REDS AND FRIENDS HONOR STAKHANOVITE WORKER

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP88-01314R000300010043-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 26, 2006
• Sequence Number: 43
• Publication Date: March 13, 1971
• Content Type: MAGAZINE

Approved For Release 29n AI q-RDP88-O131.4RQ
STATINTL
,-)RE:DS AND FRIENDS HONOR STA:(!A'rlOVI EE WORM (2: Friends" and servants of the Soviet Union
gathered Feb. 28 _-in New"York's Roosevelt 11otel. to honor Jessica Smith (Mrs. John Abt:)
on her 75th birthday and on the occasion of her 35th year as editor of Naaw 151orld Review
(formerly Soviet. Russ-1a Today) . A COQ iBAT correspondent attended ; "There ~dcre ac;;d more.
than 700 present at this Meeting, a promotion of the National Council of American-.Soviet
Friendship, 'which has been named as a Communist front by a couple of Attorneys General
and a couple of committees Congressional. Jessica and her husband, John Abt, wore deeply
embedded in the testimony of Whittaker Chambers and others regarding Soviet espionage and
underground CP activities in Washington in the 30's. No one could possibly have mi.sun-
d'erstood the nature of this meeting. The national chairman of the CPUSA, Henry 11linston,
..was one of the n1a.i.n speakers Conspicuously present wearing a fashionable raspberry"
colorecl (I:ed October?) shirt was Gus Hall, the only non,-foreign guest introduced.
"Toastmaster was attorney Joseph Foier, who apologized that his Washington office was
-'just two blocks from that haven for war criminals, the Wlhit.e House.' Ile introduced the
special guests up front: the chiefs (ambassadors) or deputy chiefs of the USSR Mission
to the UN, -the Ukrainian Mission, the Byelorussian Mission (i.e., Moscow's three votes
at the UN), the Hungarian, Rumanian and Czechoslovakian missions, and the first secretary
df the Cuban UN Mission (1w,ildly enthusiastic standing ovation) .: Speakers included: Dr. .
Edward K. Barsky of Veterans of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade who talked about fascism,
and Constance Berkley who read some of her free verse (previously published in the CP-
lilie magazine Freedon11;ays) . The avant garde material, with its reference to wombs, nlem-
'branes, umbilicals and whatnot turned off the aging and essentially bourgeois gathering.
Rev. William Morford, the figurehead boss at NCASF, toasted his corirade, Jessica Smith
Abt, but ended up burning himself. Ile tried to be verbally cute, but was simply inept.
'When you reach 75,' he said, 'you are very old' (gasps of astonishment, slhouts'Qff' Iho,
no' and 'how could you?' from audience, most of whom were in. 60-70 bracket) . Morford
plunged on: 'When you look, at Jessica the first thing you notice is that she has a very
(more gasps, mutterings, restlessness). Morford went onto personally
wrinkled face'
opine ,ghat 'i?Jirinkles are beautiful.' but he had irretrievably convinced his audience he
was. a plain boor. John Abt spoke, mentioning that the USSR is Supplying the majority
of foreign aid to North Korea and the National Liberation Front (VC), and that he and
Jessica and New 1';orlcl Review are a mertcge a trois . Judy Edelman thanked Jessica on be.--
.half of the Young Workers Liberation. League, the new CP youth group. Blind Henry Winston,
CP eha`i.rman, described by Forer, as 'a man of vision:,' gave an extemporaneous recital of.
cliches. Corliss Lamont delivered a stemw,.illder?dcnouncina the United States and praising
the. Soviet Union. Then Miss Smith spoke, recounted her 49--year love affair with the
Soviet Union, and cried a lot (John Abt had said she was a weeper) .
"At one?oint Joe Forer said, 'Will all agents of the FBI, the CIA, military and naval
intelligence please stand up and be recognized..' We all laughed at this. I wished lie
had added: 'And Ilow, all those from the KGB and the GRU..' There'd have been a lot of
chairs pushed back. George B. Murphy, Jr., of the Baltimore Afro-American and once a
chief aide to Henry Wallace in the old Progressive Party, gave a strong bitch for funds
in the middle of this meeting: he raised several thousand dollars with this harangue 41
(which disturbed the Russians, but allowed most everyone' else to visit) . Corliss Lamont.
gave $1,000. Tashi and Pete Seeger sent the group regrets;-they'll be at 'the next meet.'
Norma Becker of the Fiftli. Avenue Peace Parade Committee was seated at the head table --
this should answer .the question, Whore Does Norma Stand? Jane -Bdnedict of Metropolitan
Council on Housing was an enthusiastic applauder. Mike Zagarell of YWLL was handling
security. Bca ra.r_c Riplaey sang solve songs; acconlpaniecl by her husband, Carroll Hollister
(they're leaving for Fast Germany on tour) .
About my expenses: it was $6.50 for?'brunch,.
(one sandwich, one swc.ct., roll, two cups of coffee) plus' another $2 donation to meet the
deficit. my prediction: Rev. Morford won't make the Soviet diplomatic service."
O I/ .
G'l72z~ i
Approved For Release 2006/07/28: CIA-RDR88-01314R000300010043-5 -