Evening star., 1948-09-29
Atom Board Bars;
Dealings With
|Leftist Unions
Cites UEW and UPW;
House Probers Given
Names of $50 Reds
By jones Y. Newton

The Atomic Energy Commis-
sion today ordered it's contracts
ors to refuse to deal with unions
whose leaders are suspected Of
Communist affiliations, while on
Capitol Hill House Labor Sub
committee was given names of
$50 officials of the CIO United
Electrical Workers who were de-
scribed as Communists or ar
dent fellow travellers"
The UEW was one of the two
unions specifically named by David
E. Lilienthal, commission chairman,
in his directives to atomic energy
contractors The other was the CIO
United Public Workers.
j. B. Mathews. for six years re-
search director Of the old Dies COM
mlttee of the House, submitted the
long list of names of UEW officials
together with his evidence of leftist
affiliations to the subcommittee
which is investigating Communist
influence in the union. The list in
cluded Albert j. Fitzgerald, presi-
dent; Julius Emspak. secretary
treasurer, and James j. Matles, or
ganization director of the UEW.
Emspak, Nixon Silent.
Mr.. Emspak was one of two top
union officials who refused to tell
the committee today whether or not
they are members of the Communist
Party. The other was Russ Nixon,
union Washington representative
and official of the Wallace Progress
sive Party. Previously Mr.. Matles
had refused to answer the question,
while Mr.. Fitzgerald denied he was
or had ever been Communist.
Mr.. Lilienthal ordered the Gen.
eral Electric Co. to stop doing busi-
ness with the UEW at the atomic
energy plant GE operates for the
at Schenectady, N. Y.
The union represents all or nearly
all of the company's production
workers, but the order applies only
to the atomic project.
In another letter. the commission
chairman directed the University Of
Chicago to continue to refrain"
from recognition of the United
Public Workers at the Argonne Ma
tional Laboratory, Chicago.
Have Not Filed Affidavits.
Mr.. Lilienthal pointed out that
officers of both unions have refused
to file Taft-Hartley Act non-Com-
munist afIidavits. In the GE order.
he added that information is avail
able, must of it a matter Of open
public record, of alleged Communist
affiliation or association of various
officers of the UE." In the other
letter, he referred to certain off1-
GERS" of the public workers union.
A General Electric official COM
mented that while the Lilienthal
order was a step in the right direc-
ton, it still was not adequate to
assure the loyalty of workers at the
atomic plants.
L. r. Boulware, GE vice president,
said the company will comply fully
with the directive, but he added
ut is unfortunately still perfectly
legal for a union member or q
union official to be a Communist,
even though he has perhaps taken
an oath to work for the overthrow
of the United States Government
by force and violence"
Applies to Other Unions.
While barring the two unions
from It's plants for security reasons,
the commission opened the way for
official recognition of other unions
only II they can qualify for certifi-
cation by the National Labor Re-
lations Board. That involves the
filing of affidavits by the officers
disavowing communism.
Union activity has been sharply
curtailed at all atomic plants except
at Oak Ridge, Tenn, where most OF
the workers are fully organized.
However. a number of unions have
been active in the hope the curbs
would be eased.
At the House nearing Coudy, MI.
Mathews, who said he had studied
the UEW for years and was engaged
in research on communism in gen.
eral, described Mr.. Matles as the
most powerful figure in the union,
closely followed in influence by MIR.
Emspak. He described Mr.. Fitzger-
aid as stoog for the leftists.
He told the committee, headed by
Representative Kersten, Republican,
of Wisconsin, that assisting Mr..
Matles and Mr.. Emspak In assur-
ing leftist domination Of the affairs
of the 00,000-member union are
about 450 Communist Party men,
bers of arden fellow travellers"
Mr.. Mathews said that while 80
per cent of the union members are
not Communists, they, nevertheless,
together with their families, CON-
(See ATOMIC. Page A-6)