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; Fry oo. a officer of the Department of Justice in any way to call in question the right to petition, not to Specx of labelling those vho exercise it as "fronters", seems to me a violation of trust ana the kind of action which gravely jeoparaizes cur uemocratic institutions. ae This leads me, without any animosity toward you personally, hr. os Hoover, to raise two questions. In the first place, I am under the impression that accoraing to your own statements it is tre function of the Federel sureau of Investigation to gather information, not to stan 4sifizcrmomn srm® fe Hoderao T4tenall deliver judgments or to attempt to "give the party line » so to speax, to Congressional Vommittees or the weneral public. Have you not in this instance departed frow this policy? In the next place, if a person in your position is to speak at all in sucn matters, should ne not refrain from stigwatizing indivia- vais who are not on trial, wno nave not even been cnarged with any violation of law, and who epviously nave no such access to channels of cublicity as you nave? it is wy impression that in recent years, as the result of the reaction of countless citizens against the ex- sses and atrocities of acCartnyismw, Congressional investiguting coun ttees have been at some pains not to give aut names of citizens who were ywuestioned at least until there was some basis for legal « charges against thew. To what pass have we come if a single indivio- to val ~- and ne the hesaa of the F.u.1. presumaply charged in a special Pe: and delicate manner with the protection of citizens against attack “ anu tne defense of our liberties -- can make charges against an in- {fuividual in the casual Manner that you nave used in this czse? Y Browse. see a . OE Bide Sty oe ‘ ty 1 rah I raise this guestion not, except in 4 very winor aegree, on ny own behalf. I do have souwe means of publicity und a long public recoru of being open end above boar@g in what I ao, whatever views ; people may hola as to my behavior. woreover, 1 have the inward pro- « tection of knowing that in what J have uone and said in these matters . I nave acted in accordance with the Christian faith ana teaching a which I profess. We are taught in the scriptures of that faith that os “"tt is the business of those who have influence ar power to be espec- ially considerate of tie Wan ana to WtaKke care not to d ‘Tena one of . these little ones". There are, alasS, a gooa many people in this va country who have little if any means to defend theuselves who huve been injured, materially and spiritualiy, by tnose who have power anda prestige. ‘- It is necessary to adu one final word about a matter which may come up in subsequent discussion. WUuring the past year and a half bem I have been sowewhut prominently involvea in tne process of promoting e wiiranuéelead political discussion from wuich no tendencies, including _ Communist spokeswen, ure excludeu. sowetines tnese uiscussions have q . been under the auspices of the Felilowshir of neconciliation when they Se have served a clear civil liberties purpose; sonetizes not. I think P that in insisting that all views snould be publicly heard 4 am true to one of the most basic of American trauitions. I tnink that in = insisting on the other hand, os I have done, that Communists must not % try to evade the public uiscussion of any issue, I aa far from "front ing" tor them. To this day I have maintainea my position of not ‘ engaging in "uniteu action" witn Communists, exept in this strictly