Copyright, 1948, New York Herald Tribune In Making Communists Out of Youngsters Progressive Youth Movement Seen as Step Toward Active Promotion of Red Cause ed By Heptisax Fept. A NY ONE who reads the Com- did not prove that Henry Wallace perience of the 30s is not theirs: munists' party publicity or was for Communism. U. S. S. R. to them is the war-time who observes their opera- tions closely is aware that the prop- So they met, soaked up oratory, ally of the 'peace-loving democ- agation of theoretical Marxism is and were dismissed without having racies' against fascism Wallace's heard the reports of their resolu- apologetics of Stalinism are taken the least and last of their objectives. tion and platform committees, but at face value-not the least im- Their business is to serve Soviet not without having unanimously portance of the Wallace movement Russia by slowing us down. To this end their strategy is to break down agreed to leave such matters in the to the Stalinoids is the chance it faith in American institutions, fos- hands of those committees. The gives them to propagate the Soviet ter discontent, destroy confidence few objectors were readily talked myth. This winter I spoke on Wal- in our future and back trouble mak- down by experts at that game, like lace on several campuses Vice-President Gojack of the United and when I compared Wallace's ers. I have beside me here copies Electrical Workers, who exhorted demagogy to Hitler's or spoke of of three of their publications in which neither Communism nor them "to cease quibbling over in- communism and fascism as simie significant technical details of pro- lar political formations, a percep. Soviet Russia ever gets a favorable cedure and organization, and to find tible shudder ran through the audi- mention, and in which there is never unity in the rich discussion and ence. A 'scissors' seems to be a word of Marxist doctrine. Their developing: we middle-aged former sole business is to tell how the Amer- wonderful leadership." Under the fellow-travelers of the Bolsheviks ican people are hoodwinked and ex- spell of this "rich discussion" they are coming to believe, as evidence ploited by government, the brass went whooping off at 5:30 p. m. on July 26, because the lease on Con- accumulates, that things are even hats, big business and the press. worse with U. S. S. R. than we One of them has at least ten times vention Hall had expired, leaving thought ten years ago. While 'the the circulation of "The Daily Work- all the business of policy making to youth' is more ignorant than we their hand-picked committees, but were then; and more uncritically fully prepared to spout second-hand enthusiastic about the Potemkin There is now virtually no drive at Communist propaganda all over the Villages of Stalinism They all for Communist party members United States as the very important seem to have developed a peculiar among labor's rank and file. The delegates who had been in on the combination of idealism and prag- great concern in that field is to help organization of a great movement. matism Attacked on the level members and friends, who are in of socialist principles, the neo-Stal- swivel chair jobs, retain their con- few days, or a few weeks, a high trol over a few unions which could, percentage of them will be back inist of the younger generation brushes aside such arguments as ab- n an emergency, make serious in the schools and colleges in which stract idealism. But when the attack trouble for us. They are losing they were taught nothing that is pragmatic and the facts are in- ground there and, though their hope would have fortified their minds sisted on, he justifies the worst hor- of building up a mass following in against subversive twaddle and will, rors as allegedly necessary steps to this country may not be dead, it is with plenty of encouragement from a highly abstract and speculative certainly long deferred. But in the "progressive" instructors, proceed to future end: the building of a social- scholastic world they are not los- shake the confidence of great num- ist society. A good pragmatist would ing ground. Their open allies among bers of other young persons in define U. S. S. R. by what it does: the academic may be few: but their everything American. What Henry a good idealist by how it measures secret allies are very numerous in- Wallace is doing for the Commu- up against some ethical norm: either deed; and, while relatively few can nists to adult thinking in this procedure would puncture the Soviet preach Communism and get away country is relatively unimportant, myth. But the neo-Stalinists work with it, they can and do preach dis- and is subject to serious setbacks both sides of the street." content and spread befuddlement. whenever Soviet policy is conspicu- The richest fruit of their labors in ously brutal. But in their expert M MACDONALD is of course that field so far was the gathering and surprisingly easy organization talking of young intellectuals of 1,930 young people from forty- of : big body of enthusiastic, goofy who are already convinced that four states in Philadelphia and their youth, the Communists have created nothing in this world is more im- organization into the Young Pro- a medium through which they can portant than the building of a "SO- gressives of America. Henry Wal- keep on pumping the party line into cialist society." But no great num- lace's patronage of this stunt was the schools and colleges, where they ber