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STOP POLITICAL TERROR ON WPA

Place: Germany.    
Year: 1933.

Hitler uses the "communist bogey" as an excuse to fool the German people - smash their unions - destroy their religious organizations. 

Place: U.S.A.      
Year: 1940. 

WPA uses the same strategy to terrorize WPA works politically and organizationally. They want to scare workers who organize to fight for better conditions on the job - higher wages - and a real WPA program.

In the past few weeks, hundreds of WPA workers have been 'suspended indefinitely' - their earned wages withhold - pending investigation of violation of 15(f). They are all pending investigation whether they are communists or not.

THE WPA DEFINES A COMMUNIST AS ANYONE WHO:

1 - Is a member of the Communist Party.
2 - Prescribes to the theories of Communism. 
3 - Is a fellow-traveler.
4 - Enrolled as a Communist in the 1936 elections, 4 years ago.
5 - Signed a Communist party election petition.

The five points listed above include any worker who has over expressed any progressive ideas or engaged in activity in behalf of workers on the projects.

Most of the hundreds of WPA workers already fired have not even had a hearing. The few that have, were subjected to gruelling [[grueling]] "Star Chamber" proceedings which matched Hitler in Nazi Germany. Such questions as "How did you vote?" - "What organization do you belong to?" - "Have you any Communist friends?" - etc. - are thrown at the workers. 

WE CHARGE THAT LABOR SPYS ARE BEING USED BY W.P.A. AND THEIR LYING "INFORMATION" ACCEPTED WITHOUT INVESTIGATION OR FAIR TRIAL. THIS IS UNLAWFUL.

Every worker now employed on WPA signed an affidavit stating that he is neither a Communist nor a Nazi Band member. The law specifically says that this affidavit must be accepted as proof unless and until the contrary is proved. Yet hundreds of WPA workers have been declared guilty before being given either a fair hearing or a chance to see a copy of the charges against them.

(1) WHY IS THIS THING HAPPENING NOW - RIGHT BEFORE ELECTIONS??

(2) WHY IS THE ADMINISTRATION AT THIS TIME SUPPORTING DAVID LASSER'S "patriotic-100%-American-Security-Union.", whose main purpose seems to be to get votes for Roosevelt??

(3) WHY SHOULD WPA INTERFERE OR INQUIRE INTO A MAN'S VOTE JUST BECAUSE HE DEPENDS ON THEM FOR A JOB??

We believe that this is political CORRUPTION and a CONSPIRACY TO SMASH ORGANIZATIONS WHICH PROTEST AGAINST THE INEFFICIENT AND CORRUPT MANNER IN WHICH THE WPA IS BEING ADMINISTERED.

PROTEST TO PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT. Write a letter today demanding that he intervene to reestablish the civil rights of all WPA workers; that all WPA workers be reinstated immediately until they are proved guilty by a fair and impartial hearing, in a truly American way.

Issued by: JOINT COMMITTEE FOR DEFENSE OF SUSPENDED WPA WORKERS.

28 West 31st Street, 
New York city
LA. 4 - 1328