Evening star., 1948-09-07
Poll Confirms View
Red Herring Charge
Was Political BIundeI
Eight Out Of Ten Voters
Soy They Want House
Group to Push Probe
By David Lawrence

BY David Laurence
When President Truman called
the congressional committee dis
closures about Communist activity
o red herring" this correspondent
predicted that the American people
would not agree with him and COM
mented that he had pulled a
"boner."
1t was not difficult assumption
to make, based upon the consistent
support given by the American peo-
pie to the House Committee on Un-
American Activities during the
eleven years of its existence.
The Gallup Poll, just released,
confirms that view. In Its latest
canvass of opinion eight out of ten
voters say they want the House
Committee investigating Un-Ameri-
can activities to pursue its inquiries.
The poll shows that 70 per cent OF
those asked wanted the investiga-
tions continued, IS per cent wanted
them called off and 6 per cent ex-
pressed no opinion.
On the question as to whether
the inquiry is purely politics"
which was essentially the Presi-
dents red herring" charge, "a per
cent said they didn't think so while
only II per cent thought the hear
ings were political and 9 per cent
expressed no opinion.
Measure of Opinion.
1t might be suspected that the
division was vastly different among
Republicans and Democrats, but 1t
turns out that "a per cent of the
Republicans refused to believe that
politics was responsible for the con-
ercssional inquiries, and likewise an
Overwhelming majority of the DEM
ocratS questioned, namely II per
cent, agreed with the Republican
denial. Even among the Independ-
ents canvassed, SO per cent stated
that they did not believe the in
quiry was political.
So it will be observed that in this
measure of public opinion Presi-
dent Truman completely miscalcu-
Adleu llle pdULC lCotIiOll'
People who say they are going
to vote for Henry Wallace" reports
George Gallup. "in the main, believe
the hearings are primarily political
in nature
The "parTor Pinks" have been
trying to laugh off the hearings by
ridicule, calling the COMMITTEES q
circus" and arguing that the COM
mittee is on the defensive" or "or
the spot" The favorite argument Il
to say that just few misguided
intellectuals were "gullible" or that
they really were just gossiping with
friends of Russia and that, any.
way, Russians were our allies during
the war and so on.
II the American intelligence o.
counter espionage agencies wantee
to do any spying in Russia, Ger.
tainly nobody would send American,
to do the job. The task would bt
assigned to Russians whose identity
would be least suspected or else tt
Yugoslavs or Romanians or persons
from countries now allied with
Russia.
The Communists have definite
program in America. The argument
that the Federal Bureau Of Investi-
CATION has known all along about
the data furnished congressional
committees and that the Federal
Grand Jury also knew it was ex-
pressed by President Truman in al,
unsuccessful attempt to disparage
the work of the committees.
Cannot Speak It's Views.
Unfortunately, the FBI cannot
speak It's views as this agency Ii
a part of the Justice Department
which is controlled by President
Truman himself. But only "a months
ago this Is what J. Edgar Hoover
director Of the FBI, told the Ameri-
can Legion convention at San Fran
cisco:
During the past five years, Amer
ican Communists have made theil
deepest inroads in our national life
In our vaunted tolerance for al
peoples, the Communists have found
our Achilles heel. The divide anc
conquer tactics did not die with
Hitler. They are being employed
with greater skill today by Ameri-
can Communists with their boring
within strategy.
Their propaganda, skillfully de-
signed, adroitly executed, has beer
projected into practically every
phase of our national life. The fact
that the Communist Party in the
United States claims some 100000
members has lulled many Americans
into a feeling of false complacency
/ would not be concerned if we were
dealing with only 100000 Commun-
lists. The Communists themselves
boast that for every party member
there are 10 others ready to do the
palty's work. These include theil
satellites, their fellow travellers, theil
so-called progressive and phony lib.
eral allies. They have maneuvered
themselves into the position where
a few Communists control the desti-
MES of hundreds who are either
willing to be led or have been dupeo
INTO ODeylnS Ine dictates Oh OtHeTS.
Since the foregoing was spoken
1t is believed that the party members
has been reduced from 100000 to
$4,000 but the number controlled in.
directly who do not profess part!
membership has undoubtedly in
creased 1t certainly is wrong to tr.
to laugh off or ridicule any con
gressional committee which seeks t.
expose those who can probabl.
claim they are not Communists bu
who, nevertheless, do the work o
the Communist Party for the bene
flt of a foreign government. Mayb
they, can't be convicted in cour
because of technicalities but the
can be exposed to public condemr1a
ton by congressional committie!
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