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toe colleagues. i undertook at the Sauwe time vo uiscuss the iaea with known civil libertarizns such as Norwan Thowas anu moger N. Zlcewin in order to check on the validity of tne idea. Finding that the idea seemed weritorilis, we proceeded, If the idea that wr. verson originatea the project was reported Bir! jto you as a fact by one of your agents or another person, the report -- whether by design or unintentional error -- was false. If the idea that ur. berson was tne originator was an inference, it was completely erroneous. ar 3e 2 tne conuitions on wuicn persons were asxeu if chey wished to sit in as "observers" were the following: 1) observers shoulc be persons known as opponents of Communism and as not identified with "united fronts"; 2) they should also have some recoru of concern for civil liberties of minority groups; 3) there was to be no veto by the C.P. of anyone asked to be an observer; 4) observers were not in effect to serve as reporters auring the convention, since unfortunately re- porters were not admittea to the sessions; but after tne convention all observers were to be couwpletely free jointiy of inaividually to wake any ina of reports, write any evaluations tney saw fit, etc., we Ri 8 a idea aap QUAUTEY Ba ay ot witn no censorship whatever, Pans oe . Ine allegation in your statement to the Senate Internal Security * [subcommittee tnat some observers were "handpicked" in a sense in i wnich otners such as mr. Hachlin were not, is completely contrary to 4 fact. all persons were approached py wr. [Thomas or nyself directly or through an intermeaiary. (It shouiu be put in the record that a number of persons who were approacneu, wno thought it a good idea, }:na wished to participate, aeclined to do so becuuse they feared ther: wmignt be precisely tne kind of comment which you have in fact made and they aid not wish to expose the institutions witn which they were connectea to the ewbarrasswent which tnis cuuses in the atmosphere whicn stili too largely prevails in this country and whien it is presumabiy the duty of the vepartwent of Justice to combat. If “the bepartwent is not in fact chargea with the aefense of the Constitu- oe pant in particular the sill of nights, what is its function?) a Among those who were contacted in the watter was wr. George hundyuist of the New York Civil Liberties Union. He indicated to wr me that he was looking for two or tnree board members of the N.Y. - U.L.U. to act as "observers" and a day or two before the @onvention ~ reported to me that #r. Carl HKachlin and wr. Migdol were prepared to we serve. wr, Kachlin and wr. Migaoi received invitations by wire frou - the National Comoittee of the Communist Party to wnom I gave their . mames and adagresses in the sawe way precisely as anyone else who in- 7” Gicuted readiness to participate in the project. Your statement about tue difference vetween ar. Hechlin's eval- vation of the Convention and that of the eight observers, including myself, who issuea a joint stetenent after air, Rachlin's appearance before the Senate Internal Security Subcommittee, is very vague. I cannot but think that on second thougit you will agree with me that important government officials, if they speax on such matters at all, should seek to be specific and scrupulously accurate. Your Statement gives tne impression that the eight vouched for it that jj che Coumunist Party Bad become democratic. I am enclosing nerewith WET Swat rr a * ow oe