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Fr, ¢ korea) ) " ae et A JORK EREST STEINBECKE *Death of a Racket.’ " fhe article wos a review of an article by Stetnbeck which appecred tu the Apri] ©, 1955, tesue of "Saturday Review.” The article reflected that Stetabeck's article captioned "Death ef a Racket” was based on the book | "Folee Fitness” written by Barvey Motusow. Steitnback's article . Peportedly etated: . "The Matusow testimony to anyone who will listen places a bouquet of forget-me-nots on the grave of MeCarthy. The ridtculouaness of the whole aertea of taveatigations aow becones | @ppcrent, even to what a friend of mine used to call peanut- | munchers. Matusow will have @ auch greater effect than he knows. Fhot follows eannot be worse and may be better. Jt will surely i be funny.” fhe "Daily Worker" article conttnues, “It ta tnposstbhle not to be moved by thia kind ef statenent of an angered scorn which, tf the record ta to be kept straight, ttself participated tn, and helped to create, that very climate, these sane ‘winds ef the tine’ as Steinbeck pute tt, "when certain beste nonsense was Gllowed to poss unnoticed.’ Fer Steinbeck was tcken tn tow by the Cold War leadership to such an extent that Ae did not scruple even to lend the authority of his literary achtevenent to State Department droadecsts tn fcacist Spain, Italy, Vienna, etc." The article continued "“Steinbeck's contempt for the "certain besic nonsense’ whitch wae believed under the influence of the Cold War hysteria does not lead him to a rejection of the , Big Lie about the working~class Communist Porty. He still says ' that the Communtsts approve ef ‘the climate of disunity and sus- ' pteton whtch has haunted us for the last fen yeora,’ and that Communtets ‘would much rather keep the tnvestigctions going with thetr harvest of fear and disruption.® . « « It suffices that i John Stetabeck kas expressed sentiments which @ Itterary artiet ‘with a sense of responstbility for Ate nation cannot long atlence . without crushing Ata talent. e« -* (100-274988-4) For addittona] tnformation eoncerning Steinbeck you moy desire to contact the Assistant Chief of Staff, Intelligence, of the United States Army and the Deportment of Stotes The above infornation te furnished to you as a result of your request for @ nome check and should not be construed as a elearance or nonclearcnce of captioned trdividual., The information ts furnished for your use and should not be dissentnated outside of your agencye : WH