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“+ es Oe aie ee oe 1 ve: et ee ae ve hy Fae WITT I BEAM Ty a 4 ‘ae 1 PTA DO \s “ff —-~ «£ 7 ‘ \ You wave ..ov oniy attached a dabei tu we Yor which tnere is no basis but one which is ulrectly anu cow, ,ietely contrary to the recore of the past twenty years anu wore. after severai years of service us wirector of the rresbyterian Lavor Llempie, wen Yorn, I bec:we Wetionul secretary of the thristizn pacifist rellowshi; of kReconci- lf liation in 1940. I served in that cupacity until reacning retire- vient age in September 19535. cCdince thcn I nave continued active as Secretury bireritus. Not only was I not connecteu with any Couwunist fronts during all tnese yeurs but I took a ieading part as tne executive of the F.U.HK. in analyzing and exposing the uwangerovs ana frevaplent char- acter of "uniteu fronts" ana in persuauing tne 1.0... eroups voth here anu in otuer countries not to take part in such activities as the Worla Council of Peace ana its affiisiated groucs, tne Stocknolm Pe-ce Petition, etc. wnat criticisuw there hac peen in pacifist and other peace groups during those yéurs was to tne effect that 1 was too "ri¢gia" and perhaps "“unreconciling" about sucn matters, fhe FLULR. at the same time has stoutiy aefendeu tne civil liberties oi Cowmunists aS weit aS aiid ObneErs, anu of course vith my m@arty approval. sro tne beginning tne wWational Councii of r.U0.h. has opposed the Suith act ana prosecutions unuer it as vio- deting american trauitions anu as tue wrong ana inetfective way to combat tne evils of communism oN Madd elas @ wnen £.0.h. or I personally have actea in this fiela of civii liberties, however -- as in a Mosenberg petition «a few years ego anu tné suiith Act maunesty petition -- we mave scrupuloussy avoided acting through, or «itu organizations or committees that might be suspecteu as “fronts", but have acted inuepenuentiy, waking it cleur in euch Case tnat we were opposeu to Communism anu vere uefenaing tne ripnts of those with whom ve Gisayreeu, not of those vwitu wilowm we agreeu and were collaborating. You have mwaue uw grave cnurgée aguinst me and wy recoru. You are unuovbtealy aware of the fact that your word in sucn watters as this czerries more weight probably than tnat of auy other person in our country. I respectfully submit that you shouia imueoiately take out of the recoru the allegation that I ngve "long frontea for Comusunists" 1 turn now to the question of "Mazartial observers" at the C.P. convention. I aw informeu by Norwe Nowas, who, aS he has tolu you, was associated with me in approacning peo pie to act as observers, that accoruing to wr. Nienols of your statf tne basis for the } I. thinking tnoat we were acting as a front in tnis watter is tnpe-the suggestion thut tuere be "observers" cume frou mr. Simon verson vio Was in cnarge of publicity at the U.P. convention. kr. Tnowa in his setter to you has aisposed of the cuurge tuut if tne idea du originate with mr. verson tunis made uw "fronter" ef any one who con- siderec the iuea hua merit. however, the fuct of tne matter is tuat the iuea aid not originat with air. Gerson or any other Communist. It wus first mentioneu by one of wy fellow-pacifists in wy own room. lt was tentatively mentioned to a couple of C.P. leaders as an iuea they wight explore vith tneir