The Last Progressive President

June 1946

The Supreme Court has a new leader. In addition to our other challenges, H.A. had a very difficult decision in replacing Chief Justice [Harlan Fiske] Stone, whose unforeseen death occurred in April. The Court has not been a harmonious place. There are personality conflicts among the Justices and even a feud between [Hugo] Black and [Robert] Jackson, who were strongly supported by various factions for the top job at the Court. The animosity between Black and Roberts was so high that both threatened to resign if the other was appointed as Chief Justice.

H.A. decided to sidestepped this controversy by appointing someone who was not currently on the Court. [Harry] Truman was pushing for a sitting cabinet member and personal friend for the position [Fred Moore Vinson, Secretary of the Treasury], but Truman's petty comments and opposition to H.A.'s foreign policy did not put his recommendations in good standing with H.A.

There were many good names on the short list of candidates including Thurman Arnold, Jerome Frank, and Walter Huxman. All had been appointed to the Court of Appeals by FDR and were strong advocates of the New Deal. Since opposition to the New Deal was growing with the advent of the Whiskey Rebels, the Administration wanted to make sure that his appointment would promote the New Deal long after H.A.'s tenure in the White House ended. Since these candidates had been recently approved by the Senate for the Court of Appeals, we felt that the Senate would have difficulty in attempting to block an appointment.

H.A. picked Frank for his nominee. Frank worked with H.A. at the Department of Agriculture when H.A. was the Secretary. In 1935, Frank along with Alger Hiss [Communist Party member -A.S.] got into trouble when they created regulations in H.A.'s name to provide some protections for sharecroppers from their landlords in the south. This endears me greatly to Frank. Naturally, the landlords and cotton interests were enraged by this interference and put a great deal of pressure on FDR who then pressured H.A. to fire Frank and Hiss. H.A. said that, "I had no doubt that Frank and Hiss were animated by the highest motives, but their lack of agricultural background exposed them to the danger of going to absurd lengths." This was just another example of the New Deal not protecting my people. The southern Democrats were necessary to hold the New Deal coalition together and FDR folded yet again as he did in excluding agricultural and domestic workers from the Social Security Act of 1935 and other programs. At the time of Frank's firing, H.A. is reported to have had tears in his eyes and when he said, "Jerome, you've been the best fighter I've had for my ideas, but I've had to fire you... The farm people are just too strong."

However, FDR made sure that Frank's talents were not lost and quickly appointed him as Special Counsel to the Reconstruction Finance Association and later to the Securities and Exchange Commission. Now H.A. has elevated Frank from the Court of Appeals to serve as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Naturally, the Whiskey Rebels are appalled that the Supreme Court is now run by a Jew, and a Communist one in their narrow view. This confirms in their minds that H.A. is part of the Jewish and Communist conspiracy to destroy America.

To me this nomination proves that H.A. is now his own man and is done trying to placate the Whiskey Rebels and their conservative Democratic and Republican allies. We are going to move the New Deal forward and leave these reactionaries in the dust.

May 1946

H.A.'s efforts in supporting the United Nations and seeking diplomatic solutions to problems with Russia was vindicated when U.N. diplomacy successfully brought about the Soviet withdrawal of troops from Iran's northern providence of Azerbaijan.

However, the Whiskey Rebels refuse to acknowledge H.A.'s success. They immediately started rumors that H.A. and the U.N. had given Stalin tremendous benefits for the withdrawal - including how to build the A-bomb. This is ridiculous, but many Americans believe it. H.A. and our allies continue to be denigrated. We are described as "reds, phonies, and parlor pinks who are a national danger." This isn't from the Whiskey Rebels, but from our Secretary of Commerce Harry Truman!

© 2013 Ron Millar

April 1946

An old man, Thomas Dixon, Jr. is dead. I'm not celebrating, but I must admit I am not unhappy. Dixon was a well respected minister, author, politician, and racist. He is best known for his book the Clansman, which became D.W. Griffith's Birth of a Nation. His efforts inspired the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan. Although later in life he was critical of the Klan for their anti-Catholic and anti-Jewish stances, he never lost his belief in white supremacy. His brother, Amzi Clarence Dixon, helped write the Fundamentals a text that fostered fundamentalist Christianity. Both of these movements have contributed to creating the modern Whiskey Rebels, who perpetuate hatred in America.

