State Bar Hits “meddling” Here on Palestine, Reich Domestic Affairs

“Meddling” of local groups in the “purely domestic affairs” of such countries as Palestine and Germany is criticized by the American citizenship committee of the New York State Bar Association in a report adopted yesterday by the association’s 61st annual meeting.

The report at the same time urges all American citizens to engage actively in a campaign to “crush the spread in this nation of any totalitarian philosophy be it of the right or of the left.”

Recommending support for “all steps taken and all legislation aimed at preventing America from becoming embroiled in foreign controversies or entangled in the internal domestic affairs of foreign nations,” the report declares:

“Every student of our affairs must recognize the growing tendency of certain groups of our citizens to interfere in the domestic affairs of foreign nations. Sometimes this has resulted in criticism by our public officials who should know better. Local organizations are actively aiding the cause of one or the other sides in Spain, in Italy, in Germany and in Palestine. It is obvious that our local problems are troublesome enough to deal with without permitting racial or religious groups to interfere with those in foreign countries. We cannot fairly object to alien propaganda here until we cease meddling in the purely domestic affairs of foreign governments.”

The report is signed by Louis L. Babcock, chairman, William J. Donovan, H. Bartow Farr, Horace C. Hale, Stewart F. Hancock, Deering Howe, Francis K. Kernan, Jeremiah T. Mahoney, T. Carl Nixon, John P. O’brien and John F. O’ryan. A footnote by Mr. Babcock explains that Judge Mahoney (who has championed the anti-Nazi cause here) subscribed to everything in the report but “subdivision 6”, which contains the reference to “meddling.”