Evening star., 1952-01-22
l Led Three Lives
Communists Halt Their 'Peoee' Drive in U. S.
When Hitler Opens Attack on Russia

There was no deviation from
this in any Of the publications Of
the American Youth Congress or
the Massachusetts, Youth Council.
Not all Of the issues we're seized
$50 boldly. They were screened
behind q solicitude for youth, and
translated In terms Of their effect
|on young people. Other issues.
less controversial, surrounded the
larger ones In the publications Of
the youth organizations.
Nom Intervention Backed.
The Massachusetts Council. for
example. placed its emphasis on
Jobs, education and job training.
la cause which many non-C Com
munists would gladly espouse. But
buried away in its platform was
a demand for a resolution to limit
the service of conscripts to one
year, and to hold the draft army
permanently within the conti-
mental limits of the United States,
regardless Of the course Of the
war. There was no question OF
aid to the Allies. After all. Hitler
and Stain were comrades, for the
time being. The Harvard Student
Union, Toni Crosses group. issued
pamphlets on 1.-THE Case for Nom
Intervention" processing abhor-
renee of Nazism, but assailing any
measures, however remote, to aid
in the fight against the Nazis.
Occasionally during the early
spring I passed bits of information
along to Harold Leary at the FBI.
Only once, by indirection, did he
give me a clue to what he was
thinking: 1t was also in the ma
ture of a warning.
"Philbrick," he said, II believe
there are-certain people-who
recognize you for your abilities
as a leader. They may ask you
to help them out from time to
time, join with them in some of
their plans, do some work for
them"
1.-THE Communists. do you
mean?"
"Play Hard to Get"
"Well, wouldn't say that ex-
actly. But you may be approached.
My point is that If you are, no
matter what your reaction may
be. don't turn them down. At
the same time, play hard to get" !"
Now" he continued. "and this
is important, if anything like that
happens. get in touch with me
The first thing"
During that winter and spring,
the Youth Council concentrated
its efforts on peace movements
in the Boston area, sponsoring and
helping to organize meetings to
protest against the war. We
thousands of petitions
which sought to place as many
persons as possible on record
against American involvement.
I followed the propaganda line
carefully through "The Worker" !"
and also augmented my subscrip-
ton to that journal by picking up
the Daily Worker" at a down.
town newsstand. / was convinced
now that the Communist Party,
with my indulgence. was debating
the policies of the Cambridge
Youth Council.
On Sunday, June 20, 1941, 1.-THE
Workefs appeared sasfusual, borne
to us by Joy. There was one edi-
torial which condemned rumors Of
strife between Russia and Ger
many as "warmongering," but I
paid no particular attention to it.
The rest of the paper was anti
war, anti-Roosevelt, anti-defense
anti-aid to Britain. pro-
strike.
Party Switches Tactics.
The night before, radio broad
casts carried the shocking news
that Hitler had turned his Panzer
legions loose in a blitzkrieg strike
against his erstwhile ally, Josef
Stain. I heard nothing that
night. nor for several days, from
my colleagues on the Cambridge
Youth Council. On Monday !
was unable to purchase my Daily
Worker" at the newsstand. 1t
was not until Wednesday that ]
could obtain a copy of the Daily
Worker" for Tuesday. June "a.
SUPPORT THE U. s. s. r. IN
IT'S FIGHT AGAINST NAZ1
WAR" That was the papers
battle-cry headline. the new slo-
gan of the "anti-war" party. II
was still q fight against war. The
lead article lodged and weaved
like a back-pedaling prize fighter.
armed assault by German
Fascism and its satellites" 1t said,
lis an unprovoked criminal attack
upon the greatest champion Of
peace, freedom and national inde-
pendence-the land of socialism. u
The gauntlet was now on the
other mailed fist.
England and the United States
were still "imperialists," but the
switch was on. The American
people - "the workers, toiling
farmers. the Negro masses"-were
now taking the cause of the Soviet
Union as their own. according
to 1.-THE Worker"
Joy, the party courier who
brought my "Worker" the follow
ing Sunday was almost in tears
isn't it terrible" she said. eve
actually cried when we heard the
news, my whole family"
"Anti-War" Friends.
Here stand my "anti-war'
friends. I thought. They hac
done everything they could to pre-.
vent the United States from CIV
ing any help at all to France
Britain, Belgium, Norway, Yugo
Islavia-to any of the people who
with pitifully small numbers ane
even smaller resources, had beer
standing alone against Hitler
vicious and deadly war machine