Start of the Hunt

Two years ago, of the 36 million citizens who cast votes in the presidential election, 48,000 marked their ballots for William Zebulon Foster, No. 1 U. S. Communist. Last week the House of Representatives, through a special committee headed by Congressman Hamilton Fish of New York, began to investigate the menace, if any, to the stability of the U. S. Government of the revolutionary doctrines favored by this 0.13% of the nation's electorate. The first week's hearings began with a lesson in the generalities of Communism and concluded with an adroit plea from the American Federation of Labor for stronger Unionism to combat U. S. S. R. theories. No "Reds" were yet hunted by name and deed.

First witness was the Rev. Edmund Walsh, director of the Foreign Service School of Georgetown University, a vociferous protestant and propagandist against Russia's anti-religion campaign, a critical scholar of the Soviet political credo (TIME, March 31). So elementary a course in Communism did Father Walsh give the Committee that Chairman Fish was moved to announce that, whereas he (Fish) knew all about it. the other committee members less familiar with "the problem," would doubtless find Father Walsh's primary instruction "an excellent background for future work."

Declared Father Walsh: "The Soviet Russian government in its own official documents has declared war against all humanity. It is at the front of a world-wide revolutionary movement which we cannot permit to overrun this country. . . . The Third Internationale is a union, association and amalgamation of all communistic groups with a solidarity of a common objective. You could say it is the Communist Party of all the world."

Other Walsh testimony: 1) Soviet trade through such organizations as Amtorg Corp. is just a lure to influence capitalist business and conceal "Red" propaganda; 2) Negroes are being dangerously stirred by Communist agitators; 3) strikes and labor troubles are deliberately precipitated not to improve working conditions and wages but to arouse mass discontent; 4) U. S. Communists are taken to Moscow for special training to become revolutionary agitators in the U. S.; 5) on May 1, 1930 a red flag floated over the University of Chicago for two hours; 6) no man may have more than 30 wives in ten years in Russia; 7) where the Soviet's money for world propaganda comes from is a ''mystery."

Father Walsh told the committee he was shortly going abroad. Said he: "I'll keep my eyes open and give you more detailed information later on."

Witness No. 2 was William Green, president of the American Federation of Labor, who described the efforts of Communists to bore from within unions, seize control of organizations and spread discord. Said Mr. Green : "I don't want to exaggerate the importance of the Communists or alarm any one. It is not very great. To me, it is inconsequential. The only serious thing about it is its potential nature. . . . Communists know that if revolution is to originate it must be among the masses and through the dissatisfaction of the working people. . . . The Bolsheviks insist that world revolution be given first place on its foreign program. . . . Communists have strongly felt that the A. F. of L. must first be overthrown. ... A radical minority is to sow discord and strife wherever possible. . . . The American worker when crushed naturally becomes a rebel and his enemy is the man who crushes him. . . . Do you know that there was an attempt at a revolution in England when that general strike occurred several years ago? . . ."

At the conclusion of Mr. Green's testimony, Chairman Fish took occasion to remark: "The A. F. of L. is entitled to the gratitude of the American people for exposing and combatting Communism in all its forms and upholding our form of government from their insidious attacks."

So pleased was the House with its "Red" investigation and the bold declarations of witnesses against Communists in general that it voted $25,000 for Chairman Fish to take his committee on a tour of the U. S. He will hold hearings next month in Chicago, New York and other "hotbeds of radicalism." Protested Congressman La Guardia of New York, a Republican who once sat in the House as a Socialist: "I don't believe we're in danger because some Communists in New York stuck a needle in the fleshy part of [retired Police Commissioner] Grover Whalen's anatomy. Revolutions aren't brought about that way. If Communist propaganda is going on all over the world. Mr. 'Ham' Fish's committee won't be able to stop it."

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