one civilian. No union represen-

150,000 IN U.

S.

... The witchhunting drive against
States has taken its logical path and arrived right at labor’s doorstep. The labor spy racket,
set back on its heels with the LaFollette Civil Liberties Committee report in the thirties is
back in business again, but on a scale to make the old racket look like smalltime push-

cart peddling.

Today the racket is big busi-
ness, with an annual take of $250
million a year, shelled out mostly
by the great corporations, and with
a payroll covering at least 150,000
“peoples

And there’s another difference |
today; where once the anti-labor |
private eyes were officially frown-|
ed upon, and even condemned ‘by |
the government, now they receive '
- cooperation from such agencies as!

the FBI, the treasury department,

and even the Pentagon.

The gimmick now is the Son
_for- “security risks” in industry, es-
pecially industry connected with
“defense” work. But just as the

drive against “security risks” in| j
- government service ‘has been:
stretched to include persons slight-
ly to the left of Senators McCar-
thy and Knowland, so the drive in
industry has ‘victimized good union
men and women, even when they
have gone to-lengths to prove their
“anti-communism.”

A case in point was the “screen-
ing out” of CIO Electrical Work-
ers leaders at the Spery Gyroscope
plant on Long Island.

These workers had led the fight
to swing the workers out of the
‘independent United Electrical
_ Workers into the CIO, red-baiting
the UE leadership to accomplish
this end. °

Today these same workers are
out of jobs. The bosses had not

_ changed their ways despite the
switch of unions, and the work-
ers had to fight back. That made
them “security risks.”

This “security” drive against the
workers has become so alarming
that even AFL President George
Meany, who has done his share of
re-baiting, called for setting up of
a commission to study the ‘indus-
trial security” program.

The last CIO convention also ex-
pressed alarm over the “security”
dragnet.

By BERNARD BURTON

“‘subversives’ and

Labor spy racket
flourishing again

“communism”

‘

ThTh

JUD bolder abla

NEW YORK
in the United

Trained to hunt “subversives,”
FBI agents have found this newly
burgeoning “private industry” more
lucrative than government service,
and literally thousands have gone
into the anti-labor private eye

racket.

* * x

The February issue of The Re-
porter carried a study of some
,methods employed by this racket.

It noted that the “members of

j this newly prominent profession

‘are today collecting information
in every corner of U.S. life, for
purposes both legitimate and mali-
cious.” About 60 percent of this
work is done for corporations and
is devoted to eager: work
and to politics.

These investigators, ‘he article
stated. often are former FBI agents
and work closely with government
agencies.

“Through inside contacts,” it
stated, “the private detective can
get copies of Western Union mes-

_sages, unlisted telephone num-
bers, telephone toll-call records,
and hotel registration cards. He

tax figures, social security life-

time employment records, com-
pleted civil service job-applica-

A-blasts add
to L.A. smog

SACRAMENTO

was told last week that U.S. war
preparations are a _ contributory
cause of smog in California.
“Radioactive materials are car-
ried into the California atmosphere
from atomic bomb tests and other
operations involving radioactiv-
ity,” said Dr. Malcolm H. Merrill,
state director of public, health, in
his first report to the governor on

* * *

_ The concern finally was voiced |
in Congress a few weeks ago when |
several labor-backed congressmen
introduced a resolution for a non-
partisan commission to investigate
_ both the federal and industrial
security programs.

Defense Secretary Charles E.
- Wilson recently gave a slight ink-
ling of how the “industrial secur-
ity program” operates.

_ First, there’ are about two mil-
lion workers requiring “secret” or
“top secret” clearance. These must
be cleared by boards consisting of
professional military officers and

tative sits on these boards.

Second, there are some two mil-
lion other workers requiring a bit
lower “confidential” clearance.

_ These workers are to be checked
by the employers themselves, and
for this purpose they may hire
private detective agencies or “in-
formation services” to check on
their workers.

This is a legalized welcome car
for the return of the labor spies—
and they have swarmed back.

‘Involved are not only employ-
ers directly connected with arma-
ments work. Even employers who
think they may some day apply |
for “defense” contracts may—and_

actually do—employ the “services”
of these outfits. That’s so they can
have a high “security” rating ahead

the air pollution study project
ordered by Knight last October.

The report also said, smog in
California has a “disaster-making
potential” that could cause inci-
dents similar to Donora, Pa., and
London, England, where dozens
died and thousands were sick. _

But the report came up with
no specific cure-all and  recom-
mended throughout that additional
research and study was needed on
almost every phase of the prob-
lem. \
Dr. Merrill's report said motor
vehicles, oil refineries, fuel oil
and fuel gas, gasoline, marketing
and distribution, refuse incinera-
tion and disposal, chemical indus-
tries and “exotic sources’ con-
tribute to the eye smarting danger-
ous smog conditions in the metro-
politan area.

The atomic bomb material
classified in the latter category.

“The total amount of pollutants
arising outside the immediate
urban areas often is substantial,”
the report stated.

The report recommended that

is

‘|smog be made a matter of “state

concern” and that it establish a
program of. information, research,
and surveillance. Local communi-
ties should establish control pro-
grams, however, and coordinate
“dq. y to day air pollution con-
trol efforts with long range city
and county planning and zoning,”

of ue

the Sie se giode

can obtain treasury department ©

‘ also being widely employed. The

Governor Goodwin J. Knight! by coaxial cable to a standard

‘home receiving set in the plant

tion forms, and the detailed Pen-
tagon dossiers on some 20 mil-
‘lion present and former rrmi liar

personnel.”

