The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1945-08-08
Fair Enough

FQlT enough
Editors note.-The Star and the News
views of Mr.. Pegler, and often disagree
with them as much many Of his read
ers His articles serve the good purpose
| of making people Think
By WEsTBROOK PEGLER
(Copyright, 1945, by King Features Syndicatc)
NEW YORK, Aug 7.-Robert Patterson the
under-secretary of war, recently remarked
apropos the question OF communists holding
commissions in the American Army that all
he knew about the so-called Abraham Lin
coin Brigade in the Spanish Civil war was
that number of brave men had died tight
ing in its ranks. He did not know it was a
communist organization. The War Department
was stuck with a policy of pretending that
communists are not communists by the late
Roosevelt administration which had sailed
hundreds of them in the Washington civil bu-
reaucracy. Thus Mr.. Patterson and stenry
Stimson, the secretary, have to continue the
pretense of the Army.
Mr. Patterson is a well-nformed man who
once was judge of the United States Court
of Appeals, so we have to marvel that his
knowledge was limited.
For his further information I refer to
report of the Dies committee The title is
appendix, fdIL La, 0Oull1lQ111ol L 4OIC VI
CARNATIONS, First Section
The record says that Earl Browder boosted
with considerable pride that more than 60 per
cent Of the Lincoln battalion, which was alb
sorbed into the Abraham Lincoln brigade,
were members of the communist party.
John Gates, political conmissar and lieu
tenant colonel of the Abraham Lincoln
brigade. was previously secretary of the New
York State Young Communist league and
If fho State Commit q
of the Communist party the report says.
Joe ballet, commissar of the officers
training school for the brigade. was onetime
communist candidate for mayor of Youngs-
town, Ohio. communist candidate for Con-
gress and a communist party section organ
izer in that city. T. H. Wintringham, mill
tary expert for the Daily Worker, communist
newspaper, was military instructor for the in
ternational brigade (of which the Lincoln bat
alton was until and chief of operations.
Saul Wellman, political commissar of the
Abraham Lincoln brigade, a member of
the New York State Committee of the Young
Communist league. Steve Nelson, colonel of
the Abraham Lincoln brigade, was a member
of the National Committee of the Communist
Party.
THE command of the international brigades
fhere were severaD was entirely in the hands
of emigres brought in from Russia, including
General Emil Kleber Geal name Stern, in
charge of the eleventh; General Lukacz (real
name Mata Zalka), in charge Of the twelfth
General Kreiger, in charge of the thirteenth;
General Cole Dumont a French communist,
in charge of the fourteenth, and General
Vladimir Copic in charge of the fifteenth"
which was the number Of the Abraham Lin
coin brigade.
Recruiting tor the Abraham Lincoln
brigade in the United States was in the hands
of the functionaries of the communist party.
The records of the FBI contain considerable
data regarding passport frauds in connection
with the recruiting"
AS we'll as communists, hundreds Of young
non-communist American idealists were Sc
duced into the brigade to be butchered in a
war between two terroristic relationships.
Evidence before the committe indicates
that in many instances the lives of American
boys were ruthlessly sacrificed by communist
commlssarS in charge of the BRIGADE John
G. Honeycomb testified some never handled
rifle before they were sent to the front"
There are number of cases where Ameri-
can boys were victims of the most sadistic
cruelty on the part of their Red commissars.
Maxwell M. Wallach. a reputable Detroit at
torney, testified that his son, Albert, had been
executed because it was known that efforts
were being made to have him released
''Honeycomb testified that he wrote his
brigade commander requesting repatriation in
accordance with the terms of his enlistment
His letter was turned over to political Com
missar John Gates Vernon Selby, man who
had received training at West Point, had re-
ceived shrapnel wound and requested per-
mission to 90 to the base hospital. This was
granted. We will let Honeycomb describe his
experiences in his own words:
"'1 reported to headquarters in Barcelona
and was placed under arrest with Selby. We
were kept under arrest 10 days and returned
to the front under guard. We were kept in a
grove in the rain for two days and nights
under Spanish guard, improperly clothed, men
ill and wounded, denied water, fire, cover or
food and reduced to one ladle of lentil soup,
very watery with a little mule-meat flavor
and two pieces of bread. The most sadistic
pressure was brought to bear on those prison.
ers.'
"Honeycomb states that Selby was reported
executed in prison. Selby's mother testified
that she never heard of her son thereafter"
This is just summary. The record of the
testimony is crammed with detail Moreover,
when David Nick White died in New York
few days ago, his obituaries calmly report
ed that he had been machine gunner in
the Abraham Lincoln brigade and member