Evening star., 1952-08-13
District Witness
bares Red Drive
Among Youths
Doctor Testifies Son
Of Luttimore Went
To Prague Sessions
By Robert K. Welsh

A Washington man. who literally
sang his way into the Communist
Party, won Senate subcommittee
praise today for disclosing party
methods of duping young people
and controlling youth groups.
Seymour M. Bakst, whose
stated address is 708 Peabody
street NV, was a key witness
among a dozen whose testimony
appeared in a report by a Senate
internal security subcommittee IN
vestigating Communist tactics in
volving young men and women.
Several of the witnesses ques-
toned by the subcommittee re-
fused to answer questions as to
whether they had been active
with youth groups or the Com
munist Party itself. Some Of
them. according to the report.
refused to identify their own pic
lures or articles they wrote for
Communist publications.
Boy Scout Effort Failed.
Harvey M. Matusow of Dayton.
Ohio, who described himself as q
former Communist now employed
by the Ohio Un-American Activ.
tiles Commission, told the SUBJ
committee the Communist Party's
worst failure in the youth field
was its attempt to discredit and
destroy the Boy Scouts of America.
The Communists set up the Young
Pioneers, which got nowhere.
Then, Mr.. Matusow said, the
Communists attempted-to infil-
trate the Boy Scouts, also without
success.
The testimony. taken at closed
sessions here and in New York
between April, 1851, and last
April, included Mr.. Bakst's state
ment that, second only to in
dustrial workers, the youth OF
America. are the most important
element on which the Communists
concentrate.
Try All Types of Groups.
Asked how a person could spot
a Communist infiltrated group
and be able to see through false
promises of Communists, Mr.. Bakst
told the subcommittee:
"That is a very difficult question
to answer because the Communists
act in so many varied ways, that
to say to a young person, Look
for this or that could not possibly
protect him from being duped into
some Communist organization"
He asserted Communists try to
get into all types Of organiza-
tions, even those they know to be
completely opposed to commu-
nism. In New York. they even were
working In the one-time former
Christian Front organization es-
tablished by the Rev. Charles
Coughlin. he said.
He explained such groups as the
American Youth for Democracy
included many Communists.
He explained that many joined
because they "felt it was an out
let for their energy and That they
could help the war effort" but did
not realize the Communists were
using such groups as part of the
Communist movement.
Fronts Often Change Names.
j Mr.. Bakst, who testified he is
no longer a Communist, asserted
also that Communist fronts in the
youth field often changed names
but seldom died. He revealed that
despite his Communist leanings.
he had held wartime jobs briefly
with the Alien Property Custo-
dams Office, the French military
mission and the Soviet Purchas-
ing Commission.
He said he was fired from the
latter job partly because the COM
mission did not want him to be
conspicuous in the young Com
munist League, but mainly be-
cause he tried to organize a union
among commission employees.
Mr.. Bakst testified he broke with
the Communist Party about four
years ago. He objected to request
by party leaders, in 1948, that he
obtain signatures to a petition ito
'lput Henry Wallace on the ballot. "
Former Vice President Wallace
Twas the Progressive Party candi-
date for President in 1948.
] Mr.. Bakst said his main reason
flor leaving the Communist Party
was his objection to getting sig
natures for a petition against the
(See COMMUNISTS, Page A-3.(