Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1944-04-24
FAIR
ENOUGH
BY Westbrook
Pegler

PegIer
A AN example Of propaganda
"A disguised as impartial and
objective biography, let me call
your attention TO a profile OF
J. B. Matthews, the back-slid
bolo who is the Dies commit
tees expert on communism and
fellow-travelers and organiza-
tons of the outwardly innocent
and pretentiously progressive
type which the Communists
themselves call transition
belts"
This article is published in
the current issue of the New
Yorker, which long ago pio-
The real effect of the article
on the uniformed reader how
ever. is 10 diScredit the Dies
committees disclosures of Com
munist activity and the tech
nique is that OF the continental
propagandiSts of both the Com
muniSt and Fascist or Nazi
schools.
THEY describe Matthews as
Il one who has engaged in lib
eral activities Of the kind now
described by the FBI AS prema-
turely anti-FaScist but who
enjoys A special, almost unique
immunity from persecution" by
the Dies committee.
Now that would incline the
unSuSpecting reader, with COM
plote confidence in the New
Workers. honesty. to believe
mat Matthews and the erst-
while comrades and fellow trav-
elerS whom he finally denounced
were no worse than liberals and
pioneer anti-FaScists, but the
fact IS that Matthews was
Communist conSpirator against
this country'S government and
knew them all.
You get here an inSinuation
that the other persons and
organizations exposed by HIM
were prosecuted, as though they
should have been immune from
investigation Just because. be-
ing Communists and fellow
travellers, they naturally were
opposed 10 faSciSm which orig
Inally in Italy, was provoked
by the atrocities OF the Com
munlStS
Matthew'S was immune be-
cause he confessed.
lie left nothing for inyesti-
cation.
TIE Communist line these
Il days makes big capital OF
the fact that because they are
anii-FascISt, all Communists
and fc11oW-traNelerS among us
are Just the same as loyal
Americans who are AZ war with
faSclsm because faSciSm de-
-claLed l4a-nia-lh a- ! -fliiii .44- States
The Communists. with this
advantage are able 10 continue
their work while the FasciSts
and their W-trayelers. are
by the reckoning Of JoSephson.
Maloncy and the New Yorker.
prosecuted
"By Matthews definitions
the author writes, the Com
munist party's united front
moXement- include every ergari-
Zation whose members have ever
deplored Hitler or condoned
Roosevelt, and there goes the
needle again You get the sug-
geStion. that, IN reverse, any one
who deploreS certain policies.
works and methods of President
Roosevelt. is a Fascist who con-
doneS Hitler. This would in
clude all members OF the Repub-
liCan party and many men and
women in the armed forces who
are lighting Hitler
CHIRLt.Y TEMPLE was in
- Guided among the free-lance
ConSplratorS Of the Communist
front exposed by Matthews and
the Dies committee. If YOU be-
heve JoSephSon and Maloney.
You might believe them II YOU
didn't happen TO remember the
truth Of the incident, which was
merely that ShirleyS name wax
inadvertently lent 10 Com
munlSt occasion and that the
purpose Of this revelation was
10 show how the Communists
were able 10 obtain the use Of
the names Of decent Americans
20 dress their demonstrations.
The Communists and fellow
travellers of the Washington
press corps made great sport OF
this incident at the time, how
ever distorting the truth 10 de-
p9L~~the Dies committee in a
great lathor or fear lest the
country be destroyed by a little
girl who was the darling of the
American people.
But such scotching of such
propaganda i'm detail is like try
ing 10 keep weeds out of gar
den by hand. There is A power
ful wholesale weed killer within
the covers of "A book called L
Confess bV Rppiar,,ip CitloNy