Publisher: Historium Press
Pages: 270
Genre: Historical Fiction
Praise for Unbelonging:
"Just a great read and anyone who picks it up is guaranteed to learn a thing or two: from Guadalcanal to local labor disputes."
~ Mr. K, Amazon 5* review
Excerpt
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.
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