◆ SpookStack

ay as tl ~ v we | re eT BH, ——__—- a copy of the Statement of Elgnt Observers, which you may well not have seen before you wrote your statewent. You will note that we report that the sessions we attendeu were uemocratically conducted and we cited illustrations. ‘We uia also express tne view that the conflict within the Party could not be uismissea -- to use xr. Rachlin's terminology -- as "merely tactical and designed to fool the public". I may parentnhnetically recoru ly personal opinion that, in view of what has happened in recent montns in the Communist movement in Polana, Hungary, Russia itself, and for that matter in the Communist ranks in the United otates, for any one on serious refiection to regard all this as an elaborately contrived stuge play he must be entirely incapandle of judging political developments or engaged in a calculatea attempt to create a distorted impression. However, the eight observers specifically stated that they sus- pended judgment as to whetner tne U.r.U.5.A4. had achieved independenc: of woscow and was moving towara Gemocretic socialism. we statea that in qo view of the very admissions made by the Convention as to past crines and errors, only the actual behavior of Communists and tne Comsunist Party couia furnish a basis for judging what was really happening. of the Catholic Worner, Veorge“Williougiuby, a triena and direct of Mpa i Committee for Conscientious Vbjectors, Alfreatiessler, ‘head pf tne literature departulent e fellowsnip of Reconciliation | Lyle Tatum, a mepatr oof the crudhisiit auerican Friends Service ¢ . It is difficult not to regary it as a gratuitous insult that the impression should be given t that persons such as vorothybay | Cuumittee, Rkoy-Fingd una payard/hustiti, of the War nesisters League, br. Stringfellowarr, and pbernarg“nosenberg would be participants in anything which involved "handpicking". fney are all persons known for tneir integrity and independence of character. way I in particu- .lar cali your attention to the fact tnat Mr. tosenberg, one of the ‘editors of Dissent magazine, wiio was "picxed" in exactiy the same way as everyone else, not only aid not join in tne otutenment of eight observers, Dut mage his own declaration, critical of my position, in a letter to the New York Post, sowething wuich ne had every rignt to do. Probably the most aeploreble and ominous feuture of your state- ment is tnat an office-noluer of your stanaing and prestige should inferentialiy attach the label of "fronting" for Vommunists to the nezrly fifty-distinguished americans, known fror their opposition to Communism, mno in 1955 signed a petition relating to Vommunists con- victed unfer the Smith act. This means attaching this label to drs. MleznorAMioosevelt, Norman Pnomas, the aean of Union Theologicsl Sem- inary, the dean of the Chapel at Columbia University, the dean of the Boston University school of Iheoiogy and others listea in the brochur enclosed herewith. I hope you wili note carefuliy the contents of the petition, incluuing the dissenting opinions of aistinguished Justices of the Supreme Court of the United states, on which the petition was largely based. Any citizen is, of course, entitleu $a criticize the signers of such a petition but labelling them as "fronters" because they exer- ll cise their right to petition is not legitimate criticism. for an