of those youngsters who attended perhaps the worst disservice he has have plenty of allies already, and the Wallace convention have reach- done this country and the greatest where counter-action can be thrown ed that conclusion. They were not service he has done his Communist into confusion by a little bluster told there that they should think party sponsors- and that is saying about "academic freedom." that way. They were told what lot. would destroy their faith in all In 1939 this herding of American youngsters into Soviet service would American leadership but Wallace's, I HAVE read many accounts of that not have been possible. The intel- and were sent back to destroy faith gathering, and while few observ- ligentsia was then too complete- in others as it had been destroyed ersi gave the great assembly of ly disillusioned. The man-made in them. When they start to preach youngsters quite as low a rating as this, they will meet opposition and famine of the early '30s, the trials Miss Rebecca West did, all agree be forced into close association with and purges of the old Bolshe- that they were a singularly goofy teachers and fellow students who viks, the purely opportunistic Soviet and gullible lot, and amazingly doe- are not discrediting America for the part in the Spanish civil war, the ile in the hands of the self-ap- fun of it but are doing it in the pur- attack on Finland and finally, the pointed leaders who had everything poseful Communist way. Hitler-Stalin pact alienated and -officers, committees, resolutions silenced the academic apologists of Against this there are defenses. and platform-ready for them to ap- that era for keeps. When Hitler The National Students Association prove unanimously, and who shut turned on Stalin they shared heart- which has just held a convention at up the very few dissidents with ily the pious hope of the man in the Madison, Wisconsin, is the strongest amazing ease. Experienced labor street that Hitlerism and Stalinism and most determined of them. At union men who did some snooping would devour each other and that this recent convention a compact among them testified that, while neither would survive the war; and body of seasoned warriors for the many may have come from working from that attitude neither the man American Youth for Democracy class families, "working youths" in the street nor the academic turned up as Young Progressives and among them made up a trifling mi- apologist of that era were moved one made their familiar outeries: but nority of the whole. It was essen- whit by the synthetic enthusiasm they were thrown for a severe loss. tially a scholastic gathering. Mem- for the fighting qualities of Stalin's Another organization in the colleges bers of American Youth for Democ- legions nor by the Kremlin's prom- which is New-Dealish and mildly racy, Communist sponsored and ises of post-war collaboration. Now socialistic perhaps, but is strenuous- consciously "leftist," which will now we have a big body of young citizens, ly anti-Stalin and anti-Wallace, is presumably lose itself in the larger including young academicians, who Students for Demoeratic Action. All organization, were everywhere and have no pre-war memories and who such need moral support and lots knew just what to do, leading the have just entered upon the painful of it. Anti-Communist college whoops of approval for every idea process of disillusionment. All this authorities and faculty members that came from the platform and is very well put by Mr Dwight Mac- with rare exceptions, stand con- the whoops of disapproval of every donald in his quarterly magazine, spicuously aloof from all such dis- objection from the floor. But they "Politics." Mr. Macdonald is best putes among the students, in the were not in the majority. Most of known at the moment as the author belief that they should not interfere the "delegates" were youngsters who of "Henry Wallace, The Man and with "free discussion," even though had been told and who believed that the Myth,' but he is a former Com- one side of the discussion may under its capitalist leadership, which munist and a former Trotskyist, amount to the propagation of dis- controls both major parties, this whose present political leanings I loyalty, The crypto-Communists country was going to the dogs and shall not attempt to define, except work hard, with the help of outsid- that no one but Henry Wallace could to say that he is vigorously and ers, to see that the subversives get save it. They had also heard and eloquently anti-Stalinist. After giv- plenty of moral support. College believed that, under their capitalist ing some account of how# he and authorities keep this dark for fear leadership, the two major parties contemporaries came slowly to real- that it may invite meddling with were determined on war with ize that they had been parties to the "academic freedom." But that means Russia, and that Henry Wallace only greatest "political imposture" in his- freedom for all: and the best insur- new how peace could be kept in tory, he goes on: ance of its survival at this time is this world and was putting up a fight "The younger generation in Amer- for those faculty members who have to discredit the bi-partisan war ica, on the other hand, seems to be positive ideas about the merits of policy. As for the Communists- not even at the level of sophistica- Americanism to sav so, loud and they were for Henry Wallace that tion I had reached in 1938, The ex- often.