The Wilmington morning star., 1940-12-21
BY WESTBROOK PEGI,Ep

Will. ADMIT mat L have not had
time to make a careful investigs.
ton of Harold Ickes' proposal r.
import to the Virgin Islands ..as
VISITORS" but without visas or din
lomatic Formally" a large mas.
of political refugees from snain
Germany and Italy who are now
trapped in unoccupied France and
who may face determination. Pn+
1ckes obviously is trying to pull .
fast one, and I suggest that bis
plan be held up until this County
has had a chance to study fl.
background of the case and learn
something about the character ~
the refugees. There would be M
serious objection to the admission
of persons who are real believers
in the American way of govern.
ment and American liberties. Tha,
is the kind of people who made
the United States. But under No
circumstances should the gates ba
opened for a mass importation O,
communists, plus a scattering of
Nazi and Fascist military spies
and industrial and political sabo.
teurs, even though these people be
represented as '.intellectuals" or
"artists."
"My own department." said lex.
es in a speech last week, is doing
what lies within its power to open
the way"
Mr.. LOvett
In this connection it is certainly
fair and important to consider the
fact that Mr.. Ickes' idea Of an an.
propriate man for the position of
secretary of the Virgin Islands is
Robert Morss Lovett and to take
a look at Mr.. Lovett's reputation.
This is what Martin Dies has to
say about Mr.. Lovett:
"Robert Morss Lovett, appointed
by the President to the Virgin Is.
lands, comes close to holding the
all-time record for fellow-traveling
with communist organizations in
this country"
Representative Dies then gives
a long list of organizations with
which Professor Lovett has been
connected, including the American
Friends of Spanish Democracy,
The New Masses, The Committee
to Save Spain and China, the
American League Against War and
Fascism, The American LIE a gu
for Peace and Democracy, The
Non-partisan Committee for the
Reelection of Representative Vito
Marcantonio, The National Mooney
Council of Action, The Golden
Book of American Friendship with
the Soviet Union, The National
Committee for the Defense of Po-
litical Prisoners, The Open Letter
for Closer Cooperation with the
Soviet Union, The Student Con-
gress Against War, The American
Youth Congress. The Open Letter
of American Liberals IN Trotsky.
ism and The Letter Protesting the
Ban on Communists in the Civil
Liberties Union.
Of course, Mr.. Dies has his
faults, but nobody can deny that
he has had a better chance than
any other American to study the
affiliations and inspirations Of com.
munist organizations and transmits
sion belts. And his opinion OF Mr..
Ickes' secretary of the Virgin Is
lands cannot be dismissed as mere
Red-baiting. 1t deserves consider
alton.
Many Communists
Yet it is now hurriedly proposed
to dump a whole mass of refugees
into the Virgin Islands under the
supervision of Professor Lovett,
without visas or diplomatic for
mality," on a pretext of humanlt!
although it is known that many OIL
the refugees r refugees only BE-
cause they e militant, reVolu-
tionary communists and killers III
their own countries, principally IN
Spain.
1t is important also to ascertain
just who will have the power 10
select the lucky ones for refuge Ill
the Virgin Islands. 1t is absolutely
certain that if the communists
have their way the roster VIII DC
100 per cent communist, and the
real lovers of freedom and AMER
can ideals will be left to face ue
firing squads. The refugee caln'
paign is heavily charged with COM
munist influence. emanatlng mann
ly from New York and Hollywood,
in which latter zone a group u
mediocre communist hacks OF lho
writing craft and hams OF u1
drama are posing as great llpelNl
intellectuals and striving to lmpol'
their comrades to positions
which they can do the most Mann
as anti : American propagandiSs.
Communists have no interest," III
saving anyone but other comihu'
nists.
Once a lot of Stalinltes were
dumped in the islands there Woutu
be no way of sending them oaeA,
They would filter into the Onl'sa
States in time to join their COM
rades, of whom there are hloi'
than enough now.
It would be interesting to KNOW
just what MI. Ickes has been w
to already apropos his remarh nat
his department has been ooHs
what lies within its power to op:a
the way" He wouldn't have saHa