Detroit evening times., 1945-08-25
WESTBROOK
PEGLER
Fair
Enough

compared Hitlerism with StalinS
ism, though in more delicate
terms. and found them equal.
zone thing we must aim at
resolutely and that Is to prevent
the substitution Of one form Of
totalifarianism for another" he
said early in the address.
And later, discussing Bull.
garia, Romania and Hungary.
he said:
THE impression we get from
recent developments IL that ono
kind of totaIitarianism Is being
replaced by another"
For years. in the United
States. this has been the -epiH-
ion of those Americans who re-
sisted the Communist influence
in our politics ~and even in the
ma on a ! government under
Franklin -. Roosevelt.
The similarity is apparent to
every honest mind. yet from
1888 onward and more agrees
sively since 1871 when Hitler
attacked Russia. our Conmu-
nists and those who lost conf
dence in American capitalism
during the long panic, attacked
the faith of Americans in their
form OF government with false
representations.
The Russians have never had
any experience under freedom
and. 10 them, the dictatorship
of small group of strong men
ruling by force and terror but
\ benignly as long as they obey,
probably does represent COM
plete liberty
FRIENDSHIP for the Russian
i people, OF sentimental kind
based on good will and gener-
|. osity rather than acquaintance,
which has been lacking. did not
require us 10 adopt any phase
of their totalitarian system. =
For reciprocity, had that bee
so, We. might as we'll have re-
quired them 10 adopt free elec.
tons under the 'two-party sys-
tom, capitalism and freedom OF
religion and The press. :.
The Americans. howev
made no such conditions
We were tolerant enough 10
grant them the right 10 live on
under dictatorship or over
throw II If they could and that
was their desire
Always howeNer. the RFepa-
ganda persisted that whoever IN
the United STATES opposed COM
'munism. exposed the penetra-
tion OF Communists and their
SympathlLcrs in the Roosevelt
part s,sad-tite I%scsevef, g0vcrr-
ment and hammered away at
the fundamental likeness Of the
German and Russian systems,
was A NaN or a Fascist and an
enemy Of labor and progress
Bevin referred 10 tins: also,
when he said there IS a ten
dency to extend those names 10
groups Of people and parties
who are neither Nazi nor Fascist
but who simply want 10 be rep
resented and are diSliked bytthe
majority parties who see the
possibility Of winning power and
would like 10 deny those parties
the opportunity 10 express their
views. in The election.
LIE WAS speaking of condi-
H tons al home but he might
have been referring 10 the cam
palgn repaTtce of the CIO and
some elements of the American
Federation Of Labor in our own
election Of last fall.
In that contest in some areas
OF New York, populated largely
by immigrants still unaSSmI.
lated though naturalized and
thus able 10 vote. a citizen wear
ing a Dewey campaign butto(
could eNpect.'o be heckled If no
attacked IN the streets.
There HaS an indication Of
that version Of democracy" a
very much overworked word
as Bevin said which so many
political unioreers Of the CIO
were fighting 10 impose on the
native American
One tragedy OF the last elec-
ton was not matter Of per-
sonalltieS but the fact that the
American people, under the
spell OF the most powerful
propaganda ever exerted in this
country and in fear Of losing
tho war by changing presidents,
indicated TO the peoples of Eu-
rope that they, too. had lost
faith in the capitalism which
had made their country the
greatest. nation on earth and
our living standard the highest.
The Europeans looked 10 or
verdict and, not. knowing how
II was wrought, believed hat
we had deliberately gone left"
towardrcommunism.
The truth is that the major
! ity who elected Roosevelt had
been told that communism was
not A tOtalitarian form but
democracy and believed il and
were worried by a subtle fear
that We must accept diluted
communism here or fight the
real thing in a war.
! lust after the British cleo
" ton A news picture showed
Clement Attlee surrounded by
his. followers giving the Com
munist salute OF the clenched
fist A few days later, Harold