Martin Dies junior

Martin Dies Jr.

Martin Dies Jr. (born November 5, 1900 in Colorado City , Mitchell County , Texas , †  November 14, 1972 in Lufkin , Texas) was an American politician of the Democratic Party . He was first elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1930 and belonged to Congress from March 4, 1931 to January 3, 1945 (72nd to 78th Congress), and from January 3, 1953 to January 3, 1959 (83rd to 85th Congress).

This became known to a wider public when he took over the chairmanship of the 1934 initiated by Samuel Dickstein and John W. McCormack "Committee on Un-American Activity" ("Committee for the investigation of un-American activities") in 1938 . This kept the chairmanship until 1944, stamped its stamp on the committee so that it was also known as the "Dies Committee" ("Dies Committee"). This - 1945 House Un-American Activities Committee ( Committee on Un-American Activities renamed) and from then on constant - Committee developed under this' chairmanship to the relevant instruments with which the hysterical persecution of the so-called McCarthy era were carried out.

biography

Early years

This was born on November 5, 1900 in Colorado City to Martin Dies, Sr. (1870-1922) and his wife Olive Cline (née Blackshear). His father was a lawyer, u. a. also County Marshal, county judge, district attorney and Democratic Party member of the House of Representatives for the 2nd constituency of Texas (61st to 65th Congress) from 1909 to 1919. In 1902 the family moved to Beaumont . After attending public schools - Wesley College ( Greenville , Hunt County ) and Cluster Springs Academy ( Cluster Springs , Virginia ) - and graduating from Beaumont High School in 1918, Martin Dies Jr. took up law studies at the National University ( Washington ) (today: George Washington University ). In 1920 he graduated with a Bachelor of Laws (Legium Baccalaureus) here, was admitted to the bar in Texas and opened a law firm in Marshall , Harrison County . In the same year he married Myrtle M. Adams. The couple had three sons - Martin, Jr., Robert and Jack. In 1922 he moved to Orange , Orange County, where he joined his father's law firm and also served as a district judge.

Congressman

In 1930 he was elected to the US House of Representatives in the 2nd constituency of Texas as a member of the Democratic Party (72nd Congress). It was the constituency where his father had been elected between 1909 and 1919. At the time Dies Jr. was first elected here, the constituency included Jefferson, Orange, Angelina, Sabine, San Augustine, Tyler, Hardin, Liberty, Jasper, Newton, and Shelby Counties. (In 1935, Panola, Nacogdoches, Cherokee, and Harrison counties were added to the constituency.) This Jr. was the youngest MP at the time he was elected to Congress, aged 30. Dies initially supported President Roosevelt's New Deal policies, but later turned against them.

This committee

In March 1934 was at the initiative of the Chairman of the Committee on Naturalization and Immigration ( Committee on Immigration and Naturalization ) of the US House of Representatives, Samuel Dickstein (Democratic Party / New York) - so-called "Dickstein Resolution" - a Committee on Un-American Activity ( Committee to Investigate Un-American Activities ) has been set up.

The committee initially examined predominantly right-wing extremist, fascist organizations and associations, in particular the propaganda activities of the German-American Bund ( Amerikadeutschen Bund ) ( DAB ), as well as the - presumed - financial support of the right-wing scene in the USA by Hitler's Germany (an assumption, which could not be verified). The committee was chaired by John W. McCormack (Democratic Party / Massachusetts) and Samuel Dickstein became vice-chairman. (In this initial phase, the committee was named McCormack-Dickstein Committee / McCormack-Dickstein Committee after the two dominant people). When Dickstein applied to the House of Representatives in May 1938 to continue the investigations of the McCormack-Dickstein Committee, which had been temporary until then, the so-called “New Deal Coalition” was already in the process of dissolution and the so-called Conservative Coalition (“ Conservative Coalition ”) began to grow form. (The "Conservative Coalition" was an informal, bipartisan alliance of the majority of the Republican Party and right-wing conservative politicians of the Democratic Party, mostly from the southern states of the USA. This coalition largely controlled the legislation of the Congress from 1939 to 1963, blocked liberal legislation and remained an influential political force into the 1980s.) While Dickstein had found broad support in 1934, this time his application failed at the first attempt.

