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Thorkelson’s Anti-semitic Statements Stir Dispute in House

May 8, 1940
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A heated outbreak between Rep. Adolph Sabath (Dem., I11.) and Jacob Thorkelson (Rep.,Mont.) upset the House today as Sabath charged that certain letters inserted in the Congressional Record yesterday by Thorkelson contained falsehoods.

Thorkelson flooded the Congressional Record with anti-Semitic propaganda yesterday in an attempt to show that a Jewish conspiracy existed to discredit the Christian Front. He succeeded in inserting in the Record, while only eight members were present on the House floor, a speech he delivered to the Christian Mobilizers in New York on March 6.

At noon today Sabath rose to denounce Thorkelson’s statements as “false.” Rep. Clare Hoffman (Rep.,Mich.) came to Thorkelson’s defense and said Sabath was violating House rules by making such charges against a fellow member. Sabath agreed to withdraw the word “false” from the Record, but Rep. Taber (Rep.,N.Y.) insisted that Sabath withdraw his whole statement concerning Thorkelson.

Sabath agreed to do so, but not until after he had promised to prove that the Thorkelson letter inserted in the Record yesterday, as well as others placed in the Record by Thorkelson, were falsehoods at a later date. Thorkelson directed his attack largely at the Non-Sectarian Anti-Nazi League.

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