Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1948-08-05
The Political Mill
Reds InfiItrution Seen
As Major Campaign Issue
Spy Probe Illustrates How Easily
Fifth Column May Be Developed
Gould Lincoln

The Red infiltration into the United States
Government in this country has the markings
of major political issue In the coming CAM
paign. There has for a long time been more
than a suspicion that friends. If not agents,
of Soviet Russia and Communists sympathiz-
ers had burrowed into many Government
agencies Those who made the charges were
for the most part denounced by the so-called
liberals in the Democratic administration as
Red baiters."
Communist sympathizers, 1t has now been
clearly demonstrated, started to converge on
Washington soon after the late Franklin D.
Roosevelt took over the White House; nor was
it long before the Russian Soviet government
was given official recognition. The revela-
tons coming now through Senate and House
committee Investigations demonstrate how
agents for the Russian government actually
made use of some of these Government en-
ployes to obtain valuable data for the Krenllin.
The story is fantastic. 1t demonstrates how
easy the development of q dangerous fifth
column" may be In this country.
Object Lesson Seen.
The Communist Party of America, meeting
in New York in the midst of these investiga-
lions and of the most vigorous anti-Red drive
yet undertaken, has laid it on the line that it
politics here. Obviously, it can do so for
the present only through some other political
party and then only by getting members into
key positions in that party and in the Gov
eminent itself. The success OF the Com
munists with the Democratic Administration
is an object lesson.
That success, however, is as nothing com.
pared to what the comrades and fellow travel
ers have had with the new Progressive Party
of Henry Wallace. The recent national con-
vention of that party wrote a platform that
goes 100 per cent for appeasement OF Russia
and nearly the same per cent along the line
of the party aims and principles which
had previously been written for the American
Communist Party itself.
The Communists are figuring to maintain
this tight grip on the new Progressive Party.
If through that party they can bring about
disastrous defeat of President Truman and the
Democrats in the November election-or at
least have hand in it, rolling up big vote
for Mr.. Wallace and some radical candidate
for Congress-they believe they will be able
to take over in the elections of 1852.
How They Reason.
Their reasoning Is that the Republican Adj
ministration which will come into power with
the first Of the year will be conservative Be-
cause of conditions, economic and political.
which are likely to arise during the next four
years, bringing ruin to business and breadlines
to the workers, the Communists are looking
forward to an uprising of the mass OF the
people against the Government and the estab-
lished order. That they figure, will be their
chance.
The Communist menace in this country
has been minimized and laughed at. Many OF
those who have done the minimizing and the
laughing have had hand in the very propa-
ganda which has been the effective weapon OF
the Communists.
If the Red issue enters the campaign, with
the record of soft handling OF the Communists
and their sympathizers by the Democratic Adj
ministrations of recent years. the Republican
Party must become the leader Of the fight
against Communist infiltration-no matter
what Mr. Truman and his supporters are now
saying.