The Wilmington morning star., 1945-02-15

| d.
serve the good purpose of making people
| Think
BY WESTBROOK PEGLER
| Copyright, 1945, by King Features Syndicate.)
Like Mrs Roosevelt, 1 sometimes take &C.
cason to roll log for friend who has
dashed off book of living human document.
as the left-wing reviews say.
This, them is plug for a gloating play
by-play report of the Communists manipula-
ton of the confusion and fears, the patriotism
and doubts of the loyal native American peo-
pie in the presidential and congressional cam
paigns preceding our recent solemn referen-
dunn. 1t is the story of the Political Action
Committee, entitled The First Round.
word, first about the author.
His name is given as Joseph Gaer and his
portrait on the back flap is reminiscent of
the early photographs of Leon Trotsky. The
biographical data says he was born in Bes-
sarabia, then part of Russia, in 1897, which
would make him 48 years old today and
came to Canada in 1918, the year before the
best manhood of Canada went off to Europe
! to die by thousands in against the ty.
ranny of the Kaiser.
Although he was then, like Sidney Hillman,
David Dubinsky and many other immigrants
| from Russia, a refugee from oppression and
terror it appears from his biography that,
| like these others he formed in the land of
promise preoccnpations which made it lmpos-
sible for him to Join the impetuous Canadian
heroes in the defense of the land in which
he found pleasant and secure asylum.
| While the Pats, the Canadian Black Watch
and the heroic 9th battalion, largely COM
posed of American volunteers, were fighting
in France, Mr.. Gaer was improving his mind
in Canadian schools. He II years old
when the broke out, the same age as
many Canadians who went off at once and
20 years old when, in 1917, he honored the
United States with his immigration. This may
be remembered as the year when the United
States, too, joined the war so, here, again, in
the second country OF his adoption in three
years. Mr. Gaer was confronted with an OPP
portunity if not a temptation to make the world
safe for democracy.
We find in his biography, however, no men
ton of any military service with either the
Canadians or the Americans. We learn that
he studied medicine and that ever since, his
activities have been "astonishingly varied"
He has written on Biblical folklore and COM
parative religion, on consumer problems,'
favorite topic of Communist propaganda and
social and farm security. He has been, in
turn, editor and chief field supervisor Of the
New Dea-Conmunist Federal Writer'S prof.
ect consultant to the Farm Security admin
stration, special assistant to the Secretary OF
the Treasury and consulting expert in edu-
cation to the War Finance division Of the
Treasury department.
Altogether Mr. Gaer has given generously
of himself to change the constitutional gov
eminent of the United States according to his
IBessaraban predictions By what door or
hole he entered the Roosevelt bureaucracy we
are not privileged to know, but the Dies COM
mittee has told us that it was very hospitable
to sedentary and vocal but non-physcal fight
ers against Fascism of whom Mr.. Gaer is one
OF the most aggressive.
His book, which costs $3.50, is remark
ably confiding record of the exact plan of
operation and propaganda by which the PAC-
Communist campaign was run. So, at the
cost of sluicing a few honest American dollars
into his royalties, l commend it to patriotic
study groups in preparation for the future.
The author, of course, does not take us
entirely into his confidence as to the inner
conspiracy. But, such is the contempt of the
continental ideologist for the naive intelligence
Of the average American voter, that Gaer
does not hesitate to tell how the simple
tves were gassed with canned speeches and
arguments agreeable to Earl Browder, IN
structed in the knack of public speaking and
organized into gigantic battalion OF ooobs
to work. day and night, for the abolition OF
their own liberties. He gives, verbatim, sam.
Piles of corny little radio blurts OF 20, 80 and
As seconds and specimen five-minute dra-
matte propaganda skirt, all couched in terms
applicable to the creduous native American
political mentality.
To refer now to Mr. Gaers past activity
as ''consultant'' to the Farm Security admin
istration, we begin to trace the conspiracy
through the Roosevelt government even at
time when Roosevelt was denying any con-
Injection with the PAC.
Noting first that Gaer never worked as
farmer at any other arduous physical TOLL
we then observe that this bureau Yields great
economic power over the individual American
small farmer through financial aid. His chief
at the FSA was the national director c. B.
Baldwin, who went over to the PAC as Sid
ney Hillman's chief assistant when the Com
munist campaign OF 1914 began.
From the PAC, Baldwin and his associates
made many telephone calls to Mrs. Roosevelt
and David K Niles, born Nyhaus, at the White
House, to the Departments of Agriculture and
Justice and to rural offices OF the Farm Sc
curity administration where BalWins old and
beholden subordnates were still IN charge
In some rural Alabama districts the FSA
paid the poll taxes Of delinquent voters IN
violation of state laws of Alabama Intended
to prevent the purchase of votes and IN la
grant violation of the federal laws concerning
the use of public money for the corruption
of the ballot.
Among those Congressman VINO were peat
en- by the PAC under Baldwin and the hlghly
intellectual Bessarabian, late OF the FSA, was
Joe Starnes, of Alabama, member OF tne
Dies committee. Unlike Gaer and, for that
matter unlike Henry Wallace himself ana