The Wilmington morning star., 1945-06-16
Nv WESTBROOK PEEL

OF making peOple tn1nk'
BY WESTBROOK PEGLER
CCopyright, 1915, by King Features Syndicated).
NEW YORK.-Mrs Eleanor Roosevelts
column on communists and the communist
lmoyene nt is to me the most interesting es-
say she ever wrote and an important po-
| litical event,
Mrs. Roosevelt has at last recognized the
fact that the American communists are out
to force communism on the United States
and acknowledges that recent actions of our
communists have increased the general fear
of communism as an international force. Rec
ognizing Russias right to live under COM
munism she tactfully suggests that Russia
proposes Identification Of situation that may
grow Until it endangers the peace OF the
world
THE sooner we clear up authoritatlvely this
whole situation of communists outside OF the
Soviet Union, she wrote, the better chance
we will have for peace in the future"
This is a good statement of the position
LOT all of us who opposed the American COM
rnunist movement throughout long time
when Mrs. Roosevelt appeared to sympathize
with them We have never suggested that
American missionaries should invade Russia
to conspire against the established govern
ment and the social and economic system in
force there. But we have constantly opposed
and exposed the persons and their works VINO
were so to speak, waging communism in the
United States. 1t would have been better if
Mrs Roosevelt had adopted this position long
ago and made herself clear because when
two individuals showed up by considered Sc
lection, in positions of dangerous power in
the original labor relations board, the rest of
us naturally thought the intention behind their
| appointment was to encourage them in their
mission to foment a violent class war among
us
Mrs. Roosevelts article was provoked by
the recent course Of the organized comnun-
| lists in the United States. Having suspended
their class-War program for the duration of
Rrssia's war with Germany, their New York
| paper printed a statement amounting to a
party decree, written by a French communist
| in France, which now terminated that phase
| of collaborati in our country and resumed
the class war
That is a betrayal of all Americans who
are away fighting Japan. The stated purpose
of that war is the violent overthrow Of our
government among others. Mrs. Roosevelt
does not acknowledge this fact in so many
words but we get the effect when she says,
1T frightens us to see any group in our
midst proposing to propag andize instead of
cooperating where possible and let people
think and act for themselves This might lead
to war at home and abroad
| I interpret Mrs. Roosevelt's whole article
to be a change Of demeanor if not of policy
on her part and from the quality of ner
piece, which is surprisingly superior to most
Of her copy, I take the liberty of hoping
that it was prepared after the most careful
consultation OF her political associates Not
casually would she write a warning to her
communist friends that the new line decreed
for American communists by French COM
munist, acting on whose orders we do not
know might lead to war at home and
Abroad
AS sincere suggestion, I would urge that
Mrs Roosevelt take an active part in expos
| ing and discrediting communists with whom
she is better acquainted than most of us and
in destroying their old pretense Of liberal
I is--l.'' She is an authority on communists and
1 communism in our country and, desiring to
avert that war, she should be glad to 90
further.
Too often lately, propagandists Of the new
deal group have lightly tossed at the anti
communism here they are deliberately and
wantonly trying to provoke war with Rus
STA. No believer in the American system
wants war with Russia because that war
would just about finish off civilization and
finally destroy the American form of govern.
ment
Soviet Russia could abolish this peril by a
flat reputation of Earl Browder and all the
rest of the American communists and their
fellow travellers. Then those who want to be
real friends OF Russia could seek that friend
ship without having to associate with people
whom they have long recognized as friends
of Russia but enemies of the United States.
That might be the "clarification' which Mrs
Roosevelt osesires to end situation that NAV
'endanger the peace of the world
| -V-