Dies has convinced lots of
voters that there's bound to be some
subversive fire behind all the smoke
his witnesses are tanning up. De-
spite his frank admission that he'd
heard quite a few crackpot wit
nesses and his investigating staff
was inefficient at first, Congress
voted Mr.. Dies another 100000 to
continue the show through 1899
And it's 10-to-l bet on Capitol
Hill that Congress will give him
another 100000 for curtain calls
in the critical election year of 1910.
That's $225,0OO for q 5-foot shelf
Of un-Americana.