Political Activism

Brochure cover featuring a photograph of Theodore G. Bilbo with his hand in his pocket in a 3-piece suit and the following text.<br /> Mississippi’s <br /> Senior<br /> United States Senator<br /> Theodore G. Bilbo

Campaign brochure that mentions how communists tried to run Bilbo out of office. 

Mississippi politicians were particularly influential in the anti-communism movement in Mississippi and the United States. They proposed legislation to create groups instrumental in identifying possible communists. These leading politicians had enormous impact on the anti-communism movement in the United States.

Mississippi Senator Theodore Bilbo was a well-known segregationist. During his time in the Senate, as well as the other elected positions he held in Mississippi, Bilbo frequently talked of his support of segregation. In 1939, he proposed the Greater Liberia Act to repatriate African Americans to Liberia. Due to this proposed legislation, Bilbo's stance on race relations became well-known around the country.

Bilbo's beliefs were frequently publicized by the national media. After he was elected to his third term to the U.S. Senate in 1946, various groups lobbied to refuse to set Bilbo in the Senate. Bilbo blamed the negative press on communists. In May of 1944, many citizens and activists demanded his resignation as chairman for the Senate District Committee (which had jurisdiction over the District of Columbia). A May 13, 1944, article in the Washington Star states that Bilbo "[scoffed] at the 'insane, egotistical and pusillanimous' request that he resign as 'ex-officio mayor' of Washington..." and directed his "oratorical blast" at the Communist Party who he blamed for the upheaval. 

Bilbo's many supporters around the state and country asked questions like "Why Should Communism seek to unseat Senator Bilbo?" In a letter sent by the President of The Allied Veterans Political Association of America, Samuel W. Silverman, to members of the United States Senate, Silverman states that he has "delineated an organized, communist attempt to oust Bilbo." He goes on to write "It is needless to cite the case of Sen. Theodore Bilbo of Mississippi - a sincere, loyal and fine Southern gentleman. Sen. Bilbo has spoken upon a subject which is of a very controversial nature; a subject [race relations] to which he has given a great deal of close attention and real study. He has every right to express his opinion of that subject. Yet communism crucifies him for doing so." Rather than stating the obvious that Bilbo supported segregation, his supporters and Bilbo himself labeled all people against him as being communists, even though most civil rights supporters were not affiliated with the Communist Party. 

Local supporters respected Bilbo because of his attack on communists. In a letter from a citizen of Braxton, Mississippi, the supporter wrote, "Anybody who can aggravate, exasperate and irritate those New York pinks, reds and blacks as you have so well and capably done ought to be stationed in Washington permanently, and without the bother of an occasional election." This letter was typical of the types of letters received by Bilbo during these years. 

Due to the pressure from, as Bilbo would say "communists," the United States Senate refused to seat him for his third term. The Senate supported his dismissal by stating that Bilbo condoned the use of violence against African Americans attempting to vote and that he had accepted bribes in the past. 

Other prominent Mississippi politicians were important in the anti-communism movement on a national level. In 1938, a special committee focusing on investigating un-American activities was created to look into the actions of supposed Nazis, communists, and members of the Ku Klux Klan. This committee, known as the Dies Committee after its chairman Martin Dies, never focused on investigating the Klan but it did concentrate on communism and its supporters. Mississippi Congressman William Colmer was a member of the Rules Committee at the time, and as a member, was one of the people who pushed the vote to establish the Dies Committee. 

In 1944, when the term for the Dies Committee was up, Congressman John Rankin from Mississippi, a former member of the Dies Committee, proposed that it should become a standing committee. The passing of this amendment resulted in the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) of which Rankin was a vocal member. He was one of the key members to push for the investigations into Hollywood's connections with communism in the 1940s.

