Evening star., 1947-08-04
Smith Booed, But Fails to Stir
500 Listeners to Violence
America Firster
Heavily Guarded
In Monument Talk
By George Kennedy

=. By George Kennedy
Despite provocative speech last
night in the Sylvan theater on the
Washington Monument grounds by
Gerald L. K. Smith, of Detroit, who
comes right out ON the public plat
form with things he says most people
say in private, there was no riot,
violence, nose punching, or hair
pulling.
The 1914 America First candidate
for the presidency was given stall
wart police protection which turned
out to be unnecessary. About 500
persons were scattered on the slop-
ing lawn. There was a middle-aged
group of dour men whose compan-
ions were remarkably like Grant
Woods libels on American woman
hood. And there was a group of
young people who have come to
Washington in the Government
service in recent years from New
York, Boston, Philadelphia and
other cities, reclining comfortably
on the grass.
Texan Is Booed.
The chairman was Don Lohbeck
Of st. Louis, editor of the Cross and
the Flag and one Of the young men
who tackled 'Murderers, Inc" and
other signs on the trees of the Soviet
Embassy Thursday to call attention
to the meeting. The Rev. Jonathan
Perkins of Los Angeles, Calf. gave
the prayer. Mr.. Lohbeck then intro
duced the Rev. J. Boyd Davis of
Beaufort, Texas, as cowboy
by avocation." He was q tall young
man in bright blue suit who
brought greetings from former Rep
resentative Martin Dies. This
brought some boos from a group of
young people who turned out to be
the most vociferous and, by COIN
cidence, were seated on the left.
The camp meeting atmosphere
was increased when Mr.. Davis pro-
duced Bible and laughingly re-
ferred to himself as a preacher. He
said, referring to the principal
speaker, that mo man has ever
stood for the right who was not
hated; no one ever fought for the
blood stained banner of Prince
Emmanuel, who was not hated" He
said, IF you get men to put Christ
first in their lives you'll never have
any opposition to a meeting like
this" He ended by pointing to the
550-foot shaft in front of him and
declaring that due to Mr. Smith
the red rag of Communism would
never fly from the Washington
Monument" This was greeted by
enthusiastic applause from the
right.
Others Introduced.
Ellis Jones, resident of Washing
ton since the abortive sedition trial
In which he was a defendant, was
introduced, also Kurt Mertig as
"a man who has had the courage to
defend q prosecuted minority, the
German Americans" Maximilian
st. George of Chicago was intro
duced as former president of the
Catholic Lawyers Guild. w. Henry
MacFarland jr., editor of the mag
azine National Progress" which
is published in Philadelphia, said
the East has ben behind in nation
alisn but will soon catch up.
Kenneth Gof of Denver, Colo,
diminutive light-haired man, was
next. Mr. Golf is director of Christ
ian Youth for America. He is for
n1er Communist. Mr.. Golf told how
he had been seduced into Commu-
nism by university professors while
on Federal Emergency Relief ad-
ministration project at Madison,
Wis. He was given the name John
Keats. and sent-among other mis-
sions-out Ito break up the meetings
of Gerald l.. K. Smith," He told of
his reconversion.
Stopped in Anti Hitler Talk.
II was on a soap box one day
talking against Hitler and the
Fascists," he said, land a party
man tapped me on the shoulder.
'Comrade Keats" he said, you can't
talk like that any more. We're in a
temporary partnership with Hitler
Il seen the light. I said to myself,
I'm nothing but pulpit mean a
puppet."
The meeting was scheduled for
7:30. 1t was 8 when Mr.. Smith ar
rived and was introduced.
II am sure" he said, that we
all have been inspired by this array
of nationalist leaders"
Despite the adjournment of Con-
gress and the makeup of the audi
ence. Mr.. Smith kept referring to
his hearers as you politicians" He
said, Il propose to talk about things
tonight that congressman talk about
only in the cloakrooms."
He mentioned the Morgenthau
plan to grind down 100000 900
people who we're no more respons-
ible for Hitler than I am for Roose-
velt."
Assails David Niles.
This brought boos from the left.
He called David Niles, White House
secretary, "a man of festered mind
and no SOUL He said a principal
part of his program was that the
atom bomb should be taken from
David Lllenthal and returned to the
Army.
Il have been called anti-Semitic,"
he said and protested he had been
taught at his mothers knee not to
differentiate among men for race,
creed or color.
He said it was all right to call
an Irishman Irish and Dutchman
Dutch and then addressing himself
to the group of young people who
had been most vociferous in booing,
he said:
Jews, you've got to quit being so
touchy.'
Cites Pope's Exposed Position.
He said that nearly half "of my
5000 600 followers" were Catholics
land Hn