March 1946

The anti-Soviet hysteria is growing. Winston Churchill delivered a speech at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri calling for an anti-Soviet Anglo-American coalition – “From Stetin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic an Iron Curtain has descended across the continent. Behind that line lie all the capitals of he ancient states of central and eastern Europe.” He said, Russia posed a “growing challenge and peril to Christian civilization.” This further fueled the Whiskey Rebels to take a hard-line stand against the Soviets in particular and Communists in general. “Iron curtain” immediately entered our political lexicon, and public opinion of Russia, and any movement or person who could be associated with it, plummeted. H.A., Ickes, and Eleanor Roosevelt fought back calling the speech an unnecessary attack on Moscow and the proposed Anglo-American alliance a slight to the United Nations. H.A. responded that it “would destroy the United Nations to have two of the chief members of the United Nations ganging up on a third member.” H.A. “didn’t see how these war-like words of Churchill now could have any more real influence on the Russians than this war-like attitude toward the Bolsheviks had in 1919.”

H.A. drew up a list of points to be used by members of the Administration to counter Churchill. H.A. wrote, “the American people were not willing to send American boys to fight anybody now; that certainly the Russians did not want to fight anybody now; that in all probability the situation would finally work out on a basis that would cause the Russians completely and utterly to distrust us; that it would cause the Russians to engage in a race with us in the making of atomic bombs; that while they might have be a long way behind us at the present time, they would have enough bombs to destroy us fifteen years hence; … that they would have no hesitation in continuing their fifth-column activities in all the nations of the world; that they could use these fifth-columnists effectively to destroy our form of government.”

The benefits of the New Deal will be destroyed if we have to use our limited resources to further expand our military might. Big business that creates our armaments will prosper, but the American people will suffer.

© 2013 Ron Millar

February 1946

H.A. has his hands full brokering deals between workers and big business. Strife is high. Over two million workers have been on strike across the country in coal mines, steel mills, and railroads. The administration, and sometimes H.A. personally, jumped in to mediate the strikes. With price controls as a strong bargaining tool, H.A. was able to settle the strikes in the workers' favor. His efforts have brought higher wages to workers and are very gradually reducing price controls so the higher wages are not lost with the higher cost of consumer goods. The Whiskey Rebels claim this is Communism; however, things are much different in Russia.

Stalin’s new five-year plan forces his citizens to sacrifice consumer goods in favor of military needs. Stalin is building his military because he fears a conflict with American and our allies. The violent rhetoric from the Whiskey Rebels and their allies reinforces Stalins paranoia. This creates a cycle that supports both sides. The Whiskey leaders see the new five-year plan as a declaration of war and that the U.S. must respond in kind. If didn’t help that newspapers have reports of Soviet agents funneling atomic secrets from the U.S. to Moscow via Canada. This continues to inflate the fear mongers that the president’s administration is riddled with Communist sympathizers and spies who wanted the Soviets to have the bomb and take over the world. Adding fuel to the fire, George F. Kennan, our American charge d’affairs in Moscow sent a telegram expressing his fears of Communist expansion.

© 2013 Ron Millar

January 1946

Henry Hopkins died of stomach cancer, and the Whiskey Rebellion celebrated. Calling him one less “communist pro-Soviet voice – struck down by God for his anti-American efforts.” Hopkins was a very good man. A strong Iowan, like H.A, and a staunch defender of the New Deal. We was pro-American, not pro-Soviet. He worked diligently to keep the Soviets in the alliance to defeat the fascists. He had three sons serve in the war, and one died in action on a Pacific beach. The Hopkins family are real heros. Not the chest pumping, arm-chair warrior Whiskey Rebels.

If Mr. Hopkins was a communist then the word communist has lost all meaning -- except for its pejorative value. H.A. said, “The word ‘Communist’ is used so loosely nowadays that no one can say what the truth is. Anyone who is further to the Left than you are – and whom you don’t like – is a Communist.”