It was only after he was supported by Dies that Dickstein was able to get the motion through. However, dies then also took over the chairmanship; Dickstein was expelled from the committee, and under the auspices of Dies the committee of inquiry was given a completely new face. (cf. John E. Haynes, Red Scare or Red Menace, p. 64ff .; Richard M. Fried, Nightmare in Red, p. 46ff.) Until then, the focus of the investigative activities of this committee - above all through the work of Samuel Dickstein - located with right-wing extremist organizations, this was followed by a swing. Now the focus was mainly on left and communist organizations. The investigations of Dies were spectacular and popularized, and the committee soon came to be referred to as simply the Dies Committee ( "Dies Committee" ). (....)

Senate election 1941

In 1941 Dies stood for election to one of the Texas Senate seats. From the election, however, W. Lee O'Daniel emerged as the winner. O'Daniel won 1306 votes more than Lyndon B. Johnson - his main competitor. This was only fourth in this election.

Increasing criticism of the dies committee

It soon turned out that the Dies Committee was not delivering any useful results, but mainly producing hot air. The then attorney general at the time, Francis Biddle , stated in 1942 that of 1,100 people suspected by Dies or his committee of subversive activities within the government apparatus, only two people - subsequent investigations by the FBI - were found to be well founded have. In addition, according to Biddle, the costs of the dies committee were many times higher than the funds the FBI needed for its research. By this time, the Dies Committee had already claimed $ 438,000 ("Time" of September 14, 1942: "1,100 Charges").

Massachusetts Democratic MP Thomas H. Eliot stated (also in 1942):

"The committee has all too often acted irresponsibly... Rash and reckless in a time of national danger.... The Dies Committee's definition of 'subversive' is so fantastic as to defy belief.... A vote against the Dies Committee is a vote for responsible government. " (quoted from "Time" of March 2, 1942: "Dies Irae" ')

( "The [Dies] Committee has acted irresponsibly far too often ... ... at a time when our state is in danger ... The Dies Committee's definition of 'subversive' is so bizarre that you can hardly believe it ... To vote against the Dies Committee means [at the same time] to vote for responsible government policy. " ).

Eliot gave a few examples of the false allegations made by the Dies Committee. A government employee, for example, was only suspected for signing a petition against the Dies Committee. Another's “crime” had been campaigning for the National Youth Administration (NYA). A woman named Mary Johnson was suspected of taking photographs for a communist newspaper by a completely different Mary Johnson. A George Saunders of San Francisco had been "made" a communist in Pittsburgh by Dies ("Time" of March 2, 1942: "Dies Irae").

However, throughout the duration of World War II, Dies unwaveringly continued to attack the Roosevelt government, claiming over and over that the entire government apparatus was riddled with "reds". In addition, the Soviet Union - allied with the United States during World War II - was the focus of his attacks. These 'attacks were only too gladly taken up by the propaganda ministries of the Axis Powers in order to exploit them for their own purposes. Numerous statements from this have been taken literally, as the Federal Communications Commission found in a report:

"His [Dies's] opinions were quoted by the Axis without criticism at any time."

( "His [dies'] opinions were adopted by the Axis Powers without any critical comments." )

Dies' attacks on the government became so intolerable that then- US Vice President Henry A. Wallace went public in the following words:

“If we were at peace, these tactics might be overlooked as a product of a witchcraft mind. We are not at peace, however. We are at war, and the doubts and anger which this and similar statements of Mr. Dies tend to arouse in the public mind might as well come from Goebbels himself so far as their practical effect is concerned. As a matter of fact the effect on our morale would be much less damaging if Mr. Dies were on the Hitler payroll .... ” ( quoted from: Albert E. Kahn:“ Treason in Congress ”- The Record of the House Un-American Activities Committee )

( "If we had peacetime, then perhaps these practices would be viewed as the product of a confused mind. Unfortunately, we are not at peace, but at war, and the uncertainties and fears that these [?] And other utterances by Mr Dies cause in public could - if you consider their effects - come from Goebbels himself. The fact is that the effects on our morale would not be so severe if [it could be said that] Herr pays this from Hitler would .... " )

