The guardian. [volume] (Boston, Mass.) 1901-1960, 1943-06-26
THE RIOTINC

During the past few weeks violent disorders among
civilians have occurred in widely scattered sections of the
country. All the disturbances have been racial attacks
upon Mexcans and colored Americans and have spread
from coast to coast in of riotng To many per-
sons appears significant that the outbreaks have usually
occurred in camps where coored soldiers are sta
toned or in those communities engaged extensively in war
production. In warning telegram to President Roose-
welt group of nationally prominent citizens this week
called for an investigation by the Department of Justice
into the promotion of the conflicts Tne telegram read:
All signs point to carefully organized subversive ac-
tvy in developing racial conflict in war industry ceners
Mobile Beaumont and Detroit be only the start of
disastrous conflicts throughout the country that will dis
rupt war production and severely depress morale of the
American people. We call upon you as Commander-n-
Chief of the nation to make immediate appeal to Amer
lean people by radio and warning against dangers
of trends and calling for unity on the home front
as well as in battle We call upon the Department
OF Justice to investigate the of these disorders and
subversive activity is discovered to deal with the lead
ers as effectively with other agents of the Axis powers
The message bore the signatures Lester B. Granger
Executive Secretary of the National Urban Lague DR..
Charming H. Tobias, National Council of the Y NJ c. A.;
Edwin R. Embree, President, Julius RosenWald Fund;
Willard S. Townsend, International President United
Transport Service Employees of America; Dr. John W.
Davis President West Virginia State College, Dr. Charles
S. Johnson Department of Sociology Fisk University Dr.
Raymond B. Fosdick President, Rockefeller Foundation;
John Sengstacke President Newspaper Publishers Asso
citation; John Green President International Union of
Marine and Shpbuilding Workers of America; R. J.
Thomas, President United Automobile Workers of Am
erica Mrs. Mary Mcleod Bethune, President, National
Council of Colored Women; and Bishop Francis j. Nc
Cornell.
Many other enlightened citizens are convinced that
Axis influence is active in promoting the racial upheavas
although the FIJI after investigation finds no basis for
accepting that view. We constantly warned against
the possible activities of Axis agents and Axis sympathiz
ers they operating here and escaping detection it
Is because detective agencies match for Naz
cunning.
Everybody knows that the technique of riot nctng is
quite simple. Mobs be quickly collected in a South
ern community to shoot hang somebody it does
not like. Every murderer in the mobs may be recog-
nzed; there is need to hide for nobody will be pun
ished To remain hidden where murder and riot ncite
ment crimes punishable by law requires the kind of
skill which Hitler must possess in order to do the
advance work Hitler wants done any country he seeks
to weaken and conquer Any chance happening such as
the alteration between the white and coored men on the
Belle Isle bridge at Detroit exactly the start to be
pulaed and developed by the trained inciter of rotng
Remember that Hitler calls us towards because we
are bombing Germany when out of reach of Naz
bombers He not wreck industries by bombs
therefore he does the next best thing by dsrupng morale
and war production by the promotion of roting.