Authors v. Critics

Under the TV lights he loves, Joe McCarthy last week matched words with a whole shelf of fiery-eyed pro-Communist authors. McCarthy's Senate investigating subcommittee was looking into its charge that pro-Communist books had been placed in the 150 overseas libraries run by the U.S. State Department's international information administration. Before the camera's eye, both the authors and their critics strutted, pranced and bucked.

"No Admiration." Early in the first act, a weary and worn figure stepped before the camera. Earl Russell Browder, the deposed chief of U.S. Communists, was to be asked about three of his books (number of copies unknown) found in the U.S. overseas libraries. To show the kind of material in the books, the subcommittee read a Browder paragraph into the record: "There is no way out except by seizing from the capitalists the industries, the banks, and all of the economic institutions and transforming them into the common property of all under the direction of the revolutionary government."

Although there was no secret about his Communist background, Earl Browder would answer no "substantive" question. His reason: "The chairman of this committee has publicly declared that he is out to get me . . ." Now, now, clucked McCarthy, hadn't his testimony kept Browder out of jail in 1951 ? Yes, said Browder, but McCarthy did that only because it served his own interests. Chairman Joe, who in 1951 testified that Browder was not in contempt of the anti-McCarthy Tydings committee, replied that he had done it to serve justice. Said he evenly: "May I say that I have no admiration for you, Mr. Browder." Retorted Browder: "Senator, that is quite mutual."

The week's most agitated performance came from a blazing-eyed New York advertising copywriter, author of two pro-Communist books stocked in the overseas libraries. He greeted the committee with a shout:

"My name is William Marx Mandel. And . . . I would like to make it clear that I am a Jew."

Roy Cohn (the subcommittee's chief counsel): "So am I, and I don't see that that is an issue here."

Mandel: "Well, a Jew who works for McCarthy is thought of very ill by most of the Jewish people of this country."

McCarthy (later, glaring at Mandel): "I think the Jewish people is a great race of people. I do not think you represent them . . . Each race has its renegades."

Mandel (glaring at Cohn): "It certainly does."

More heated words flew on another subject:

Cohn: "Mr. Mandel, are you a member of the Communist Party?"

Mandel (shouting) : ". . . This is book-burning. You lack only the tinder to set fire to the books as Hitler did 20 years ago, and I ..."

McCarthy (interrupting): "We will have no more of that, Mr. Mandel. You will answer the questions put to you. Officer, I want you to stand by."

But Mandel answered only when he wanted to. Like Browder, he often ducked behind the Fifth Amendment, refused to answer on the ground that his words might incriminate him.

"Certainly Amazed." Equally uncooperative but not so loud was Samuel Dashiell Hammett, the grey, gaunt writer of mystery stories (The Thin Man). Three hundred copies of Hammett's books are on the shelves in 73 of the libraries. Hammett said he thought that "it is impossible to write anything without taking some sort of stand on social issues," but he steadfastly refused to say whether he is or ever was a Communist.

In one of his speech-questions for the TV audience, Joe McCarthy asked Hammett: "If you were spending, as we are, over a hundred million dollars a year on an information program allegedly for the purpose of fighting Communism . . . would you purchase the works of some 75 Communist authors and distribute their works throughout the world . . . ?" Replied Hammett: "Well, I think--of course, I don't know--if I were fighting Communism, I don't think I would do it by giving people any books at all."

A more cooperative witness was Negro Poet Langston Hughes, whose books (200 copies of 16 titles) are spread through 51 of the libraries. He readily admitted that he had followed the Communist line for many years, but insisted that he had turned away from it completely in 1950. When McCarthy asked if he thought his Commie-line books "should be on our shelves throughout the world, with the apparent stamp of approval of the U.S. Government," Hughes exclaimed: "I was certainly amazed to hear that they were . . . I would certainly say no."

Joe McCarthy had not found out who was responsible for putting the pro-Communist books on the U.S.'s anti-Communist bookshelves. Nor had any spokesman for the old Administration come forward to explain why it was done. The Eisenhower Administration had already acted. Books by known Communists are being cleared off the shelves.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.