Letter sent to Senator Theodore G Bilbo from Floyd Herrington from BelPine Farms, Braxton, Mississippi,<br /> <br /> February 12, 1946<br /> <br /> Senator Theodore G. Bilbo,<br /> Senate office building,<br /> Washington DC,<br /> <br /> My dear Senator,<br /> <br /> Enclosed is my check for $100 to help out on your coming campaign. Also, it is in appreciation of your efforts to defeat Roosevelt’s FEPC measure, a sorry piece of cheap political double-crossing that stinks.<br /> <br /> Would like to suggest and recommend that when the bill comes up to make Roosevelt’s birthday a national holiday that it be amended so as to make two holidays - one for the day of his birth, the other for the day of his death. That would give everybody a chance to celebrate. I regard Roosevelt’s birthday as the blackest day in American history.<br /> <br /> Anybody who can aggravate, exasperate and irritate those New York pinks, reds, and blacks as you have so well and capably done ought to be stationed in Washington permanently, and without the bother of an occasional election.<br /> <br /> Yours very truly,<br /> <br /> Floyd Herrington<br /> <br /> CC mr. RG Wooten Hattiesburg, Mississippi

Letter to Theodore Bilbo from Mississippi citizen Floyd Herrington, February 12, 1946.

his letter is typed in red ink with all bold letters except for the mailing address for a calmer and the signature from Mr. Davis.<br /> <br /> The letter reads:<br /> <br /> Route one<br /> Wayneboro, Mississippi<br /> July 17, 1950<br /> <br /> Honorable Bill Colmer, congressman<br /> <br /> Washington, DC<br /> <br /> My dear Mr. Colmer,<br /> <br /> For heaven sake, what… What are you lawmakers in Washington waiting for???????? How many other tragedies must occur to hamper and threaten our security before you outlaw the damned communist party and have those on speakable thrown into prison where they should have been long, long before this????????<br /> <br /> Please...... please..... please..... Will you guys who can do some thing… Dot do something????????? stop bickering and talking and swing into action before it is actually too late……<br /> <br /> Outlaw the communist party…… Outlaw the communist party… outlaw the communist party… outlaw the communist party…… Jail the Reds…Jail them… Jail them… Jail them……… Please don’t wait any longer……… Please don’t wait any longer…… Please don’t wait any longer…………………<br /> <br /> Please pay attention to this and all other letters you receive on this grave matter……....... action! Action! For gods sake.... without delay...........<br /> <br /> Sincerely,<br /> The signature of Otto Davis<br /> Otto Davis

Letter to William Colmer from Waynesboro, Mississippi, native emploring Colmer to fight communism, July 17, 1950.

