Evening star., 1952-02-05
/ Led I Three Lives
Operations Of the Distinguished Pro Group;
An invitation to the Witness Stund

llenSlYeS 60 win mems minds were
dramatic. Henry A. Wallace was
brought to Boston for i major
radio address in his 1948 Presi-
DENTAL campaign. A copy Of his
speech came into the Offices Of
lthe Progressive Party on Beacon
Hill the day before the event. and
ultimately found its way into the
hands Of my businessman friend
from the pro-cell. He regarded the
speech as woefully inadequate.
fuzzy and confused. MY friend
called me at my Office and asked
me to hurry over. ! sat down with
him for more than two hours. and
worked over Wallace's phrase
Iology. MY friend rewrote the
speech during the night, and by
noon the following day 1t was
|mirneographed. Whether Wallace
had time to- read 1t before the
broadcast ] never knew. But In
any event. comrades In the Pro-
group were delighted with the
speech as it was given.
Worked for Progressives.
The pro-group worked most In
6ensively on the Progressive
Party's campaign for Henry A.
Wallace, which was one of its
major activities during the period
of my membership. We were
under strict orders to maintain
secrecy as to Communist Party
participation in the affairs Of the
organization. On Sunday, Febru-
ary 8. 1948. the State convention
of the Progressive Citizens OF
America was held in Boston to
draw up a resolution, later to be
transformed into the platform Of
the Progressive Party. A glance
at the platform is the best evi-
dence Of Communist influence.
It called for complete rejection
of the Marshall Plan for strength
ening Western Europe: the with
drawal of all military personnel.
equipment and aid from Greece
and Turkey on whose borders
Communist pressure was con-
stantly applied: the rejection of
Universal Military Training and
drastic reduction Of military ex-
penditures to an absolute mini
num-" support Of democratic"
China; repeal Of President Tru-
mans loyalty order and "revoca-
ton" of the power Of the FBI.
The FBI queried me, Where
do these orders come from? Who
gives them?" In my cell they
usually came from Martha Fletch-
er, the cell leader. They came to
Martha from "Jan." who received
them by courier from New York.
Skilled Career Man.
Another skilled career man
whom ! knew in the pro-group
worked in the heart Of Boston's
financial district and had ready
access to facts and figures.
One Of the pro-group members
managed to get himself q post on
the governors study commission
for the drafting of a Fair EN-
ployment Practices law.
In Boston there is an organiza-
ton known as the Twentieth Gen.
tury Association. considered to be
q respectable liberal group with q
55-year history In the community.
On March IS, 1947. at 3 JOY
Street in Boston. Philip Jaffe and
Julian Friedman gave a Report.
on China" and on China 8 People
Today"
Dirk Jan Struik. professor Of
mathematics at Massachusetts, In
stitute Of Technology, assisted in
the project. and the speakers were
obtained by way of Maude Rus
sells Committee for q Demo-
cratic Far Eastern Policy" an or
ganization listed by the United
States Attorney General as sub
verSive.
Favorite Fund Raisers.
One Of the most active fronts
In Boston was the Joint Anti
Fascist Refugee Committee. It
was a fayorite Embarrassing project
of the party, playing with elab-
crate virtuosity upon the SYM
pathies of ordinary citizens for
the victims of the defeated fascist
armies. The list of sponsors of
this group revealed a remarkable
absence Of known Communist
Party members, which would
make it appear the Communists
had been deliberately blackballed.
They staged elaborate benefits
for which the arrangements. in
cluding the sponsorship. were all
worked out in Prof. meetings.
One of these. I recall. was q bene-
fit motion picture. q performance
of Malraux's Mans Hope" In
our pro-cel, we arranged for the
hiring of an auditorium this
case the New England Mutual
Hall. We assigned comrades to
work on sponsors. and among
those who were successfully taken
in for this fund-raising dodge
were Mrs. Karl T. Compton, DR..
Claiming rockingham, Rabbi
Joshua 10th Liebman and dozens
of other noted Bostonians.
Not long after. the party took q
swift dive for cover. The cause
of the furry was q warning from
10. John Rogge, former special
assistant to the Attorney General,
that Attorney General Tom Clark
was preparing to use o New York
grand jury investigation on sub
versive activities as q springboard
for the launching OF q new series
OF raids against the Communist
Party.
Scramble for Cover.
The top brass scrambled for
cover. District leaders fled the
Little Building headquarters and
ran into hiding out of the city,