The age of electronics ea tele-
vision has introduced a new ele-
ment into the racket, the article
related. It described how one
manager of a big plant employed
a combined private detective and
electronics expert, Bernard Spin-
del, to spy on his workers.

“To maintain a constant watch
over the activities of plant em-
ployees,” the article stated, “Spin-
del has installed no less than 12
‘bugs’ (concealed microphones) —
four in the men’s washroom, two
in the women’s washroom, and six
in the company dining room.”

Spindel himself boasted: “That's
one factory where nobody pulls
the wool over the boss’ eyes. The
manager has found the setup very
useful. He knows just which em-
ployees are acting up on the out-
side.”

Hidden television cameras are

writers of The Reporter’s story,
William S. Fairfield and Charles
Clift, disclosed that in a year
and a half “more than 30 pri-
vate companies in the New York
area alone have already install-
ed hidden television circuits for

Printers intimidated

watching their employees.” \

In one instance, the reporters
found, “four concealed cameras are
trained on the various segments
of the production line, connected

manager’s office.” Shades of Chap-
lin’s Modern Times!
: * * *

Like all other hucksters, the
private eyes have to produce to
stay in business. And if they are
called in to put the finger on
“subversives,’ then they have to
produce “subversives” in order
to meet the competition.

As a result, the writers of the
article declared, there is a “ten-
dency on the part of private loyal-
ty investigators” toward “submit-
ting an adverse loyalty report on
anyone about whom there is the
slightest suspicion, no matter how
unsubstantial.” And “loyalty” to
an employer, as anyone who has
even been on strike knows, means

at minimum a worker who is not

an active unionist. ;

The IUE members dismissed from
Sperry Gyroscope are an example
of what happens as a result of such
investigations. Giant companies,
such as General Electric, have
pulled a squeeze play with Senator
McCarthy to “get” militant work-
ers, whether members of the TUE
or UE.

The McCarthyite “wifehhont
rule in Washington, the Smith
Act and McCarran Act persecu-
tions have paved the way for the
return of the labor spy racket.
The union-hating private dick
outfits are now cashing in.

To stop this new threat to the
workers, the U.S. labor movement
‘needs to demand a “complete dis-
closure of all labor spy operations
and the tieup with government
agencies.

More, labor needs to take the
lead in demanding elimination, of
“Subversive” legislation, such as

the Smith Act, which inevitably
\ spawns labor spies.

NEW YORK

The publishers of False Witness,
the book written by Harvey Matu-
sow to substantiate his admission
that he lied throughout his long
career as an informer and pro-
fessional witness for the U.S. gov-
ernment, have charged that at-
tempts are being made to prevent

‘the book from appearing as sched-

uled on March 15.

A statement issued by Angus
Cameron and Albert E. Kahn of
the New York publishing house,
Cameron and Kahn, charged that
pressures
sentatives of the justice depari-
ment” were interfering with pro-
duction of the book.

The statement continued:

“We are informed that printers
and binders in New York, after
agreeing to handle the production
of the book, are continuing to with-
draw from their agreements as a
result sof the pressures being
brought to bear on them.

“Thus far, three printers and
four binders have taken such ac-
tion. We are informed by one
printer that other printers in the
city are being ‘visited’ as a part of
this campaign of intimidation, . . .

“As the publishers of Matusow’s
‘book .. . we regard this effort to

HARVEY MATUSOW

Attempts fo suppress
Matusow book hit

“apparently by repre-|

DON’T MISS IT!!
THIRD ANNUAL

ALBERT E. KAHN

intimidate the book publishing
community as a continuation of 4
campaign on the part of the jus
tice department to suppress this
book, which contains charges seri-
ously implicating the department.”

B.C. delegates to
USSR returning

Eight Canadians who have spent
the past month touring the Soviet
Union are now on their way home. —

Two B.C. members of the Cana-
dian - Soviet Friendship Society
delegation, Mrs. Kay Rankin and
Mrs. Ann Nsoanatly, both of Vane
couver, are planning to speak at —
many Interior points on their way
to the coast.
held in Michel, Fernie, Cranbrook; —
Kimberley, Nelson, Trail, Grand
Forks, Osoyoos, Penticton, Kelow-
na, Vernon, Armstrong, . Salmon
Arm and Kamloops. - ;

A: rally for the two delegates
will be held in the city early 1
April. Both are prepared to relate
their impressions to organizations
and house meetings, and persons
interested are asked to contact the
Canadian -Soviet Friendship $0
ciety, 2034 Bayswater, CH. 4668.

LABOR BAZAAR

_ Friday, March 11 — 2 p.m. - 12 p.m.
Saturday, March 12 —'10 a.m. - 12 p.m.

HASTINGS AUDITORIUM

An Event for the Family

Fun For The Kiddies — Bargains Galore

Games — Delicious Food — Dancing
\

828 EAST HASTINGS ST.

¢

Apple Pie and Bread-

Baking Contest
MEN AND WOMEN
Baking Judged Sat., 2 p.m.

BAZAAR DANCE
SAT., MARCH 12 - 9. P.M.

Hasti ngs Auditorium
Lower Hall

PACIFIC TRIBUNE — MARCH 11, 1955 — PAGE 2

Meetings will be