Letter written by Samuel W Silverman on letterhead from the Allied veterans political Association of America organized by act of Congress July 14, 1933<br /> <br /> The letter reads as follows:<br /> <br /> December 31, 1946<br /> <br /> Office national president Suite 819, 63 Park Row, New York<br /> <br /> Office, national secretary, 1701 Monroe St. NE., Washington DC<br /> <br /> To the members of the United States Senate:<br /> <br /> Re:: Senator Bilbo<br /> <br /> Who rules America? Is Congress already yielding allegiance to the purse strings of communism? Is communism so strongly entrenched in the high places of this land that he who refuses to serve them must be eliminated? Why should communism seek to unseat Senator Bilbo? For the past several years, Bilbo has been an outstanding opponent of communism. His name is high on the must eliminate list of communism. To attack and asked Bilbo is to silence other senators and to make them amenable to direct control – to intimidate them. The communists organized a purge during the recent political campaign. The purpose of that purge, overtly conducted in the CIO and PAC groups, was to defeat those politicians and others, who were outspoken against communism. Bilbo was not defeated. Public records to close that CIO and PAC groups did not oppose any member of Congress who had not openly voiced antagonism against the communist party.<br /> <br /> December 26, 1945, a letter was mailed to every member of the Congress, and the other public officials. Headed, and appeal to the conscience of the house of representatives, the letter describes the policy of the American veterans committee to control the veterans and play upon their emotions by inciting racial and religious antagonisms. Their method was that used by subversive and calmness groups – seeming championship of disinfected my Nordie groups. This letter stated: we know how absurd the appeals to religious and racial prejudice may be, but we also know from sad experience the actual crimes that have been the direct result of such appeals. The AV see alleges to fight the cars a persecuted groups. They December 26, 1945, a letter was mailed to every member of the Congress, and the other public officials. Headed, and appeal to the conscience of the house of representatives, the letter describes the policy of the American veterans committee to control the veterans and play upon their emotions by inciting racial and religious antagonisms. Their method was that used by subversive and calmness groups – seeming championship of disinfected my Nordie groups. This letter stated: we know how absurd the appeals to religious and racial prejudice may be, but we also know from sad experience the actual crimes that have been the direct result of such appeals. The AV see alleges to fight the cars a persecuted groups. They build their power on the blind faith and loyalty of weaklings. Once convinced of a VC Segnette sin see your tea, these poor, misguided but sincere people follow those who appear to be fighting their battles for them. We cannot censure them. But, gentlemen of the Congress, the same blind faith and loyal support-no matter how sincerely intended, can create a very serious political crisis-a crisis that now bids fair to become the most destructive and our whole national history. They are organized and directed by group of highly intelligent. A, I experienced and wealthy leaders-toward a well planned objective! It is only when you and I who know better, Who are aware of the spurious nature of their cogent and spacious pretense; it is only when you and I lose our heads and play cheap and dirty politics; we forsake sincerity of people in the welfare of all the people: that we play right into their hands. Find ourselves and miss the strange bedfellows. God and Stalin or Satan cannot bed together the gentleman of Congress are familiar with the message used by the communist.<br /> <br /> It is needless to cite the case of Senador Theodore Bilbo in Mississippi-a sincere, loyal and fine southern gentleman. Senator Bilbo had spoken upon a subject which is of a very controversial nature; a subject which has given a great deal of close attention and real study. He had every right to express his opinion of the subject. Yet communism crucified him for doing so. While I do not necessarily subscribe to his opinions, my organization will fight to the limit for his right to express that opinion. In doing so, he stepped on the corners of certain groups-for the subject was one commonly used by communist as a ready means of Augmentin is power in membership,. Under the leader ship of the communist party, thousands of letters, highly inflammatory in nature, postmarked from every state in the union, flooded the office of Senator Bilbo. Those letter subjected Bilbo to every conceivable form of vile anathema and vilification. He was criticize, cursed and called and principally filthy names. His secretary, Edward Terry, prepare replies to them, and, and righteous admin indignation, Bilbo signed and permitted a few well justified letters to go to remote sections of the nation; to widely separate localities. However, we are not not confronted by all of these letters, all assembled obviously, but one hand; all viciously use by that hand to re-create Senator Bilbo as the persecutor of racial minorities. Bilbo was goat it into situation situation, and<br /> <br /> At the end of page 1 there is a summary of the objectives of the allied veterans political Association of America. It reads: shall be in to foster and perpetuate the principles of real Americanism; to enter veterans on a united front and every national, senatorial and congressional elections; to enter candidates for state, county and local offices and four present and County Republican and Democratic committee; to work for the feet or recall of all members of Congress and other public officials who vote for legislation sponsored and desired by special privilege interest; to expose all false propaganda against the veterans and against the people of the United States; to fight the political ballot battles of veterans organizations who is constitutions or bylaws prohibit them from entering politics.

Letter from Samuel W. Silverman written to United States senators defending Theodore Bilbo against the communists and defending Bilbo's beliefs on race relations, December 31, 1946. 

