National Affairs: Shocking Pink

With Henry Wallace as its presidential candidate, the dusty rose Progressive Party in 1948 got a shade of respectability and a smattering (1,156,103) of votes. Wallace quit the party soon after Communist aggression in Korea. He now admits that the Communists "made a shambles" out of the Progressive Party. Last week the Progressive headquarters fashioned a 1952 slate that was strictly in shocking pink.

As "peace candidate" for President, party bosses-picked Vincent Hallinan, 55, a California criminal lawyer. After making a $3,000,000 fortune at the bar, Hallinan decided that the law was a "racket" run by the rich, became counsel for West Coast Communists, defended Harry Bridges in the stormy, 81-day perjury trial of 1949-50.

The choice for vice-presidential candidate was dumpy, domineering Mrs. Charlotta Bass, Negro, former Los Angeles publisher, and, until 1940, a power in California Republican ranks. Childless Mrs. Bass was steered left by a young nephew she adored, became bitterly radical when the nephew was killed in World War II. She visited Russia, dined with Ilya Ehrenburg in Moscow.

Progressive chiefs blew the usual blasts at U.S. race discrimination, "militarism" and "growing unemployment," but had nary a hard word against Joe Stalin.

Hallinan faced a six-month jail sentence as the U.S. Supreme Court (see above) this week refused to review a contempt of court sentence growing out of the Bridges case.