Anti-defamation League Ridicules Charge Anti-semitic Incidents Were Manufactured

The charge by Bishop J. Francis McIntyre of the catholic Archdiocese of New York that recent anti-Semitic incidents in this area were “conjured up” by paid publicity agents to besmitic the Catholic population was described as “ridiculous” today by the Anti-Defamation League of the B’nai B’rith in a statement issued by Richard E. Gustadt, national director. The statement said:

“The Anti-Defamation League of B’nai B’rith deplores the implication of the address delivered by the Most Reverend J. Francis A. McIntyre, Auxiliary Bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York on Sunday, March 5, when he stated that ‘agents conjured up out of their imagination the phantom of anti-Semitic hate and did that for the deliberate purpose of besmirching the minority Catholic population,’ Notwithstanding the Bishop’s allegation that it was intended to besmirch the Catholic population of the area, there has at no time been any attempt to place the responsibility for these desecrations upon any religious group.

“Bishop McIntyre then referred to the ‘supposed desecrations’ in connection with the recent exposure of vandalism and hoodlumism directed against racial and religious groups. These are the facts:

“Prior to December 30, 1943, a series of regrettable assaults upon Jewish youth and desecration of Jewish houses of worship occurred in New York City. The accelerated tempo of these un-American manifestations impelled the Anti-Defamation League of B’nai B’rith to make an investigation. The facts were set forth in a mass of sworn statements which indicated a set pattern with an unhappy resemblance to similar outbreaks in other areas of the nation. The press of New York City was supplied with the factual information as the basis for informative articles to bring about a cessation of these outbreaks.

“Archbishop Francis J. Spellman, of the Archdiccese of New York, gave public evidence of his awareness of this serious social problem involved in an article published in the ‘American Magazine’ of March 1944, which article was entitled, ‘Bigotry is un-American.’ We quote from this article of Archbishop Spellman: ‘One of the things that has taken place has been an increase in the prevalence of bigotry, evidenced by what has occurred in many parts of the country. Race riots, assaults on groups and individuals because of racial and religious differences, desecration of synagogues and churches, attacks on our foreign-born, are all tragic symptoms of this disease,’

“For Bishop McIntyre to charge that the original exposures of the un-American anti-Semitic incidents were stimulated or manufactured must seem to every intelligent citizen to be as ridiculous as is the rumor that the recent regrettable desecration of St. Patrick’s Cathedral was also stimulated or manufactured.”

NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF CHRISTIANS AND JEWS SUPPORTS TOLERANCE FILM

The National Conference of Christians and Jews issued a statement today upholding the “March of Time” film on intolerance, which was the chief target of Bishop McIntyre’s attack. Dr. Willard Johnson, assistant to the president of the National Conference, stated;

“We of the National Conference of Christians and Jews believe that the forthcoming picture of the March of Time which deals with the pernicious effects of all forms of bigotry will be of invaluable help in directing public attention to what His Excellency Archbishop Spellman describes as a spreading cancer.” Dr. Johnson further explained that the Conference’s decision to cooperate with the producers of the film came as a result of its “belief that an accurate and vivid film presentation would be a constructive contribution to the public understanding of an important national problem.”