The Wilmington morning star., 1947-03-25
LEGION ASKS BAN
ON COMMUNISTS
Continued From Page OMe)

OAASJ
tee, and Vice Chairman James F.
|O'Neil of Manchester, N. H.
Both praised President Tru-
mans week : end order to purge
the government of subversives,
and Rep. Frank L. Chelf, D.. KY,
moved to strengthen t h e Presi-
dents hand with a bill calling for
deportation of any federal worker
dismissed under the order.
Green and O'Neil also propose
that Congress authorize depor-
tation of aliens advocating over
throw OF the government. In ad.
dition, they would require native
countries to accept the deportees
or forfeit U. S. entrance rights of
their nationals.
O'Neil urged investigation of
alleged Communism IN the movie
industry and said the committee
also should check into the work
Of writers and authors to see if
Communist sympathies are ''col-
oring" their writings.
According to O'Neil, the most
immediate" danger from Com
munists is their %infiltration into
labor, veteran and other organi-
cations where they hope to seize
control. Iafiltration into education
is a ~long-range danger, he added.
He said under questioning that
the Legion was instrumental in
banning from several states a
group of books advocating "a
science of government completely
different from the American form
of government" He cited San
Francisco as an example, saying
a special committee there concur
red in a Legion recommendation
that such books be Withdrawn
from public schools.
O,Nel said the Communist
party is merely a "subversive in
ternatioaal conspiracy mask
ing as a domestic political party"
and, as such, should be abolished
from the American scene.
If being nti-Commurist is
being anti-Russian'', he said, I
must be classed as just that.
Green said it has been esti-
mated conservatively that at
least 100, 900 Communists and fell
low travellers r working with
the American Communist party
"a willing instrument OF a foreign
power bent on the destruction of
American domestic government
by violent uprising"
Here are cadre. for foreign
divisions already on American
SOIL" he said. ITO them, this
country is but a theater Of op-
erations."
Because the party seeks violent
overthrow of the government, he
said, it cannot be tolerated CT
endured"
prudence at h S juncture in
our history demands that Commu-
nists be deprived of the right to
seek or hold public office. T h e
Communist party should be out
lawed. :"
Green warned that Congress
should be careful to avoid in
Guiding innocent liberals in its
breakdown. There should b e no
wild red-baiting or matchmaking
that would cover them (the Com
munists) better t h a they could
cover themselves" he said.
Committee Chairman J. Parnell
Thomas, R., N. j., said he didn't
want to "detract" from the Presi-
dents purge action, but felt that
he should point out that the order
nearly p parallel e d legislation
previously approved by his COM
mittee. The bill would set up a
Federal Loyalty commission with
power to fire any federal worker
Of questioned loyalty.
O'Neil said the committee pro.
posal was CRITICALLY weak" in
that it contained no provision for
a loyalty check OF members OF
the Loyalty commission. Thomas
said the committee would 60 into
that later when it holds hearings.
Rep. ] Rankin, D., Miss,
asked O'Neil if he would favor
legal action against anyone "say.
ing that we must get rid of the
United States government" He
replied that he would.
"Weu," Rankin observed, "Two
professors of the University Of
Chicago are running around say
ing just that" He did not name
them.