Evening star., 1948-02-09
Red Influence Blamed
By Admiral StandIey
For Coal, Rail Seizures
.,;om ottenbero

Admira William H. STANDBY.
former Ambassador to Russia, today
blamed Communist influence for
Government seizure of the coal
mines and railroads In labor disputes
in this country and for labor's de-
mand for higher pay and "demorali-
Zation OF our economy"
The former chief of naval opera
tons, who served as Ambassador to
Russia in 1912 and 1913, declared
Prime Minister Stain is playing q
waiting game, expecting the United
States to fall into his lap like a
ripe apple" '
Testifying before subcommittee
of the House Committee on I'm
American Activities on measures to
curb communism, Admiral Standley
opposed outlawing communism and
favored the Mundt bill to make
Communists register as agents of a
foreign power.
Proposes Bill ON Treatment.
He proposed also a bill enabling
this Government to treat Russians
here "the way they treat us there"
Labor's demands to hold onto
their inflated wartime take-home
pay" Admiral Standley said, were
inspired by the Communists who
thought they would create conflict
between labor and management"
He added that "the influence
which caused the Government to
take over coal mines and railroads
was due to the Communist Party in
the United States"
He emphasized his belief, based
on his own experiences in Russia
and later reports, that the Russian
people themselves are friendly to
the United States and that the
= greatest menace Is from Communists
> in this country.
Another witness, Samuel M. Birn-
1 baum, Judge advocate OF the New
York department of the American
: Legion, told the subcommittee that
, proposed legislation to make the
! practice Of Communism reasonable
! would be considered unconstitu-
:. ttonal since treason is a war crime
]. only
J, Instead, he proposed law max
{ ing belief in or advocacy OF Com
: munism a crime against the Gov
I ernment and another law requiring
those who take the oath OF ONCE
Flor Federal employment to swear
sthat they are not and will not be-
~cone members of the Communist
Party or of its afhliates.
: Earlier, the committee heard from
: John Foster Dulles that he doubted
whether any of the anti-Commu-
mist legislation now being studied by
: the House committee would work
Sagainst such a nebulous thing" as
@the Communist Party.
: A member of the American dele
: CATION to the United Nations, Mr..
: Dulles advised the committee by
: letter that the difficulty arises in
distinguishing one type OF Com
munist from another.
Differentiation Drawn.
Some Communists. he said. ac-
cept the party's iron discipline"
anu SOIIlc J0SC uoC eAAS Pe'As "1
outlet for a sense of grievance" rs
Mr.. Dulles commented specifically
on two proposed measures-one to
make the active practice of COM
munism reasonable and the other
. to require Communists to register as
agents of q foreign ssppwer. Mt
Dulles said he doubted the efficacy
: of either because Of the nature OF
the Communist Party.
In part" he said, "it is q clearly
subversive organization subject to
what Stain calls the iron discip-
line of the party with respect to
policies which are largely forn1u-
lated by the Soviet Communist
Party at Moscow.
"On the other hand. the Commu-
mist Party in some countries. no
tably France, Italy and, to lesser
extent, the United States, draws into
its ranks many who in no sense
seek the revolutionary overthrow
of our institutions but who
look to .the Communist Party as
method of reform which will cure