Excerpt 4:
Canwell looked down
at today’s star witness, J.B. Matthews. He was former director of research for
the House Un-American Activities Committee, or Dies Committee, in Washington.
D.C. Its goal was to expose an alarming growth of a Communist presence in government
and labor. Matthews made a
name for himself with his testimony and then leveraged his notoriety to build a
career as a professional witness. He’d flown into Seattle the previous day to
share his expertise with the Canwell Committee.
“Dr.
Mathews, are the UW professors openly recruiting students to join the party?”
asked Canwell after order returned to the hearing.
“No,
there’s nothing open about it. They’re very skillful with their deception,”
Matthews responded. In his mid-fifties, his neatly trimmed gray hair, rimless
glasses perched on a large nose and finely cut gray suit underscored his
credibility. This was a man of authority, credible and convincing. “These
professors have mastered Marxism and Leninism,” he continued. “They can
skillfully inject their philosophy into their teaching with little risk of
exposure.”
The
murmuring grew louder.
Mathews
picked up a document and held it high for everyone to see. “I have in my hand
an official pamphlet of the Communist Party,” he announced. “It’s titled the
Road to Mass Organization of Proletarian Children. It lists multiple objectives
for brainwashing our young ones.” The audience turned quiet, eager to catch
every astounding word from this man.
John
Jacobson was outraged. He was pinched in the middle of a herd of fellow
students in short-sleeved shirts and girls wearing sweaters and skirts. They
crowded the right and left aisles and overflowed into the stairway. The
students struggled to suppress their annoyance. Did this know-it-all think they
were simpletons incapable of knowing shit from Shinola?
John
planned to take Ellie and John Jr. to Woodland Park today. Ellie enjoyed
sunning near the rose bushes while Junior rode the ponies. But he was glad he
didn’t because this guy was unbelievable. John just finished his sophomore year
at UW. He’d taken courses from three of the professors named as suspected
Communists. He’d heard rumors about their leftist leanings. Not once did they
offer up anything questionable. Sure, they’d discussed Leninism and Marxism in
the political science and psychology classes. They compared those forms of
government to democracy and capitalism. He’d read the Communist Manifesto while
in the reformatory. Its failings were clear to him. He needed no convincing on
the superiority of capitalism and a republican form of government.
Matthews
began reading. “A special struggle should be waged at the family home by the
children to win over the adults. The goal is to convince parents to reject
backward ideas like religion, petty customs and traditions.” Matthews set down
the pamphlet and looked across the auditorium. Everyone was looking up at him.
The hall grew quiet for the first time that day. He hesitated long enough for
the words to sink in. “In case you’re unaware, Communists are atheists, and the
newly converted are expected to give up bourgeois holidays like Christmas.”
The
audience erupted in catcalls and boos. Christmas!
“Order,
order!” Canwell shouted, pounding his gavel. “If you want to remain in this
hearing room, I insist you show some decorum.”
“This
sounds fantastic to some Americans but there it is in black and white.” Mathews
waved the pamphlet around. “It starts with ten or twelve year old children and
continues right through university. Many colleges today, knowingly or
unknowingly, have become Communist front organizations.”
“Please
help educate us on Communist front organizations, Dr. Matthews,” Canwell
requested.
“Front
organizations are a half-way station between the status quo and the Communist
Revolution. They are a tool of the Communist Party for seizing power. There are
hundreds of them across America. I can name multiple ones right here in
Seattle.” He rattled off a list. “The Washington Pension Union, Students for
Wallace, the Northwest Labor School, the repertory theater. There are more,
believe me.”
John’s
annoyance rumbled around in his stomach, bubbling to the surface, ready to
erupt into full-fledged anger. Students standing near him stirred and
grumbled.
“The
U.S. Communist Party is going about it in the reverse order,” Matthews
continued. “They are working to convert college students today so they can
raise their children to be Communists tomorrow. It won’t happen right away or
even in a few years. It may take decades but the evidence is clear.” He stopped
to gather his thoughts and looked out at the audience. “My research shows that
professors who associate with front organizations on or off campus are inching
our country towards the unthinkable. They want nothing less than toppling our
democracy and turning America into a Communist state.”
The
room exploded in a roar of disbelief and indignation. Spectators stood and
booed. Others screamed obscenities.
“Stop
the bastards now!” a woman yelled.
“Hang
the Commies!”
“Protect
our children!”
“Fascists!”
screamed John and several other students.
Seattle Police and Washington State
Patrolmen rushed in the direction of the rowdy students. John was the first of
several pushed towards the exits. Before he could react, two burly patrolmen
grabbed him by each arm and dragged him towards the stairs leading to the first
floor. His feet barely touched the ground as they marched him down the stairs
and flung him unceremoniously through the open front doors. John lurched
forward trying to regain his balance but tripped and tumbled down the concrete
stairs onto the sidewalk.