The Militant (logo)  
   Vol. 67/No. 29           August 25, 2003  
 
 
25 and 50 years ago
 
August 24, 1953
The protest filed by the Socialist Workers Party against its redesignation on the U.S. Attorney General’s “subversive” list has been arbitrarily rejected by the Eisenhower administration.

As National Secretary of the SWP, I [Farrell Dobbs] had sent a formal notice of contest to the Department of Justice. According to the SWP attorneys, the notice complied with all the regulations prescribed by the Attorney General for challenging the “subversive” designation under the new Eisenhower “security” order.

The Attorney General, in his reply, challenged my authority as the executive officer of the party and ruled the protest invalid.

This crude violation of the constitutional rights of the SWP provides a new demonstration of the hypocritical policy of the Eisenhower administration. It represents a cynical flaunting of U.S. Supreme Court rulings concerning the legal rights of those victimized by the witch hunters.

The “subversive” blacklist, which is perpetuated and extended under the Eisenhower “security” order, was originated in 1947 by the Truman administration. It quickly became the principal instrument for attacks on political opponents by the party in power. Scores of organizations were stigmatized “subversive” by the Truman regime. None of the victims were informed of the charges against them. They were denied the right to confront their accusers or to have any kind of a hearing. Meanwhile they were publicly smeared in the newspapers and through television witch-hunting orgies by Congressional committees.  
 
September 1, 1978
Israeli warplanes bombed Palestinian civilian refugee centers in Lebanon August 21. The early-morning Zionist attack left four people dead and forty injured. The Israeli government claimed it murdered these civilians in retribution for a Palestinian commando attack on an El Al Airlines bus in London.

But the Israeli raid only underscores the Zionists’ hypocrisy on the eve of a new round of U.S.-sponsored Mideast peace talks scheduled to open September 5.

The U.S. government claims it is neutral in these talks and has the best interests of both Arabs and Israelis at heart. Thus, Washington suggests to Egyptian President Anwar el-Sadat that it might force Israel to return some of the Arab land it occupies. But only if Sadat will make some concessions to the Zionists.

Carter’s real goal, however, is not forcing Israeli concessions but protecting the interests of U.S. corporations in the Middle East.Washington knows that Israel is its most dependable launching pad for the military defense of these interests from the Arab masses.  
 
 
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