Evening star., 1940-08-04
429 Workers Dropped
From W.P.A. PayRoI|s
In Subversive Purge
Those Dismissed
Refused to Take
Required Oath

Congressional action to rid w. P.
A, rolls of subversive influences has
resulted in the dismissal of 429
workers, including one in the Dis
trict, for failure to sign an oath that
they are not Communists, men,
bers of a Nazi bund, aliens or afili-
ated with an organization advocat-
ing overthrow of the Government"
This disclosure was made yester-
day by Col. F. c. Harrington, w. P.
a. commissioner, who said the
minute percentage of relief workers
affected-429 out of 1855 ,000-is
probably no higher than that for
the total population.
The lone worker in the District
w. P. A, the administrator said, was
a member of Jehovahs Witnesses,
who refused to sign the affidavit on
religious grounds. For that reason
his name was withheld. There were
approximately 10,500 on the local
rolls.
Col. Harrington said the diSmiS-
sails were compulsory under the pro-
visions of the w. P. A. Appropria-
tion Act for the current fiscal year
requiring that such persons could
not be paid out of w. P. A. funds
beginning July l. Previously the
law excluded only aliens and those
belonging to an organization advo-
eating overthrow of the Government
by force. Congress tightened it by
adding Communists and Nazists.
Reports Are Complete.
The figures on diSimissals report
ed to Col. Harrington showed none
from Maryland and only one from
Virginia. Out of the total, only five
were dismissed from rolls outside
continental United States, those be-
Ing listed as from Puerto Rico.
The reports of such dismissals are
now complete, it was said, except
for six States and Hawaii, for which
only preliminary figures were sent
to Washington. The total employ
ment figure stated was of the last
week In June, when the affidavits
were signed.
I'VE realize, of course" Col. Har-
rlngton said, that some persons
may have dropped from the rolls for
other reasons, knowing that they
could not sign such an affidavit.
and some false affidavits may have
been received. The fact that only
429 out of more than l,650,00O failed
to sign such affldavits confirms our
belief. however, that only a minute
percentage of w. P A. workers was
affected by these provisions.
Heavy Penalty Provided.
I'VE have no reason to believe that
the proportion of w. P. A. workers
falling to meet their requirements
is higher than that for the total
population of the United States.
Wherever there is evidence that a
false affidavit has been presented,
we will submit that evidence to the
proper authorities for prosecution"
The penalty is not more than 81
600 fine or two years imprisonment
or both
The mere refusal of the single
Jehovaf1's Witnesses member to
sign the affidavit. it was said at the
district w. P. A. Office. necessitated
his dismissal, If for no other reason.
He was not suspected of being a
Communist, or Nazist or an an
archist," an official said. He lust
had religious scruples against sign
ing"
Louisiana Leads.
The 49 dismissals in New York
State we're equalled by the prelimin-
sry figures given for Louisiana.
Those two States led the national
list. New York City claimed all but
three of the total from the State.
Preliminary figures only were sub
mltted for New York State outside
of the metropolis, for Mississippi.
Iowa, North Dakota and Idaho.
The list indicated that the greatest
proportion of dismissals came from
the region embracing Arkansas,
Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma
and Texas. The total was 106. Okla
homa listed 43, but Texas had only
13.
California with 33. PENNSYLVANIA
with 80 and North Dakota with 80
were the other leaders. Seven
States from which complete returns
were received had no dismissals.
They were Rhode Island, Delaware,
Maryland South Carolina, Kansas,
New Mexico and Wyoming.