Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-08-04
MIR. Fadiman
Gives Some
Information
Radio Pundit Receives
'Despised Capital
BY WESTBROOK PEGLER

BY WESTBROOK PEGLER
WELL, we'll here we are
w again and here is our smart
friend who knows all the an
swers, and / am sure we are all
very glad 10 have him with US
again. so / want you all TO give
great big hand 10 our old
friend-Mr. Clifton Fadiman.
Now, Mr.. Fadiman, a little in
formation please?
The first question, Mr.. Fadi-
man, will be who wrote in the
New Masses. the Communist
propaganda weekly, in Septem-
Der. 1881:
"My particular turn Ia the
left waSa simple matter. His
tory, msjHly I'm the form OF the
crisis. became my teacher. while
was. still young enough TO
learn"
Come. come. Mr. Fadimah.
surely you are not going 10 let
that one stump you. / will give
YOU a little clue. The man who
wrote that was very. very
smart, young, intellectual book
reviewer for very, very smart
New York weekly.
Think hard. Mr.. Fadiman.
Concentrate. Maybe you would
like another clue.
In the same essay. or profess
sion OF political faith, the same
ultra-Smart book reviewer wrote
further:
Another thing; for many
years my work has been mainly
In the field Of business. You
can accept business (another
word for AMERICA; you can he
cynical about IL (ciyilized In the
New Yorker manner; or you
can take a good look at IL. Tn
less YOU are big shot In busi-
ness and even then, frequently,
accepting business or being
cynical about II, makes YOU a
damned fool. got tired OF be-
iHg damned fooi.
M NOW. Mr.. Fadiman. YOU
~ surely are not going 10 let
us down on this question. | gave
You quite q clue in mentioning
the New Yorker.
But ] will give YOU another.
This declaration Of political
faith was published in a syrnpo-
SUM entitled How / Came 10
COMMUNISM" and the ultra.
smart young literary critic COM
planned that this title tricked
and misrcpresented him. al
though further on in the same
explanation Of his turn 10 the
left he said. "as | am temporal
mentally lndiSpoSed toward the
black shirt. there was only one
other point Of view possible,
In a Communist publication,
no said. the only alternative 10
the black shirt. or fascism, was,
well. the left
AZ any rate. he didn't como
out for American repuhlicanism
or American democracy as an
other possible pQlnt Of view.
| think there is a clue 10 what
he meant by my turn 10 the
left in the fact that his state
mont was printed as a contribu-
ton by this Communist paper.
TIIINK sharp. Mr.. Fadiman. A
little Information please,
Mr. Fadiman
Perhaps. this will help you.
Some years later the very, very
smart left-wing literary critic
who so wittily exposed cheapness
and trashy inSincerity in litera.
ture, suddenly came on in the
/ whole OF business.
/ don't want 10 give the an
swcr away by saying too much.
bat | can say that he got on the
air as an amazingly smart au-
thoriiy on many things.
He worked on program which
plugged such an article Of COM
merce as a ginger ale and then
he worked for another sponsor,
a brand of cigarets manufac-
I tured by a great business cor
/ poration.
He began 10 make as much
, as 81 900 a week. He now says
( that the declaration in the Com
munist publication no longer
represents his views.
Doesn't that tip YOU of, Mr..
I Fadiman?
Well maybe some more
quotes viii help you We want
YOU 10 have a fair chance.
THE present left turn ~ any
one person or any small group
/ IL ~ minor Importance and
should not he exaggerated. The
/ American class struggle. ~
seems fairly clear. has still to
produce and inevitably will pro-
duce its intellectual leaders,"
Doesn't that assumption that
there was class struggle In
/ the United States recall any
thing to you. Mr.. Fadiman?
All. Is that gfeam of recogni-
"a ton in your deep, intellec-
tual eyes. Mr.. F'adiman?
What's that? Yes. yes. 10 he
sure. You wrote II yourself, Mr..
Fadiman. II was you who wrote
that for the New Masses before