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Show Merry-Co-Round By DREW PEARSON and ROBERT S. ALLEN WASHINGTON Here Is the inside story of Roosevelt's secret offer of the navy secretaryship secretary-ship to Colonel Frank Knox: The Chicago publisher and G. O. P. candidate can-didate for vice president was asked to come to Washington for a private talk with the president presi-dent at 4 p. m. Sunday, December 10. The meeting took place in the Oval room on the second sec-ond floor of the White House. Knox was not told the purpose of the conference, but he had a pretty good idea. However, he thought the offer would be for the army portfolio, since there had been considerable speculation that Roosevelt wanted to replace Secretary Wood-ring. Wood-ring. The president lost no time in getting down to brass tacks. He reminded Knox of the editorial edi-torial he had printed in his paper shortly after the start of the European war, urging a "coalition" "coali-tion" cabinet with several Republican members, in order to meet the emergency in a "national" rather than a partisan manner. "I think that was good advice than, and I think it is equally sound now," Roosevelt said in effect "As you know, the navy secretaryship is open and I'd like very much to have you take it It's a very important Job and I think you're just the man, Frank, to fill the bill." Thank you, Mr. President" replied Knox. "I appreciate deeply the honor you pay me. And if there were a real emergency I would be entirely en-tirely at your service. But I don't think emergency emer-gency conditions exist any longer, and under the circumstances I teal I'll have to decline your very kind offer." Revised Dies Report' The final version of the Dies committee report re-port was a lot different from the first draft and a lot milder. A snappy argument took place in a secret session over the various bombshells it originally contained. These bombshells had been Inserted by J. B. Matthews, one of the commttee investigators, who wrote the original report Here are some pf them which still remain unpublished: "From the beginning of the Congress of Industrial In-dustrial Organizations down to the present time, communists have wielded a dominant influence in its 00110108." The communist party, under Instructions of the soviet government, has engaged in subversive activities in the army and navy of the United States, in munitions plants and basic industries." "There are many self-admitted members of the communist party who are government employes." em-ployes." Also the report charged that the leadership of the United Automobile Workers and American Amer-ican Newspaper Guild are under communist domination. These sensational statements drew a flurry of protests from the three liberal members of the committee, Representatives Joe Casey (Mass.), Jerry Voorhis (Cal.) and John J. Demp-sey Demp-sey (N. M.I. Casey at Bat Casey was particularly incensed at Matthews charges against the CIO, and insisted on including in-cluding in the report this statement: "The overwhelming majority of C I O members mem-bers as well as the president are not communists or communist sympathizers." Voorhis and Dempsey warmly supported Casey, but the two O. O. P. members, Noah M. Mason (111.) and J. Parnell Thomas (N. J), Vehemently objected "You can count me out" shouted Mason, leaping to bis feet "I won't have any truck with Lewis and his labor radicals." . That goes for me, too," echoed Thomas. "You're both playing cheap politics," rapped Casey. "The facta don't support you and you . know it This committee is partly responsible for the myth that the CIO is run by reds. That la a falsehood trumped up by union haters to destroy public confidence in the labor movement move-ment Every honest man knows that Lewis and other responsible CIO leaders are innocent of such charges." Representative Joe Starnes (Ala.), presiding ' In Dies' absence, finally called for a vote, and declared Casey's statement approved, I to S Starnes did not state his own position, but later explained privately: "I wanted to avoid a tie. If I had to, I would have voted against the part about Lewis." That may or may not have been the reason. The three liberals had warned Starnes that unless un-less Matthews' report was "cleaned up," they would submit a scorching minority report blasting blast-ing Matthews and his tactics. ... 0 |