Detroit evening times., 1945-06-12
FAIR
ENOUGH
BY Westbrook
PegIer

OANE Ol puI IIlOSN tUlnusi-
"A astic Red-baiters. i have
come 10 the conclusion that the
only way to deal with the Conn
muniSts and their fellow-travel-
erS in our country is 10 treat
them Just as we have treated
Is our relatively few Nazis, which
is TO say, rough.
We ought TO spot them. shun
them, discriminate against them
in every possible way and drive
them out of every job that they
now hold in the public service
and in the unions.
The arrest of five men. includ-
ing a reserve lieutenant of the
navy, and a woman, on charges
of stealing. possessing and trans
mitting secret information from
the files of the state and navy
departments, strongly indicates
that the attitude of the national
government has changed since -
President Truman was sworn in.
on the basis OF past perform
anceS. II seems 10 me probable
that these people would not have
been arrested under the old
policy.
The record recalls that Presi-
dent osevelt turned Earl
Browder out of prison where he
was serving a term imposed
under our laws with the explana-
ton that this was done to pro-
mote unity.
TT WILL he remembered, also,
Il that An order for deportation
against Browder'S wife was cir
cumvented by orders from the
White House last year and that
she was then permitted 10 step
over the border into Canada and
re-enter the United States.
And the Communists were ia
yored again when the army and
navy both had TO abandon theiq1
practice of investigating appliS
cants for appointive commits.
SlonS in the services and dissi-
pate their files on suspected in
| dividualS.
No Communist can he loyal
10 the United States because his
political faith commits him 10
the overthrow Of our govern
ment BY lnSurreCuon and violent
revolution
IN BROWDER' & case il was
i suggested that the pardon
was gesture Of friendship 70
Soviet Russia.
But this was pretty harsh
thing TO say about Russia be-
cause II was based on the as
sumption that ne was Russias
SubverSIVe agent here
Both Browder and Russia
denied tins and he has lately
been repudiated by the inter-
national Communist organlZa-
tion and his own group in New
! York.
on two occasions lately. I
have discussed the editorial
policy Of Golfers weekly maga-
zine which permits that old
American publication 10 run as
pure reading matters articles nv
! individuals who have long been
associated with Communists,
without calling the readers at
tention 10 their records.
Then. on the same day that
the arrests were made in the
case Of the stolen documents,
/ Golfers came out with story
by a naturallzed native Of Man
churia. calling himself Gayn.
which is an alias, who is one OK
the accused
The piece was called Terror
IN Japan and an Introductory
heading said. Here, from ofi-
cial sources. IS A detailed report
Of what happened when, for ~
days last spring. Japan got
furious foretaste Of disaster"
THE standard justification of
Il such editorial policy is
familiar 10 all OF us who have
participated in the interesting
work OF batting Reds during the
- last 10 years.
II is that free press has an
obligation 10 present all sides OF
all important questions.
That is good American reason
ing. but let me ask whether
those who invoke IL in defense
of the publication Of the work OF
pro-ConrnuniSt would be equally
tolerant If some American maga-
zine should publish pro-NaZi
material by the American
traitor. Robert Best. but without
identifying him AS Nazi?
ITHINK any one who Joined or
i associated with members of
Fritz Kuhns German Nazi bund
deserves TO be summed. sus-
pected and barred from all po-
sitionS in our government and IN
the unions
And because their philosophy
and methods have been the
same as those Of the NaZis. |
maintain that We should SINH
larly make total outcaSts OF all
Communists and all who aSSo-
Ciate with them.
That list would include Henry
Wallace and | insist that he
would deserve his treatment be-
cause his desire for friendly un-