Evening star., 1950-05-08
Communist Dancer
Is Not in Numbers,
As FBI Chief Notes
Fellow Travellers
Declared to Weld
More Influence
Bv David Laurence

Mccarthy or Mr.. baltimore, every
body here, particularly in both
parties in Congress, respects the
Judgment of j. Edgar Hoover
director of the Federal Bureau of
Investigation.
When the FBI chief, therefore,
says that there are at least
$4,000 Communists in the United
States and that aiding and abet-
ting these are half a million "fel-
low travellers" the assumption
can be made that the Govern
ment's files show a basis for such
o numerical estimate.
In testimony before one of the
congressional appropriation COM
mittees, Mr.. Hoover has SAID
there are about $4,000 Commu-
nists in New York State-mostly
in New York City-about 5000
California, $500 in Illinois and
$500 in Ohio. He gave no figures
for the District of Columbia and
nearby Maryland and Virginia,
but 1t may be estimated that the
number of active Communists is
about 1000.
Maintain Acquaintance.
How do 1000 Communists in
and around Washington spend
their time? Some Of them prob
ably work here until detected.
Some unquestionably have various
front" jobs in private business
or professional work but maintain
social acquaintance with persons
in the Government.
Certainly, with the Importance
of the United States Government
in world affairs, it is natural for
Communists to be seeking infor-
nation here in the National Cap
ital. They probably contact hun
dreds of officials indirectly. But
they have another objective-to
prejudice Government policies into
lines that will produce friction.
The most authoritative state
ment on Communist activity in
this country is the one just made
by Mr.. Hoover in a speech in
New York. He says:
1.-The Communists possess a
well-knit, closely disciplined, de-
structive force of approximately
$4,000 members in the United
States. In actual numbers, their
membership may not be large, nor
have the Communists polled at
any time large number of votes
in an election. This has been
cited by the ignorant and the
apologists and appeasers of COM
munism in our country as mini
mizing the danger of these
subversives in our midst.
To Be Measured by Influence.
1.-THE actual strength of the
Communist movement in the
United States is not something
that can be accurately stated in
just so many figures. 1t has to
be measured largely by the gen.
eral mass influence of the party
and its program. We no longer
measure the Importance of revo-
lutionary organizations by size.
In some places where there are
only one or two men, more results
are obtained than where they
have larger organizations.
But, behind this force of
traitorous Communists, constant
ly gnawing away like termites at
the very foundations of American
society, stand half million fellow
travellers and sympathizers ready
to do the Communists bidding.
These individuals, though not
identified as Communists, are ex-
tremely dangerous to the internal
security of this nation, because
as hypocrites and moral swindlers
they seek the protection of the
freedoms which they constantly
seek to destroy. They represent,
for the Communist movement, a
source of wealth: Financial re-
sources; the creation of valuable
contacts; levers of 5ocial, eco
nomic and political pressures; re-
cruiting grounds for espionage in
formation and agents. Moreover
they do their work anonymously
in front organizations, wherever
they can exert the greatest in
f1uence, each doing his share to
the best of his ability. These in
dividuals are difficult to detect
They are disdainful of the very
tolerance which enables them to
betray their country"
Probably the most effective
weapon in detecting Communists
in our midst is pitiless publicity
Crusades against them have been
carried on for many years by the
House Un-American Activities
Committee. Criticism of unfair
ness and smearing has been justi-
fed, but It never has succeeded in
doing away with the crusades
themselves. On balance, not
withstanding the damage done to
innocent persons - something
which congressional committees
haven't avoided on other issues
either-the Investigations have
informed the public on the dan
gers of Communist infiltratior
ano kept the subject before the
people.
If what Mr.. Hoover says is reac
carefully, maybe a campaign o.
public education about Commu.
mist activity is very much needed
and Congress, even in it's cluuns,
way, is performing a service.
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