The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1957-09-20
Wealthy Commies:
Reason Behind DOdd-Stern
Espionage Not a Mystery
BY ERIK v. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Most European papers these days are featuring the
Dodd-Stern espionage affair, and they seem to be
puzzled how and why it was possible that the daughter
of an American diplomat and wife OF a well-to-do man
was able to turn Communist.
It is an interesting question because despair" SEEM
ingly does not play a role in this case. / do not know the
dor Dodd's Diary dealing with the late William Dodd's
Berlin mission in the years 1933-1938 which his daughter
edited.
1t shows the most abysmal. ignorance of the most ele-
mentary historic facts. This is all the more astonishing
as the ambassador, before his sudden appointment by
President Roosevelt, was professor OF history at Chicago
University.
l won't bother my readers with an enumeration OF
the most amazing historic boners found in this book,
but what also startles one are the constant leftlst declara..
tons, the hatred of everything smacking slightly OF
upperclass behavior and the violently anti-Cathoic bias.
Yet if one studies William Dodd's political outlook
one can see clearly how it leads logically to Communism
or, at least, to a p~ro-Communist attitude. "ldeas Have
Consequences" as Richard Weaver tells us in his magnlfll-
cent book with the same title, and since Professor Dodds
stand is being fostered by so many educational lnStltu-
tons, one therefore should not be surprised if young
sters put two and two together and embrace Red Fas-
cism.
Yet this is only part of the story. There also is the
money angle. In order to explain it, l must remind the
reader of the basic tenet of Marxist Communism that
there is no soul, no spirit, that there exists only a mater.
ial world.
Politics, art, tradition, social ambition, philosophy,
religion, love, literature - everything is determined by
economic considerations.
We are now asking the terrible question: in how
many mice" families, whose members would be horri-
fled at being accused of Communist sympathies, is the
Marxist philosophy of life not ruling supreme? In how
many good Christian" families do we hear the conyer-
sation moving merely around the subject of cash, in.
come, expenses, careers, salaries, sales, business, say
ings? s
How many young Americans, Frenchmen, Germans
etc. are, day in, day out, exhorted by their dear parents
to make good which means to concentrate on the ma
terial side of this earthly life?
Is it then a wonder that the offspring of these fam
lilies, who had been taught. the principles of Marxisrn
right in their nursery and accidentally get acquainted
with a young enthusiastic Communist, easily and swift
ly adopt the Red Creed.
"Sinee you Admit that human life is essentially an
economic proposition" the young Connie would say.
why not sspovse the party and theology which sqvarely
places everything on an economic basis - Communism?
All other parties maintain that other items are OF
prime Importance. Communism, to the contrary, sub
ordinates everything to economics which you consider
paramount in your existence. "Only too frequently the
Communist propaganda will win the "other half" OF
the battle and cash in on the parental preparation.
Is it really different with us Catholics? | will never
forget the aftermath of a lecture which l gave years ago
in a big American city. | spoke before a Catholic aud
fence about the eternal difficulties Of Europe.
After the lecture | was invited to join the sponsors
in one of the rooms of the hotel where the lecture had
been given. One of the sponsors didn't seem to be too
happy about my rather involved analysis.
formed a1 ~. Y ssIsnci Ss,y his a'c class ..', y wb I.E,s' sbvt 'i ths trouble .. !,
with you over there in Europe is the fact that you don't
provide people with the nice things they get over here
refrigerators, movies, cars, cheap clothes, games"
l then tried to explain to him that the crux of the
matter was a different one. Listen" he interrupted
me angrily, what, after all, is history?'' "oh, | could
not give you that in a NUTSHELL I replied. "Well I'll
tell you," he shouted" history is nothing but economies"
care you a Catholic?' I inquired. Sure he re-
piled, "Tm a daily communicate" s'What a pity" l said,
otherwise you would make a very good research pro-
fessor in the Marx-Engels-Institute in Moscow" This
was, needless to say, the last time / was asked there for
a lecture.
Yet I was glad that | said what I had to say. The
man might have had a son, or a daughter perhaps
a daughter like Martha Dodd. =