By Tom Martin in New York City THE SHADOW America today. The witch-hunters are back, and though the code-word has changed from 'communist' to 'terrorist' their enemy is the same: all those who oppose the imperialists' drive for war.
shadow cast by the witch-hunters is just that: it has no substance. America has moved on. Nowhere was this pearance of a shrivelled old man in court here last week.
Herbert Brownell once struck terror in to the hearts of millions Americans. As President Eisenhower's Attorney General, he more than was responsible allyulle for sending Ethel and Julius Rosenberg to the electric chair in June 1953 alter ineir irame-up conviction for passing atomic secrets to ine kussians Thunder It was Brownell who stole McCarthy's thunder by accusing President Truman himself of having covered up for comMEUUSIS Brownell who once boasted that he had 10,000 naturalised citizens investigation for subversion: Brownel who publicly compared 'Communists and fellow subverSuves 'mad dogs' who should be 'put away'.
Fallen But how are the mighty fallen! In the 1950s it was the United States government which went after Today it aulilusto. the Socialist Workers Party (SWP) and the Young Socialist Alliance (YSA)
the government.
Their suit now being heard here demands $40m colocusaLol LOI ilegal the and other agencies. and an injunction against such acts in the future And Brownell was reduced lu avocallll ao a WiLlcos for the defence. of the 1950s hangs over Yet this time something is different. The clearer than in the apBrownell's testimony was intenaca to back uD what is now the government's only defence in this trial: that it had every right to do what it did to the SWP and YSA. That is, to get party members fired rom their jobs, to burgle SWP and YSA offices, their mail, lau their phones, and generally to disrupt their politica activities all for years, and without uncovering evidence of single criminal act!
Wire Brownell explained that it was all because the were 'subversives'. How did he define the term? There was need to, he replied. "There was in general Consensus opinion on what it meant.
Citing the President's authority 'not only as the commander-in-chiet of the armed forces, but also as the person in charge of our foreign relations', he exthe constitutional Amendment when it came wiretaps and ilegal break-ins to install bugging devices. Outlaw Nor was it just a question of flouting the ConBrownell futher SOLUTIOn. testified that as Attorney General he had given the FBI the go-ahead to use these methods even when court rulings appeared to The real 'terrorist international.' outlaw them. And this was supposedly the nation's chief law-enforcement ofBrownell was followed onto the stand bv Robert Keuch, a top official in the Justice Department.
Keuch had earlier been called by the SWP/YSA to testify the GrA ment's authority for inrestigating them. Exposing him for a second time turned out to have been such a good idea for the defence.
Already one contradiction had occured to Judge Griesa. When asked whether the FBI had beer authorised to disrupt the Fos activities as well as just insaid ate the mine Keuch had said that, Justice Department was not aware of those activities' But Brownell's testimony included pro. duction of a 1956 report to a White House meeting by FBI Director Edgar Hoover which specified that the agency 'sought to infiltrate, disorganise and desrapt unaware of any disruptive activities Keuch could probably have survived this single blow to his credibility. But Inen more serious matter was raised by SWP/YSA attorney appearance, Keuch testithe of OTIC responsible on an how FBI had been 1976.
No names figures a certain Bag This individual had attended a meeting about the SWP case on 30 January 19 /9 The report quoted one of the agents present saying: agents discussed bag jobs in veilthe broad label of confidential investigative Tecturoues that it was his impression He statec that the section chief, in particular understood what was being said is inal section chief yourself? Winter asked Keuch 'Yes, is', replied Nevertheless, the SWP and YSA gradually forcing the facts of yet cover-up into the open. A report on the matter is now being prepared for the judge, who will then decide what action to take. Meanwhile Keuch's credibility as a witness has taken a dive. Fourth International minutes. Judge Griesa . wasn't really interested. 'Let's gel to the merits of the case he kept on saying.
Still Williams nagged away. Suddenly the judge exploded: 'I'm not going to have this. • t vou don' I'm cast declare you to have restec (your case), Mr Williams and I mean that' 'But don't have anything on the merits Williams responded. He could hardly have put it minutes later Lund was allowed to step down.
Merit The real merit of this case is that it is exposing before the public the way in which the capitalist state Watergate was no WULAS something out of the ordinary; Keuch and Brownell testilied that this is hos less the ruling class has always gone about its business.
And as they also explained, the new guidelines and other public restric tions on FBI activity came about not because anyone change of heart about what was permissible Lucy um t leramare the 40-year-long investiga tion of the SWP becaus they thought the party had suddely changed was _ because as Keuch testified, 'there are different periods and different times and different needs' 1976 was working were deeply about py about way the dragged War.
made whole