The Southern Jewish weekly. [volume] (Jacksonville, Fla.) 1939-1992, 1940-06-14
A LegiOnnaire Talks on Subversive
Activities In America

The one group which has hit the
front pages of our newspapers and
which is placed as the largest of
the communist front movements
by the Dies Committee is the
American League for Peace and
Democracy. Formerly it was the
American League against War and
Fascism. This group was organ
lied originally by a French Com
munist, Henri Barbusse.
Second in size and Importance
from a communist front stand
point, according to the Dies Com
mittee, is an organization known
as the Workers Alliance. 1t is
headed by Herbert Benjamin, who
makes no secret of his membership
in the communist party. Benjamin
admitted publicly in meeting in
Indianapolis several years ago,
in answer to the question put to
him by the director of the Lesion's
Americanism Commission, that he
was a member of the Communist
party of the United States.
His membership in that party
demands his allegiance to the Sow
let Union. In connection with the
Workers Alliance, Earl BroWder,
in his book. The Peoples Front,
says: I'VE communists were the
pioneers in this and in many other
fields. It was the communists who
raised the slogan of national uni
fication, fought for it consistent
ly, and finally brought about the
merger of all into the Workers
Alliance" And this is the organi-
cation which has been demanding
additional relief measures from
the United States government, the
government which the communists
are attempting to undermine and
overthrow.
One of the most dangerous
groups. and 1 say dangerous be-
cause they are dealing with the
youth of America, is the front or
ganization al lie d the American
Student Union. It is a section of
a world student association and
is the result Of a United front
gathering of young socialists and
young communists in America. It
is operating now on many of the
campuses of American colleges and
universities.
Now it is only natural to ask
What does The American Legion
intend to do about all of this ?"
The answer is found in the Amer
icanism Resolutions adopted at the
1889 Chicago National conven-
ton. First, the convention COM
the work of the Dies Com
mittee and asked that it be con-
tinued and that sufficient funds
be provided again to finance it's
work. Our organization took this
stand because it felt that the work
of the Dies Committee was far
from complete and that its con-
tinuous expose of the activities
of these groups would lead to leg
islation to correct the situation.
Our legion convention also adop-
ted a resolution asking that the
communist party be barred from
the ballot in this country. This
stand was taken since the COM
munist group cannot be termed
a legal American political party
for it takes its orders from the
Communist International in tn
Soviet Union.
And we believe that individuals
a n d organizations attempting to
ridicule and subvert the American
constitutional form Of government
should be prosecuted.
We are urging national legisla-
ton to punish American citizens
who advocate the overthrow of our
by force. fraud, or
violence. and the deportation Of
aliens who are motivated by SINH
lar aims.
There is no need to become hys-
terical about these various subver-
sive activities. But the Legion does
ask each and every one of you true