No re-election

In 1944, this refrained from running for the 79th Congress. Time wrote on May 22, 1944 under the title “Dies Out” : “Three days before the filing deadline for Texas' primary elections, 42-year-old Martin Dies threw in the towel instead of his hat.” ( “Drei Tage vor the deadline for the primaries in Texas, 42-year-old Dies did not throw his hat into the ring, but the towel. " ) This' official reason for his withdrawal from politics after 14 years in Congress was: " ... a throat ailment, a desire to return to private law practice, a dread of becoming a professional politician. " ( Time "of May 22, 1944:" Dies Out " ) ( " ... a throat ailment, the desire to return to his own law firm, the fear of becoming a professional politician. " )

Organized Workers Resistance

There were voices, however, who saw somewhat different motives for his withdrawal from politics: Due to the increased war production, thousands of workers from outside Mississippi had immigrated to the constituency of Dies and had started work in the oil refineries and docks of Beaumont , Port Arthur and Orange , which led to a complete change in the previous electoral structure. The result of such a change could already be seen with three members of his committee. Time wrote on May 29, 1944 under the title "Labor at the Polls" ( "Workers at the Ballot Box" ):

"In Hollywood last week Democrat John M. Costello, no friend of union labor but an able legislator, went down to defeat in the California primaries. He was the third member of the Dies Committee to be eliminated in four weeks. Crowed a California CIO newspaper: 'The Dies Committee scoreboard today read: 3 down, 5 to go.' ... And in Texas, Martin Dies screamed bloody murder about a $ 250,000 CIO campaign to 'get him'. Snorted Sidney Hillman: 'We haven't spent 7 ¢ to beat dies.' "

( "In Hollywood last week, the Democratic Party MP, John M. Costello - not a friend of the trade unions, but a very useful politician - [already] went down with the Primarys in California . He was [meanwhile] the 3rd. Member of Dies Committee beaten within four weeks A CIO magazine in California exulted, "The Dies Committee scoreboard today shows 3 hits, 5 goals to be scored." ... And in Texas, Martin screeched This 'Bloody Murderer' because the CIO started a $ 250,000 campaign to 'shoot him down.' [At which] Sidney Hillman snorted, 'We didn't even spend 7 cents beating this.' " )

( CIO = Congress of Industrial Organizations )

Obviously Das wanted to run into a predictable defeat without seeing it.

So wrote Time on November 27, 1944, entitled "Dead Duck" ( "Dead Duck" ):

"Half the members of the Dies Committee were lame ducks — Martin Dies had decided not to run, and three more were picked off by the voters. Last week the whole Committee became a dead duck. House leaders of both parties agreed that the Committee — which could find a Communist under almost any bed — should not be revived when its lease of life runs out on Jan. 3. Some US citizens were delighted at the news; few shed tears. "

( “Half of the members of the Dies Committee were [already] ' lame ducks' - Martin Dies had decided not [at all] to run, and 3 other [members of his committee] have been swept away by the voters. Last week [but], the entire committee [then] became a “ dead duck.” The faction leaders of both parties in the US House of Representatives agreed that the committee - which felt empowered to do so, had a communist under almost every bed to be discovered - should no longer be continued when his life period expires on January 3rd [1945]. Some US citizens were delighted with the news; hardly anyone shed tears. " )

End of the " white primaries "

In addition to the resistance that was opposed to him from the ranks of the organized working class, a judgment of the Supreme Court of April 3, 1944 was certainly one of the decisive factors in Dies' decision not to run for election. On April 3, 1944, in the Smith v. Allwright (321 US 649) leveled the obstacles that had previously excluded black Americans in Texas from voting. Lonnie E. Smith , a black American from Houston , Texas, had sued for his right to attend the Democratic Party primaries . At that time, the Republican Party played such an unimportant role in the southern states of the USA, or the Democratic Party was so dominant, that the election decision was already made in the primaries, the subsequent final election campaign was only a matter of form. Due to a court decision of the Supreme Court in 1921 ( Newberry v. United States - 256 US 232 ), the government in Texas passed a law in 1923 that excluded the black population from the primaries of the Democratic Party ( “White Primaries " ). Lawrence Aaron Nixon had repeatedly appealed against this law, or the "White Primaries" , to the Supreme Court . In Nixon v. Herndon (273 US 536) (March 7, 1927) and Nixon v. Condon (286 US 73) (May 2, 1932 ) , the Supreme Court declared the "White Primaries" unconstitutional because they clearly violated the 14th and 15th Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Despite these decisions, however, African Americans continued to be excluded from the primaries in Texas because the Democratic Party now defined itself as a “private event” , a private organization, and - in its “private sector” - could continue to exclude African American voters from its primaries. In the decision of Grovey v. Townsend (295 US 45) (April 1, 1935 ) was even confirmed / confirmed this view by the Supreme Court - contrary to the two previous judgments of 1927 and 1932. Only in the Smith v. Allwright (321 US 649) (April 3, 1944) , with which the Supreme Court overturned the previous three decisions, the "White Primaries" were finally marked as unconstitutional and overturned. The Supreme Court stated that due to the weight / importance of the primaries in Texas, these pre-elections should already be seen as an integral part of the (entire) electoral process and for this reason black Americans should not be excluded from them. The decision was one of the milestones on the road to the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and greatly increased the number of African Americans who voted (now could vote). In 1940 no more than 30,000 African Americans registered for the Texas elections, in 1947 there were already 100,000 and in 1956 214,000 ( cf. Hine, p. 254 ). Martin Dies junior - if only because of his proximity to the Ku Klux Klan - could not expect these voters to choose him.

