Detroit evening times., 1945-07-28

usually appear in this column,
is on vacation, and UIif resume
Writing about Aug, J..
T1E mere fact that few
Il eminent bureau Gratis,
I through perverSity and for rea-
sons of policy, defend the COM
mlSSioning of Communists in
various branches of the armed
forces by denying that they are
Communists should not abate
the efforts OF more fortnight
men in Congress TO tag these
consplratorS. make them no
toriouS among their fellow
Servicemen and n eutralize
traitorous activities.
The war department changed
policy while President Roose-
Welt was still alive and his wife
was welding an influence which
now fortunately, seems to be
waning
Had Mr.. Truman been presi-
dent at the time that the army
yielded to political pressure
and abandoned its old prudent
attitude toward declared and
demonstrated enemies of the
American form Of government.
this change would not have
been made.
MR.. TRUMAN, within three
WI months. has shown his
preference for loyal Americans
and his adherence of furtive
SchemerS who Knocked every
precept Of Americanism.
The decision 10 the contrary
was a policy dictated from with
out and above the service and
Henry Stimson and Robert Pat
terSon, his underSecretary,
nowadays are saving face in
quibbling over tests of dis
loyalty.
Mr.. Patterson spoke in the
tongue of guardhouSe lawyer
arguing the ancient issue or
how drunk is drunk when he
said the other day that all he
knew about the So-called Abra-
ham Lincoln brigade, of the
Spanish Communist revolution
airy war. was that some in this
brigade fought and died on the
field of battle.
If that is all he knows about
the Abraham Lincoln brigade
he ought TO resign and. failing
that. Mr.. Truman ought to fire
him for dangerous stupidity.
THE dishonesty of the test by
Il which the army has discoV-
cred loyalty in disloyal men IS
too fragrant to be overlooked.
whatever one may think OF the
Importance of the issue under
discussion.
The war department state
ment on the commissioning or
Communists accepted as proof
of LOYALTY TO the United States
the mere fact that individuals
served in the American uniform
during a time when Stain was
at war with Hitler, when every
Communist had political duty
TO Moscow 10 fight Hitler wher-
ever he could.
Although the partys political
line in the United States has
since changed from one of do
nestle unity makeShift
adopted for duration solely in
the interests of Russia. and now
calls for a resumption of strikes,
already observed, riots and the
class war. It apparently is not
yet time for the CommuniStS.ln
our army 10 take hostile action
against the United States.
THE only safe assumptions is
Il that any one who ever was
Communist thereby COM
mitted himself 10 a lifelong role
of treaChery and will betray this
nation 10 the extent of his abil-
ity and influence and TO the ex-
tent that our war and navy
departments trust him.
The same people who decry
discrimination against covert
Communists raised no protest in
behalf Of Charles Lindbergh but.
on the contrary, damned him
because he said the Germans
had great air force and the
Russians a bad one. which was
Just what our general staff
thought. too.
And they burned Ham Fish
al the stake because ne was ac-
cuSed of traffic with Americans
who rather like nazism as an
alternative to the Russian ver-
sion OF the same terror.
Why is 1t necessary TO COM
mission men who in the past
gave proof of their diSloyalty?
How many wholly loyal young
men who could do the work as
we'll are still PICS, corporals
and Sergeants after service OF
from two 10 five years?
IT WILL be noted, incident
ally, that the suspect persons,
whose loyalty would need no de-
fenSive propaganda had they
not given reason for doubt. are
partial 10 the noncombatant.
political and conSpiratorial
branches of the service.
They gravitate 10 the edito-
rial staffS OF the service publi-
GATORS, 10 detached duty with
the owl where the work is safe
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