Evening star., 1944-08-05

which the Dies Committee operates.
I've been convicted of receiving a
telephone call from the Political
Action Committee of the CIO.. The
intrepid investigator of the fearless
Dies Committee has got the goods
on me and has published his rev.
elations to the world. So l find
news stories appearing in the papers
to the effect that I am accused
Of" linked with" implicated in"
an offense against the peace and
dignity of the United States and
the statute made and provided, l,
namely, the Hatch Act.
The unhappy fact is that I seem
to be guilty. Checking the record
of office telephone calls reveals that
on December 81, 1943, one G. B.
(Beanie) Baldwin (see footnote)
telephoned me from the New York
office of the CIO. AS remember
the conversation, Beanie said he
was looking for newspaperman
who might want job and did I
know anybody? My part of the
conversation, again If I remember
correctly, consisting of SAYING, mo. "
Ut happened that the only news
paperman in Washington not work.
ing, then as now, was George
Dixon.)
Overlooked Possibility.
Well. there it Is. No matter how
hard you try to cover up your tracks
you are always apt to overlook some
little detail. I overlooked the pos
sibility OF the Dies Committee sub
poenaing the records of the tele-
phone company. And I'm paying
the penalty, the penalty being the
appearance of my name in news
papers all the way from Cape Cod
to the Golden Gate reporting the
charge, link, accusation and impli-
cation, Not only that but some of
the papers used my picture-the
lop-eared one.
I won't let it happen again.
Hereafter when long distance says
New York is calling I'm not going
to assume that it is Nicholas Murray
Butler or Eric Johnston or Wendell
Willkie. I'm going to ask questions,
the kind of questions the Dies
Committee asks.
who's calling. please?' I'll ask
the operator. rs he un-American,
please? What makes you think he
isn't, please? Has he ever been a
member of the League for Peace
and Democracy, please? Did he ever
go to Spain to fight for the Spanish
Republic, please? Has he ever
written book, please? Has he ever
read a book. please? If the United
States went to war with Soviet
Russia, on which side would be
fight, please? Why would he want
to know what the fight was about,
please' Does he believe in the
American way, please? Which
American way, please? Does he
think conditions in Russia are
better than conditions here. please?
Why doesn't he go back where he
came from, please?"
Might Rip Out Phone.
And, Nnally, when the operator
has obtained the answers to these
questions, I'm going to say that I'm
not in and that I don't know when
1 will be.
Of course, 1t might be simpler
Just to tear the phone out.
Footnote-The criminal record Of
c. B. (alias Beanie) Baldwin, prior
to his becoming assistant chairman
of the Political Action Committee,
appears In Who's Who in America
as follows:
Baldwin, Calvin Benham; b. Rad
ford, Virginia. Aug. 10, 1902: student
Va. Poly. Inst. l92O-23; m. Louise
Delp June 25, 1924. children, Calvin
Benham. Sally Worth. Shop insp.
N, 61 w. Ry., Roanoke, Va, 1923-25; !;
asst. to gen. foreman 1925:-28; mgr.
and owner Electric Sales & Service
Co. East Radford, 1928-33; asst. to