Detroit evening times., 1945-05-29
FAIR
ENOUGH
-ByWestbrook
PeeIes

"A n OCCASION, called NN
ional-Msfitime Day, was
celebrated last week. Joseph
Curran. the president of the Ma
tional Maritime Union of the
Go, which has followed the
Communist party line, was given
an opportunity to make propa-
ganda for his group.
Curran has gone To sea only
once during this war. That vow
age was peaceful vacation
cruise in fair weather and in
safe waters. He was eligible for
the draft but was excused on
the ground that his union was
performing necessary service
in manning the merchant ships.
government agency, the
L. s. Maritime Commission, was
paid 10 do this work.
\ 7 ONE time, the union tried
"A 10 dlsplace the naval gun
crews assigned 10 the cargo
Vessels Fer a long whiie, until
young American IandSmen en-
tered the merchant service in
large numbers. the union was
occupied With The embarrassing
business OF covering UP drunk
enness, ship-1ufnptng. draft.
dodglng, indiseipline and theft
and the systematic heckling of
enlisted naval sailors by hostile
merchant men OF the old school.
Throughout the alliance be-
tween Stain and Hitler which
ended in June, l941. Curran was
active in many demonstrations
of the Communist front. whose
purpose was 10 defeat conscrip-
ton and all other preparations
for probable war.
Since the attack on Russia,
however. and during that enslA
ING slX-month period when II
United States remained, in
manner OF speaking. neutral,
Curran and his union have been
eNtFe ly aggressive anti
kaSclStS and have bossted that
there have been no strikes
within their jurisdiction.
Curran was not always thus.
II 1888. the American League
i Against War and Fascism,
with which Curran vas aSsoci-
1tefEtSSued publication called
Fight. One essay said. in part:
Hey. there. big boy. Uncle
Sam wants you for the next
war He wants you to take $50
month. less payments for bonds
and thrift stamps, for doing this.
Saying, YES, sir, 10 bright boys
In officer. pink pants. Digging
In the ground like q half-witted
wOodchuck, shooting men like
yourselves across n line"
As time passed and the Com
munlSt line shifted, Curran
bobbed up in the American
Peace Mobilization. which pick
eted the W hite House with
placards damnlng Roosevelt as a
warmo onger and Wall Street
Stooge. but dissolved the day
after Hitler attacked Russia.
One OF their songs was Pillow
Under Every Fourth American
Boy and another ran:
Oh, Franklin Rooserslt told N,
propie hot0 ne felt.
We damn near bsliered What hs
sad.
He sad, II hat, uay' aud 80
does Eleanor.
But lce iron't he safe tiu every
body's dead.
A manifesto To IAN friends ~
peace and liberty" issued , z
April 5. l94l, and signed by Cd
ran, among others. declared
that:
This IL not a war 10 wipe out
the evils OF Hitlerism. IL IL q
war to line the pockets of tho
corporate interests at the ex-
pense OF the peoples Of the
world"
IN THE earlier phases OF the
L Communist penetration Of
the American merchant serv-
Ice, Communist propagandists
diligently schooled the sailors in
the mutlnies at Kiel and kron-
stadt, reminding them that the
revolutions against the czar and
kaiser were started by men OF
the sea and suggesting a like
course for American sailormen.
Russia was not a strong mari
time or naval nation, so the pro-
gram called for complete domi-
nation by the Communists OF
the American merchant vessels
and the establishment of Com
munist cells on the warships Of
the navy. Thus, Russia could
take them over. The proposal
that the loyal naval men serv-
Ing the anti-submarine guns on
the merchant vessels. under
oath, be relieved and that the
guns and ammunition he turned
over 10 union sailors followed in
due course.
In the early days OF American
participation. the naval gun
crews repeatedly and bitterly