comeback

After the 1950 census, Texas would have been entitled to one more seat than before in the US House of Representatives due to the increase in population. The boundaries of the previous electoral districts should have been redrawn / redefined. In Texas (like several times before) they chose a different route. For the new, additional seat for Texas in the US House of Representatives, a Congressman-at-large was determined in the upcoming congressional elections , who was elected by all voters in the state of Texas. (A regulation that was retained until 1958.) In 1952, this was able to win this new seat for itself and moved into the US House of Representatives again as Congressman-at-large for Texas. (For the term: Congressman-at-large  : Article in the English Wiki: Texas's At-large congressional district ). This belonged to the US House of Representatives from January 3, 1953 to January 3, 1959 (83rd, 84th and 85th Congresses).

As soon as this was back in the US House of Representatives, he went - as Time wrote - "back on a well-worn trail" ( "Back on the beaten track" ) (. Time February 22, 1954: "Shivers & Dies" ). This resulted in a law making membership of the Communist Party of the United States (CPUSA) a serious crime: a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine of $ 10,000. This: "It will once and for all end this issue so far as the US is concerned." ( "It [this law] will end this matter once and for all [at least] as far as the United States is concerned." ). The then governor of Texas, Allan Shivers , felt encouraged to give a speech in St Louis calling for a law for Texas to punish membership in the Communist Party with the death penalty. ( Time February 22, 1954: "Shivers & Dies" ).

Senate election 1957

In 1956, one of the two Texas Senators, Price Daniel , was elected Governor of Texas. Daniel, whose regular term of office would not have ended until January 3, 1959, then resigned his Senate post and special elections for the vacant Senate seat were held on April 2, 1957. This stood for election for the Senate seat, but was beaten by one of its competitors, Ralph Yarborough , who won 38 percent of the vote. This cut off second in this election and Yarborough took office on April 29, 1957.

Final withdrawal from politics

In 1958 this did not stand for re-election. He practiced as a lawyer again and wrote articles for American Opinion magazine , in which he continued to warn of the communist danger. In 1963 his book Martin Dies' Story was published.

Martin Dies died on November 14, 1972 in Lufkin. He was buried in the Garden of Memories mausoleum .

literature

• Martin Dies, Jr .: The Trojan Horse in America. 1941.
• Martin Dies, Jr .: Martin Dies' Story. 1963.
• John E. Haynes: Red Scare or Red Menace. Chicago 1996, ISBN 1-56663-090-8 .
• Richard M. Fried: Nightmare in Red. Oxford Univ. Press, New York 1990, ISBN 0-19-504360-X .
• Darlene Clark Hine: Black Victory. The Rise and Fall of the White Primary in Texas. 1st edition. KTO Press, Millwood, NY 1979, ISBN 0-527-40758-5 .

Web links

• Literature by and about Martin Dies junior in the catalog of the German National Library
• Martin Dies junior in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)
• Biography of Martin Dies, Jr. in the Handbook of Texas
• Biography of Dies at Spartacus
• Overview: Martin Dies Papers 1910-1972 at the Sam Houston Center / Texas State Library and Archives Commission
• Supreme Court decision Nixon v. Herndon at Find Law
• Supreme Court decision Nixon v. Condon at Find Law
• Supreme Court decision Grovey v. Townsend at Find Law
• Supreme Court decision Smith v. Allwright at Find Law