Arizona sun., 1961-09-07
white SCHOOL FUNDS BANNED
FAsTI ann AMES CUBAN GROUP FOR RACE DISTURBANCE
Charges Subyerting
Of Negroes Their Goal

Of Negroes Their Goal
New York - An Afr0-American
leader today branded "sheer rae
list hypocrisy" the latest attempt
of Mississippi Democrat James
o. EastIand and his nor
thern colleagues to blame. the
recent wave of racial disturbances
in the South on the Fair, Play for
Cuba Committee. s,,g55, Il
Eastland, supported by Sen.
Kenneth Keatink tR, IN. Y.l and
Sen. Thomas Dodd ID Conn. },
maintained today that the FPCC
had joined in what he called "the
traditional Communist project
aimed at subverting the American
Negro against his own govern
ment." Eastland made the charge
in releasing testimony before his
Senate Internal Security Subcom-
mittee of former heavyweight
champion Joe Louis and his busi-
ness partner, William Rowe. Louis
and Rowe were subpoenaed to ap-
pear before the Eastland Sub
committee on June 5, 1861 to ex-
plain why they had signed a con-
tract with the Cuban Tourist Com
mission to encourage Afro-Ameri-
can tourism to Cuba. Various Of
ficial and unofficial pressures lat
er forced them to annul the con-
tract.
The testimony was published as
part II of the Subcommittee's SER
les. "The Communist Threat to
the United States through the
Caribbean. 1t also included q
study by Eastland's staff on Gu.
ba and the American Negro" in
which the Mississippi Sen. charg-
es Fidel Castro with attempting tc
subvert the loyalty of Afro-Ameri.
cans.
Robert F. Williams, President ol
the Union County, N. c. branch
of the NAACP, said that East
lands charges were ridiculous,
but that he was "glad to see that
the Mississippi bigot is frightened
that the lesson of Cuba's magni
ficent job in wiping out all racia
discrimination within months
might reach oppressed Afro-Am
orleans"
AS for his loyalty" William
said he was quite willing to admit
that he has mo loyalty at all tt
Eastland and what he represents. :
Williams said that he was very
proud" to be a founding member
of the Fair Play for Cuba Com
mittee and a personal friend Of
Cuban Premier Fidel Castro.
He added, however, that East
land, Heating and Dodd were
Every stupid" if they really be-
lieved that the sit-ins and the
Freedom Riders were due to Gu
ban "intrigues." He recalled thai
on June 20, 1861, the head Of
the Mississippi State Highway Pa
troll, Brigadier General 7. B
Birdsong had charged that two
members of the Fair Play foI
Cuba Committee arrested in Jack
SON, Miss, as Freedom Riders
had been indoctrinated at a $50
viet-directed seminar" in Cuba
during the FPCC Christmas toul
to Cuba last December. Some 34C
Americans of all races took part
in the tour, which was said tc
be one of the reasons the State
Department clamped a ban on al
travel to Cuba.
William said it was only natura
that Eastland and his northern
supporters, Heating and Dodd
should be frightened that Ameri
cans would see how an homes
government can swiftly wipe ou
racial discrimination if it wants
TO-" William recalled that las
July 26 the State Department re
fused to permit him to visit Cuba
claiming that it ''c0uld not pro
tect him" while he was there
"They claim they want to pro
tect me in Cuba" Williams said
"but somehow or other the Jus
tice Department cannot see fit tt
protect me in Monroe, N. c. :
inside the so-called free Americ;
- where racist thugs have sOugh
to murder me twice within th'
last month.
The Afro-American leader salt
he was ''dissappointed' that East
{ land so far has neglected to cal
him to testify before this 'bant
of racist witchhunterS" in Wash
ington. So far, Richard Gibson
the Acting Executive Secretary o
the Fair Play for Cuba Commit
tee, has been the only Afro-Am
erican to be subpoened before tn
TwrA