Hopkins is not the only tragic news.

Dr. Edward Barsky and other leaders of the Joint Anti-Fascist Refugee Committee received subpoenas to appear before the House Committee on Un-American Activities. The subpoena also required the delivery to the Committee of the names of all donors and recipients of aid. They are refusing to cooperate and I fear they will be imprisoned for their political beliefs.

Much like the witch hunts of the dark ages, good people are going to be harmed from the anti-communist hysteria. I fear that dark times are coming again.

© 2013 Ron Millar

December 1945

H.A. and our allies in Congress were able to kill the May-Johnson bill [that would have maintained military control over atomic research – A.S.]. This month, H.A. was able to pass his legislation, the McMahon bill [Connecticut Senator Brien McMahon a Democrat]. This legislation allows H.A. to create a five-member civilian atomic energy commission [appointed by the president] and encourages civilian application of atomic energy. It also permits the international exchange of scientific information and supports the concept of United Nations control. Dr. Edward U. Condon, an eminent physicist who H.A. appointed to head the National Bureau of Standards, helped write the bill. This is one step in containing the atomic monster we have created.

The United Nations Commission on the control of atomic energy was created at the Foreign Minister Meeting in Moscow this month. Not just the U.S., but the entire world must work together for the peaceful use of atomic power. The meeting also produced an agreement with the Soviet Union to create a Joint Commission to make recommendations on how to unify Korea. We and our Soviet ally have divided the peninsula in half at the 38^th parallel. In another divided nation, the Soviets have also agreed to withdrawal their troops from Iran. British and Soviet forces had divided up the country during the war to oust their Nazi friendly leader [Reza Shah Pahlavi] and protect oil and rail lines there. Stalin was been dragging his feet on removing his forces, but I believe now that he knows he has an honest partner with H.A. he will come through on this promise. H.A. is fighting very hard against the anti-communists here in America to give Stalin the chance to be a friendly player in the world community. I don’t trust Stalin, but I hope for everyone’s sake that he uses this opportunity to demonstrate that the Soviets can continue to be our ally.

Speaking of old sores, I’ve made a complete recovery from last month. Two little bits of metal and a short wire decided that they needed liberating from my body. It’s uncomfortable, ugly, and messy, but my doctor says I don’t have to worry. Nothing inside me is life threatening. He says this will happen occasionally until the last bits of Spain escape my body.

On the domestic front, H.A. is working with his allies in Congress to revamp the tax structure to give economic incentives to businessmen willing to “expand production and create new industry.” He is also proposing to federalizing incorporation law to prevent “charter mongering” by states with weak statutes like Delaware. In addition, he is seeking to reform the patent system so it would not “be used as a weapon of oppression by large aggregates of wealth.” These changes will provide national leadership to allow innovate industries to thrive and advance our economy, prevent states from competing against one another in race to see who will provide the most giveaways to big business, and allow small businesses to compete against big business. H.A. is seeking to create a culture were businesses are active and productive members of our society, not greedy entities that seek to maximize their profits at the expense of our citizens, communities, and nation. Although I disagree with him, H.A. says capitalism itself need not be scraped. H.A. argues that the “perversion of its instruments” must be remedied. He says, there “are other ways to cure a headache than by decapitation.”

H.A. is finding that big business is not giving up on its perversions easily. They are sending, in historic numbers, lobbyists to Congress. These lobbyists are providing tremendous largess to the members who support them and threats to those who are opposed, or who are even slow to embrace their demands. The threats are not idle. The next Congressional election is just a little less than a year away, but candidates are already being recruited to run against members of Congress who do not succumb to the big business agenda. Money is also flowing to the Whiskey Rebels who are becoming more visible in our lecture halls and public spaces. They are also taking more and more space in newspaper columns and radio programs. This infusion of cash is allowing them to become more organized and visible and this visibility is attracting more and more adherents. I fear the shrillness of their attacks against anyone who supports H.A.’s efforts could drown out meaningful debate on our issues. We must do better to rally our supporters to counter the Whiskey Rebels and big business.