Letter from John the Rankin to L. e. Faulkner on letterhead from the house of representatives, committee on veterans affairs<br /> <br /> 81st Congress<br /> <br /> John E. Rankin, chairman<br /> <br /> House of representatives, U. S.<br /> Committee on veterans affairs<br /> Washington, D. See.<br /> August 30, 1950<br /> <br /> Mr. L. E. Faulkner, president,<br /> Mississippi central railroad company,<br /> Hattiesburg,<br /> MIssissippi.<br /> <br /> Dear Mr. Faulkner: -<br /> <br /> The copy of your letter to honorable John S Wood, chairman of the committee on un-American activities, has just been received.<br /> <br /> Let me say to you that if this country is saved from distraction at the hands of the enemies within our gates, the communist tools of foreign agents, the committee on un-American activities will be due more credit than any other agency others his government.<br /> <br /> It was my amendment to the rules in 1945 that saves the committee, or I might say created it as a standing committee of the house. I also gave it the power to report legislation, which power a special committee did not have.<br /> <br /> On yesterday, we passed a bill that would probably do more to stop the growth and activities of communism in this country than anything else that has ever been done

Letter from Congressman John Rankin to Mississippi businessman L. E. Faulkner about Rankin's involvement in establishing the House on Un-American Activities Committee as a standing committee, August 30, 1950. 

Newspaper clipping from the Washington star that reads:<br /> <br /> Bilbo bless communist and reply to the man’s he quit DC post<br /> <br /> <br /> Senator Bilbo, Democrat, a Mississippi made his mom planned answer on the Senate floor late yesterday to some of those who have demanded his resignation as chairman of the Senate District committee, single out the communist party at Washington for an oratorical blast while engaging in the filibuster against the anti-poll tax bill.<br /> <br /> Scarfing at the “in sane, egotistical and pusillanimous” request that he resign as “ex officio mayor“ of Washington, Senator Bilbo read to the Senate a reply he said he had sent to James L. Branca and others in which he termed that “motley and mongrel“ communist party.<br /> <br /> “The clamoring of a handful of ignorant, un-American trouble breeders that largely make up the leaders and members of your communist party,“ he continued, “Will not be able to create a ripple on the Sea of serenity and unity and determination of the worthwhile American people.“<br /> <br /> Blaming the communist party for having inspired anti-poll tax bill, which he regarded as an interim wedge in a move to break up the dual system of government, the Mississippi and wound up his reply to the group with this:<br /> <br /> “Let me say to you and to every member of your incongruous gang: go straight and jump into the abyss of perdition, and may I add further that you bespatter your muddled, twisted, swiveled, infinitesimal suggestion of brains on the brim stones in the bottomless pits of perpetual hell, and that you’re seared, diseased and ill former carcasses fry and sizzle for trillions of years beyond doomsday in the eternal fires of a damned.“<br /> <br /> After adding “again and again my answer is no, 1000 times no!“ As to resign in his committee post, Senator Bilbo signed his reply to Branca “yours truly.“

Newspaper clipping from the Washington Star about Theodore Bilbo's refusal to resign from the U.S. Senate and his filibuster against the anti-poll tax, May 13,1944. 

Letter from William Colmer to L. E. Faulkner on Congress of the United States letterhead<br /> <br /> The letterhead reads Congress of the United States, house of representatives, special committee on post war economic policy and planning, Washington, D. C. January 25, 1945<br /> <br /> Mr. L. E. Faulkner,<br /> Hattiesburg , Mississippi<br /> <br /> Dear Lou:<br /> <br /> I appreciate copy of your letter of the 22nd to congressman Rankin.<br /> <br /> Of course you know that I voted for the continuation of the un-American activities committee, as well as having been one of the five that was responsible for setting this committee up in the first instance.<br /> <br /> With kindest personal regards, I am<br /> <br /> Sincerely yours,<br /> <br /> Bill

Letter from Mississippi Congressman William Colmer to Mississippi businessman L. E. Faulkner about Colmer's influence in the formation of the House on Un-American Activities Committee, January 25, 1945. 

Johnston to Johnson.jpg

Letter from Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission Director Erle Johnston Jr. to Governor Paul B. Johnson about the lack of a Mississippi law against communism, March 9, 1964. 

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