The Wilmington morning star., 1943-09-07
BY WESTBROOK PEGLER

NEW YORk.-Inls is gong to be quick
and snappy salute to the communists Of the
maritime union who have been patroling the
World Telegram plant, because, later on in
the piece, l have 20 poke my napkin into
my neckband and eat some crow. Not plat
ter of crow but just a wing, but anyway
crow because l made a one-base error the
other day.
This tribute to the commies, who control
one of our most dangerous unions and want
to take and actually possess and rule
all our merchant vessels now afloat building
and to be built, was written by bluejacket
of the U. S. Navy who served with some of
them in the armed guard, the service that
mans the guns of the cargo ships. l am
eliminating few points which might be used
to identify him because our national govern
ment thinks very well of this communist
party-lne organization, as it very well should,
being responsible for its rise, and might pun
ISL the bluejacket.
My first trip merchant ship was in
-, 1922 says he. 1T in the winter,
no time for pleasure cruising in the North
Atlantic and the season when the submarines
were at their worst the Murmansk run.
We went to Russia Most of the seamen were
old and very nice to US Others were not.
They always talked about port bonuses and
the pay they were getting All they seemed
to be concerned about was themselves and
not their ship. The captain aboard ship had
nothing TO say. The union delegate does all
the talking for the seamen. My next trip
was in, l943 to South Africa. We had
lot of merchantmen on this tip. They were
always in hot water arguing about h e r
work and living conditions. One of the mer
chantmen told member of gun crew
that whatever he said goes. Most of the gun
crew were young boys and on their first trip
One night we told by this merchant
marine to get out of the mess hall. The mess
hall was given to us by the captain, but the
merchant marine said they had given us the
mess hall and the bedding we were using
and if they said to get out, we were sup
posed to. They also stated that they were
paying for our meals aboard ship, too.
This particular merchant marine had been
taken off other ships for displaying the same
attitude toward other Navy gun crew person
mel l told him any time he mad any com
plants or orders to give to my gun crew he
would have to see my gunnery officer He
was eventually taken off my ship because of
his actions"
That illustrates one line of conduct by the
communists. They have two lines, however.
The other is determination, lndoctrlnauon and
PROSECUTING. Instead of sneerlng at the plue-
Jackets patriotism and comparatively | w
pay, they sympath ize with them and tell them
that if "Iabor' meaning communists, ran
the country they would do much better. They
give them extra food out of t crews mess
with the unions compliments and invite them
to communist meetings held in the guise of
union councils and importune them to sign
petitions to President Roosevelt to resclnd
the deportation order against Harry Bridges,
the alien communist boss of the docks on
the Pacific Coast who is now trying to muscle
into the East Coast. This, although men In
the armed forces are forbidden to petition
| their superior officers.
And now, waiter, the
I just got letter from Sgt. K. Chester,
who used to work a photographer for
Time and he says the picture of me that
Time opposite the picture of second-fr"nt
Joe Curran, the vicarous commando a n
summer time sailor who runs the union, was
not of the batch that Times brother,
Life, took of me some years go when Life
ordered complementary stories from Haywood
Broun and me, for 81, 900 each and then re-
neged on the deal And am afraid the boy
is right. What threw me was the outline
about Pegler on the lake because lot of
that batch were taken at the lake on my
place at Pound Ridge. Fl YER some time
ago they did run one out of that batch Oh
tanned a part of the deal for the story
and otherwise my essay on the t. cident stands
i l make this correction out of no specia1
consideration for Henry Luce and the Time
Life outfit but in my own interest. IT isn't
pleasant but it makes a fellow feel he++a
-V-
If Italy is knocked completely out of tho u,,
and her army surrendered, the enemy viii
still have more combat divisions in -
than will the Allies H"'ope
War Mobilization Director James Bvrneu