Congressman Celler Takes Issue with Nock’s Figures on Jews in Civil Service

The assertion made by Albert Jay Nock in his articles an Jews in the Atlantic Monthly that there are from 40 to 65 Percent Jews among the 959,146 civil employees in the Federal executive departments, is denied by Congressman Emanuel Celler in an article published in the September issue of the Atlantic Monthly.

“Mr. Week not give us the source of these figures,” Congressman Celer writes. “To say the least they are fantastic. During my many years as a member of the House of Representative I have come in contact almost daily with many branches of our government. I know something of its personnel. While I have never counted noses it is utterly preposterous to estimate that 40 per cent of the total, or 383,658 Federal civil jobs, are hold by Jews. I am sure that if you were to find the State Department you would find few Jews. Jews in the War and Navy Department are as scarce as hem’s teeth. Check over the list of personnel in the Reconstruction Finance Corporation and all its subsidiaries, such as the credit commodity Corporation Expert Import Bank, Plant Defense corporation, and so forth, and you will find hardly any Jews. Check the various agencies is the Treasury Department. You might find some Jews there, but the proportion is nowhere near 40 or 65 percent. It would be more reasonable to say 5 percent.

In the peat Office Dept. any Jews Employed employed be found in a few large cities such as New York, Chicago and Philadelphia, hit there again the percentage is relatively small.

“According to the United States cause of Religious Bodies as of 1937, the total Jewish population in this country was 4,770,647. Forty percent of the total Federal civilian personnel would be more than 8 percent of the total Jewish population, including men, women and minors; 63 percent would be more than 12 percent of the total Jewish population. I offer these figures to indicates how absurd are the reported estimates of Mr. Mock.”