Jackson Urges Use of Refugees for Democratic ‘fifth Column’ Offensive in Europe

Attorney General Robert Jackson urged tonight that refugees in the United States be utilized for a propaganda offensive in Europe which would “out-fifth-column the master fifth columnist himself.”

At the same time, he asserted that “propagandists of unfriendly powers” would never succeed in conquering the U.S. by racial agitation because “we have never failed to achieve a working unity, especially in the presence of any danger from without.”

Hitler’s domain of conquered peoples, “held down only by the machine-gun and disciplined by the concentration camp,” constitute the greatest fifth column opportunity in history, Jackson said in a speech prepared for delivery at a dinner of the Common Council for American Unity at the Hotel Astor.

The time has come “when we should no longer concede the initiative to enemies of our way of life or rely solely upon defensive measures against foreign penetration,” he said. Aided by loyal aliens in this country, “we can take the propaganda offensive and out-fifth-column the master fifth columnist himself. If we are to attack this menace at its source we could have no more effective weapon than the good offices of the alien.”

“Given the help of our immigrants from the recently oppressed countries,” he asserted, “we could send, in Europe’s own tongues, from her own native sons, messages of their progress and happiness under free institutions that would stir new vitality for democracy in every occupied community in Europe.

Jackson pointed out that “propagandists of unfriendly powers have said that a conquest of the United States could be done by playing race against race, religion against religion and class against class.” While this policy has succeeded in Europe, of the U.S. Jackson said:

“We all realize the fact that we are not a distinct and separate race, but rather a mosaic of races, introduced into public life emotional cross-currents that are often unfortunate. We know, too, that our very diversity tends to make them cancel each other, And so, while we often disagree on foreign policy, we have never failed to achieve a working unity, especially in the presence of any danger from without.”

Jackson called for modernization of immigration laws to permit firmer but more flexible alien control. He said. “Deportation of undesirable aliens has broken down in practice because transportation to most countries has become impossible and because many countries refuse to accept their return, But the law still commands us to issue deportation orders that cannot be carried out. Over 6,000 persons have been ordered deported who, because of conditions beyond our control, cannot be gotten out of the country. Such a situation breeds contempt for law and government.

“I have called this situation to the attention of Congress and have asked, in lieu of deportation, that an independent board, after hearings, be allowed broad discretion to intern dangerous criminal aliens and to condone more technical violations of the law which would now subject aliens of good character to deportation. This would assure the country of protection against the vicious, which it cannot get from present procedure, and would regularize the status of decent and loyal aliens.”