Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-02-18
TORY OF A,pHoNY QUOTATION
s. a Futile Effort to Pin 1t Down
~ .ARociol Program for the 10th Century
Seems to Exist Only in Somebody's Imagination

until the fall OF 1881. was
there for only two weeks and
did not write anything pO-
litical while there. I pub
lished my autobiography
under the title "A Jewish
Pilgrimage last November. II
you can get . copy You
will see that i could not pos
sibly have written the state
ment. I am very curious my
self 10 learn who this Israel
Cohen was who wrote II. Why
not ask the writer who sent
YOU the letter? He ought TO
be able TO tell you where he
found the statement, wheth-
er In = book, pamphlet or
magazine. I have never
known Of an American Jew
ish writer having the same
name rs myself. MY career r.
set forth In who's Who and
In the catalogue Of the Brit
ish Museum. / am credited
with Q long list Of books,
pamphlets. etc, but none Of
them has anything to do with
Communism or the Negro
question"
The Star next requested
a research assistant at the
Library Of Congress to make
q thorough search. first. for
Q publication. "a Racial Pro-
gram for the Twentieth Gen.
tury." by Israel Cohen or by
anybody else: second. for the
alleged quotation from the
works Of Mr.. Cohen. The
research was fruitless in both
It's aims.
The Star next requested
the director Of the Jewish
Information Bureau, Inc.
$50 West 67th street. New
York, to make Q search for
the publication or the quo
tation or the identity Of an
English Communist named
Israel Cohen. Bernard q.
Richards. director and chair
man Of the board Of the
Jewish Information Bureau.
replied that "A Racial Pro-
gram for the Twentieth Gen.
tury" was entirely un-
known" and that the alleged
quotation was, on Its face.
fraudulent. The only Israel
Cohen known to Mr.. Rich
ards was the distinguished
writer in London. previously
referred to. Mr.. Richards.
naturally. suggested that we
try the Library Of Congress.
for II there was any such
publication as the one de-
scribed, 1t would surely be
listed.
The Star concluded there
was no such publication as
"A Racial Program for the
Twentieth Century" and that
the alleged quotation was q
hoax. But as discussion of
the incident had died down.
as The Star had already
acknowledged its error in
printing the alleged quota
ton, and as printing it again
might put the quotation"
back in circulation. 1t was
decided to drop the matter
unless it popped up again.
1t popped up again last
week. This time the quota
ton" was included in some
Of the "hate literature"
mailed from some anonymous
source in Philadelphia to Ar
lington County high school
pupils and signed "Veritas."
This time the phony quo
tation Is described as ian ex-
cerpt from testimony given
on the floor Of the House
of Representatives" June 7.
1857. The anonymous litera-
ture mailed to Arlington
pupils attempts to authenti-
cate the quotation" by cit
ing the Congressional Record
as the ofiicial source.
Mr.. Edelsberg cites other ex-
amples Of the circulation Of
Mr.. Abernethy's statement in
the Congressional Record.
The Richmond News Leader
on June 26, 1857. carried q
letter. with Mr.. Abernethy's
picture, quoting his insertion
In the Congressional Record.
A magazine, South"
quoted the statement in its
lead editorial In It's October
81. 1857, edition.
The quotation" was car
ried in q column by Charles
Hill in the jackson, Missis-
sippi. Clarion Ledger, in
October Of 1857.
The Citizens Council Of
America. in Texas, reprinted
the Abernethy statement
from the Congressional Rec
ord in its news letter Of
September 5. 1857. and the
same statement was used in
a radio broadcast on January
10, 1858.
The statement will doubt
less continue to circulate.
This recital Of The Stars
experience in trying to trace
its origin may help to prove
that 1t Is q fraud or produce