CONGRESS: Hero's Week

Last week a Red-fearing woman in Pine Bluff, Ark. sent Congressman Martin Dies a check for $100. This did not surprise Mr. Dies. But, as a Congressional investigator, he can spend only appropriated funds, so he had to return the gift. In his great hunt for un-Americans, Martin Dies is used to receiving and refunding thousands of donated dollars. Once an 82-year-old beneficiary of Social Security telegraphed SSB to give Martin Dies $362 due her. His take-&-return runs as high as $800 in one day, runs highest when he makes radio speeches announcing that he is being persecuted.

Bulwarked by such patriots, Mr. Dies with perfect confidence last week asked the House to extend his inquiry for a year beyond next Jan. 3 (when his present authorization expires). Having spent most of the $125,000 so far appropriated to his committee, he announced he would ask for $100,000 at the next regular session of Congress. His awed fellows in the House had talked seriously of letting him have up to $500,000, seemed certain to vote one-fifth as much.

Formidable Mr. Dies further defined what he means by un-American activity last week. Up to then he had occupied himself principally with Communism, less frequently with U. S. Naziism & Fascism. In Manhattan to address the Associated Grocery Manufacturers of America, he broadened his distastes to include "people who were impressed with the necessity to remake society along socialistic lines." Said he to the grocery manufacturers, further defining his aims and his conception of acceptable Americans: ". . . The businessmen of this country must . . . say to the people of the country: 'We have a program, a program that is American, a program that is not perfect but at least will retain your liberty and your freedom if you follow it. . . ." When that leadership is assumed throughout the United States by our industrialists, our executives . . . we will have less of demagogues and racketeers [and] the damnable doctrines of Socialism and Communism."

Many an industrialist and executive applauded these words—but not all. Potent Powerman Wendell Willkie (Commonwealth & Southern) proceeded to hop on Mr. Dies with both feet. Mr. Willkie observed that when Congressional committees were harrying him and his fellow businessmen, he had kept mum lest he be accused of self-interest. But, said he, "Obviously the men under investigation now [by Dies] are men of completely contrary belief to mine. . . . The democratic process cannot go on and will be gradually undermined if men can be put on the witness stand without protection of counsel and without any adequate opportunity to answer. There is no more cruel way to destroy the reputation of a man than by publicity, by inference and by innuendo. . . ."