Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1948-08-15
Congressional Exposure
Of Communists Defended
Writer 10 Impatient With Criticisms
of House Spy Proceedings
By Frank r. Kent

of House Spy Proceedings
By Frank r. Kent
There are Q good many things In this ecstn.
try hard to reconcile with reason, but one q
the most difficult Il the extraordinary reaction
from . very vocal element Of our population
(Which ought to know BETTER to disclosures
tending to show the existence Of Communist
NTH column In the United States and deep
penetration Of Communist sympethizers into
governmental circles.
No one denies there ID q Communist nth
column here. No one denies there are numer>s
Gus Communists and communistic gympathiz.
ers on the Federal payroll No one denies that
the basic objective Of Communists here is TO
promote economic chaos and overthrow our
system by any possible means, including VIC.
lence. No one denies that all Communist &C.
tivities here are directed by the Soviet leaders
In Moscow. No one denies that the only poten-
tial enemy to our peace, and the peace Of the
world, Is the Soviet Union. The evidence to
sustain all these allegations il overwhelming
and conclusive.
Yet when committees Of Congress develop
facts showing the secret and sinister activities
OF Communists inside our Federal household.
the natural Indignation over such conditions
and the normal qualification at their exposure
are completely subordinated by the violent ut.
tacks upon the chairmen Of these committees
their members and methods. One expects that
sort Of thing from the Communist Daily Worker,
which brands the recent disclosures as q
"moldy, moth-eaten spy scare" and from Mr..
Wallace's Communist-dominated Progressive
Party which denounces every revelation as an
infamous lie" The amazing thing, however,
{S hat ha
from the Communist camp but from the more
or less professional liberals" politicians, ex-
jobholders, editors and commentators both
journalistic and radio. of the old Roosevelt re-
gime who are neither Communists themselves
nor sympathetic with the Communist cause.
From these there has arisen q tremendous
chorus Of sdueals, bleats and bellows They
shout Red baiters" and witch hunters" They
tear their hair about the "smearing" Of Elm
nocent men," howl about "inquisition" and
assail the committee heads because their per.
sonal lives are not without flaw And one inn
portant liberal newspaper. which frequently
denounces star chamber sessions" and efforts
to suppress news" insists that all these facts
should be developed 'in camera" Conceding
as 1t does. that the recent investigation has dis
closed shocking situation and that the public
Is entitled to the TRUTH nevertheless the COM
mlttees are castigated for holding public hear
ings and accused of running innocent men,"
Admitting that the names of some innocent
men" have been brought out in these investiga-
lions, and admitting that occasionally the
manner and personality of the investigators
are open to criticism, the truth is there Is no
evidence whatever of any innocent men" being
ruined or even seriously damaged On the other
hand both the old Dies Committee, the present
Thomas Committee and the Ferguson Com
mittee have uncovered a great deal OF pretty
ugly stuff and thrown the light into some very
dark and smelly places Without the COM
mittees and their public hearings, the American
people would have no tnkling Of the under
ground work OF Communist sympathizers here
and no suspicion of the extent to which,
beginning with the first Roosevelt election,
they converged on Washington and crept into
the Government.
Take, for example, the case Of Nathan
Gregory aSilvermaster, who was born in Odessa.
came here from Shanghai got into the Agricul-
ture Department under Mr.. Wallace. then into
the Treasury, then the Commerce Department
end then-during the war-the Board Of
Economic Warfare. After an investigation.
officials Of the Civil Service Commission said
he undoubtedly was a Communist agent and
urged his dismissal. So did our Naval Intel
ligence. But Silvermaster went to one Iauchlin
Currie, one Of Mr.. Roosevelt's intimates and
secretaries, who interceded with Secretary Of
War Patterson, and Silvermaster continued on
the pay roll until 1916. Before the committee.
SilVermaster refused to answer most questions
on the ground that they might "incriminate
me-" To the average mind this uncontradicted
story would seem information to which the
people are entitled-the kind that distinctly
should not be brought out "in camera"
This, along with lot Of other illuminating
data, makes the squeals, bleats and bellows
about the ruin Of innocent men" seem more
than q little ridiculous. It also makes Mr..
Truman's denunciation Of the whole investiga-
ton as a red herring" designed for partisan
purposes, to divert attention of the people from
the price control and imitation issues, appear
ill-considered and unfounded. If these reyela-
tons become an issue in the campaign, Mr..
Truman will not be on either the popular or
the right side.
Editors Note: On the stand Friday Mr.
Currie could not recall that Mr.. Silvermaster
had asked his intercession with Undersecretary
Patterson. Mr.. Currie said, that In June Of
1942 he requested Undersecretary Patterson,
at the instance OF the Board of Economic War
fare. to find out II an Army intelligence re-
port Of June on Mr.. silyermaster represented
the Army.s considered judgment" He tele-
phoned Mr.. Patterson. said Mr.. Currie, and
later received from Mr.. Patterson this state
ment: II have personally made an examination
OF the case and have discussed 1t with Mai
Gen. G. v. Strong, ca. I am fully satisfied
that the facts do not show anything derogatory
to MIR. Silvermasters character or loyalty to
the United States. and that the charges in
the report Of June are unfounded.")
Calling people RED baiters" is no more OF
an argument than calling man who happens
to disagree with you Communist. The prss-
ent practice Of labelling our investigators Red
baiters" and holding them up, as William Henry
Chamberlain recently wrote, ito scorn and
aversion as a compound Of ruthless inquisitor
and congenital moron, who takes sadistic pleas
ure in prosecuting progressive reformers and