The Wilmington morning star., 1946-02-19
Fair Enough
Bv WESTBOOK PEGLER
Copyright, 1916, BY King Features Syndicate)

mittee whose program runs parallel in some
matters, to that of the Political Action Com
mittee Of the C1O, and communist organiza.
tons in our politics.
A number Of them have asked my opinion,
which is that this committee is less patriotic
than the American Legion and the Veterans
Of foreign Wars.
SGT. Bill Mauldin, the former CT cartoonist
whose work since his discharge has been
largely political and extreme left wing,
writes in the COMMITTEES bulletin his opinion
that the "old, well-established veterans organi-
cations are preaching doctrine Of strong
nationalism," to which he Objects
He believes some form Of world govern
ment' is necessary to prevent another war
and would organize the veterans to "influ-
ence public opinion and legislation on these
matters"
| The American communists advocate world
government and decry ''strong'' and narrow
nationalism in the United States but justify
such nationalism for Russia on the ground
that she has had to fight for her life against
capitalistic nations.
1t is my impression that the AVG. under
the leadership which has assumed direction,
would create political body of former serv-
ice men and women according to the pattern
OF Sidney Hillman's Political Action Commit
tee and for the same political detectives.
The chairman of the AVG. is Charles G.
Bolte, Dartmouth alumnus who fought as a
BRUSH soldier, lost a leg and thereafter was
military writer for the Office of War In
formation which, in New York at least was
BUSY hive of communism and refuge Of
alien communists. His biography also reports
mat ne has been writer on military affairs
for the nation, dull but logged butchers
paper weekly whose policies often are indis-
tlnguishable from those of the Daily Worker.
short history of the AVG. in its bulle-
tin OF February /, relates that Gilbert Harri-
son, who, in January 1943 personally founded
the committee, in February 1874 contacted"
Bolte to start periodical bulletin. Harrison
served As months in the Army after short
career in the Office Of Civilian Defense in
Washington.
''Bolte, with continuing instructions from
Harrison and others in the original group, set
up the organization along national civilian
lines" the history says.
The AVG. will have a national convention
in Des Moines next June.
Last May, when the preliminary meetings
OF the United Nations were held in San Fran
cisco, and notwithstanding the shortage of
transportation and hotel room not only Sid
ney Hillman and his followers showed up but
Bolte and other agents of the A. V. c. as well
Hlllman's group was not invited and had no
official status there and the AVG also seems
to have acted on its own initiative.
Among the roster of officials at present
there is. according to his biography in the
bulletin, another late member of the staff of
the Office OF War Information, Lewis c.
Frank, Jr., now employed by Hillman's ma
tional citizens P.A.C. as Public relations d.
rector There are also two members and
one official of the National Lawyers Guild,
whose first president Judge Ferdinand Pc
cora, OF the New York Supreme Court, and
number Of new deal lawyers in Washing
ton resigned because they found the COM
munist influence too strong.
There are two New Workers.. Author P Me-
Nulty, chairman of the Veterans Affairs Com
mittee of the guild, who served Is months as
captain in the AMG in Africa and Italy.
and Harry H. Fucker, formerly employed by
the N.RA.,a fascist experiment of the first
new deal consultant of the violent anti.
Nazi league of New York. and a prison lease
worker"
Grant Reynolds is an ex-president of the
Cleveland branch Of the National Association
for the Advancement Of the colored People
and is now on the New York Fair Employ
ment Practices Committee
Merle Miller was CT editor of Yank was
Washington reporter in civil life and at
tended the London School Of Economics where
Harold Laski, the British radical and secre-
tary OF Labor Party, now in power in Bri-
ta1H, Taught MS Philosophy In the guiSe OF
economics Lask is an old White House latch.
key confidante and an intimate friend of Felix
Frankfurter and the selfless White House
anonymity known as David K Niles.
Edward M. Chale, the executive secretary.
served four years in the army, emerging as
lieutenant, and became co-ordinator Of field
operations in the labor division of the WP.B
in Washington.
The A.V.C.'s political program advocates
the proposed minimum wage law, the Wag-
ner- Elender-Taft Housing bill, a permanent
National Fair Employment Practices Commits
sion, the socialized medicine bill and the anti.
poll-tax bill
1t also would recognize as service veterans
the civilian merchant marine sailors who serv
ed ftfully or faithfully, according to their in
dlvldual preferences, at high wages plus
bonuses and overtime pay The committee
damns the American Legion for refusing to
recognize them on the ground that they elect
ed to retain civilians for advantageous rea-
sons. Recognition of the merchant sailors as
service veterans would 1--WE them equal bene-
fits with service men whose pay was wretched
by comparison with theirs and served under
others while the civilian sailors could do as
they pleased, and, most important it would
open the way to full citizenship for many
alien communist civilian sailors.
QUOTATIONS
And nou +he MON has been contacted NV