Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-03-03
DOROTHY
THOMPSON
Hits Back
AT 'Propagandist' Attack
of Senator Clark
Hits Back

Ghs- opinions srpre.ed by
Miss Thompson are her oWn
and not necsssGrdy those Of The
Detroit Times.)
IT SEEMS to me that II would
L be well 20 get clear IN oul
minds the meaning Of the Wort
propaganda For we have come
TO brand every one who dlsagree'
with us as a propaganda.
OF course. all advocacy OF an,
viewpoint is propaganda, in the
exact meaning of the word. Bu'
in ordinary use the phrase means
that the advocacy is not dlsinter'
ested, does not arise from mtelii,
gent conviction, but Is mouvatec
BY malice or self-interest- Senator
Clark. a few days ago. said: --
IF an Investigation OF propa-
ganda tending 10 bring the
United States Into another
European war should he under
taken Miss Dorothy Thompson
would be counted among the
propagandistS."
Now. it would be just exactly as
fair for Miss Thompson TO reply
10 Senator Clark:
"If an investigation should he
undertaken OF propaganda tend
ing to encourage the Fascist
movement here and abroad, Sen
ator Clark would he counted
among the propagandists.'
Using the same technique as
~ Senator Clark, of branding
those who do not agree with his
view OF the war as ''propagand-
lists" IT would be possible to
demonstrate that the Nazi govern.
ment. which is certainly no friend
of this country or its institutions
is using the speeches and argu-
ments Of the opponents OF the
lend-ease bill as the chief ammu-
milton in their attempts from
Berlin TO influence American
policy.
One only needs to listen to the
German short-wave broadcasting
TO realize this.
But do not think that Senator
Clark is a propagandist for Nazi
Germany. think. as the Nazis
do, that the policy he advocates
is greatly advantageous to Nazi
Germany and greatly disadvan-
tageous to this country.
/ think that the lend-lease bill
IS greatly advantageous TO Great
Britain and greatly advantageous
10 this country. That does not
make either of us "propagan-
dist" in the sense in which that
word is popularity used. 1t makes
us opponents.
THERE is also a tendency to
l. quote and comment on state
ments made by others without
investigating exactly what the
statement was. Mrs. Elizabeth
Diliing. who spent several years Of
her life melting TO the persecution
of all pacifists as traitors. and who
now has joined them. tried to hang
me and Mrs. Roosevelt in effigy
the other day. me for having
advocated" sending several mil
lion men abroad in this war; and
Senator Clark says:
Recently Miss Thompson ex-
pressed her willingness to sacri-
fee a million American boys"
Now, Miss Thompson never ex-
pressed anything of the kind.
What Miss Thompson said in the
Town Hall meeting in Washington
some days ago was in answer TO
q repeated question from Con-
gresham Mundt. She said:
eff I were convinced that II
was necessary for the freedom
and Independence Of the United
States to send IN army or u
navy here or there, and to sarri-
fee even Q million lives, I would
he willing 10 do so-to sacrifice
my own and my sons"
The answer was made in an at
tempt TO make an intellectual and
moral position perfectly clear. l
hate war as much as Senator
Clark does. and have tried for 20
years 10 get this country to aban-
don its isolationist attitude and
use its immense power and re-
sponsibility for helping to MAN.
tain peace in this world.
PUT I am not among those who
- believe that war can he averted
by pacifism. or that war is the
worst possible thing that can be-
fall people, or that to die in
battle is the worst possible thing
that-csn- befall a human being
Personally, I would a great deal
rather die than see this country
become a Sub-Nazi Reich. or live
on the terms of the totalitarian
world. and l assume that there
are millions Of other Americans
who feel exactly as / do.
Evidently there are, because a
~ l.. = \