St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1953-07-24
Mrs. Robson And
Mccarthy Stage
War Of Words
By AlIce a. Dunnigan

j
Mccarthy subcommittee on in
vestgations last week, Mrs. Es-
landa Goode Robson referred to
the 5th and 18th amendments
as protection Of her rights as an
American citizen.
Mrs. Robson was questioned
by the senate subcommittee on
two Of her books, African Jour
ney' and The Life of Paul Robe
SON., which have been placed on
library shelves in foreign coun-
tries by the U. S. Department Of
State.
The prominent writer-lecturer
told the committee that she is a
very, very loyal American who be-
lieves in the Constitution and the
Bill Of Rights All of her life, she
said, she has fought to implement
these documents.
Mrs. Robson made very cool,
deliberate. intelligent witness who
refused to answer only a few OF
the questions tossed at her under
the presumption that such an
swers might be used to incrimin-
ate her. She has this protection as
an American citizen under the 5th
amendment, she said, and as a
Negro she sought refuge under the
18th amendment which guaran-
tees her equal protection under
the law.
Sen. Mccarthy argued that the
18th amendment only gave her
equal rights to vote and could
not be used here as a shield to
protect her from answering the
question OF the committee.
She assured the committee that
she was very proud" to be the
wife of Paul Robson, the famous
concert artist who has often been
charged with having Communistic
leanings. When questioned about
her husbands alleged connections
with the Soviet Union, she quietly
replied, why don't you ask
him ?"
Upon her refusal TO answer a
question, Sen. Mccarthy would
always ask, "Are you afraid an
honest, truthful answer would in
criminate you?"
IF you would leave out the
words, honest, truthful l would
be glad 10 answer" shot back
Mrs. Robson. She reminded the
senator that she was testifying
under oath and she would never
give anything but a truthful an
swer.
But whether under oath or not
she continued, she always tried
to give truthful answers on any
matter, because she found 1t too
much of a nuisance to remember
lies"
| Mrs. Robson testified that she
could not say whether she had
ever attended a Communist Cell
because she does not know what a
Communist Cell is and the COM
mittee failed to define 1t.
She does not know" whether
the Communists advocate the
overthrow of the government by
force and violence, she said, and
il she was asked TO offer an
opinion, she doesn't think so.
She claimed that she had never
heard anyone anywhere plotting
to overthrow this government by
force and violence.
When asked If she really felt
that Russia is the zone hopeful
light on the horizon for her people
as expressed in her book, the
author replied that she could not
recall the exact statement but II
1t is in her book. she must have
thought II because she never
wrote anything that she didn't
think.
In reply to the question as TO
whether she had ever written
anything for the Communist
press, Mrs. Robson said she had
written hundreds of articles for
many publications. She could not
say whether she had written any
thing for the Communist press be-
cause she does not know what
press Is considered communistic.
When questioned regarding her
affiliations with the American
Peace Crusade" she stated that
she did not recall whether she was
connected with that specific or
ganization but II it said peace"
she probably was because she was
for anything which stood for
peace"
| On the question of the Civil
I Rights Congress, she declared
that she had recently made a
speech on McCarthyism in De-
troit under the auspices of the
/ Gro.
One member of the committee
observed that she did not state
whether her speech was for or
against McCarthyism. "In give
YOU two guesses," she quipped.
Challenging her reference to
the committee as being an-white.
Sen. Mccarthy reminded her
that there are no Negroes in the
senate, and IL there were it is
possible that none would be men,