Color, Communism and Common Sense - Manning Johnson

This post has 17 comments with rating of 3/517

• 
  toadmanga
  July 23rd, 2021
  

  

  In December 1958, Manning Johnson testified at hearings conducted by the Arkansas Legislative Council Committee which was investigating possible links between communism and racial unrest in Arkansas. He previously testified in March 1957 at hearings conducted by the Louisiana Joint Legislative Committee on Segregation.

  The FBI summary concerning Johnson’s Arkansas testimony pointed out that “…he is not in a position to speak authoritatively regarding the present tactics and activities of the Communist Party in the Negro field as he was dropped from the Communist Party in 1939. It would appear Johnson was attempting to prove or infer that the present racial unrest is the result of Communist Party policies formulated in the 1920s and 30s. This premise is not supported by data in Bufiles; however it is observed that the Communist Party, at every opportunity, has attempted to capitalize on the situation…Johnson’s testimony adds nothing to our knowledge in this field.” [FBI-HQ 62-105198, serial #8, page 1; SAC Little Rock to J. Edgar Hoover, regarding Arkansas Legislative Council Committee; also FBI-Little Rock 44-341].

  The FBI also pointed out falsehoods in Johnson’s testimony. In one specific instance, with respect to Manning Johnson’s derogatory comments regarding the NAACP, the FBI observed that in response to an inquiry by the Pittsburgh PA Courier newspaper in April 1957, the Department of Justice informed the Courier that “the Department informed the NAACP that recent statements made by Johnson attempting to link the NAACP with the Communist Party did not reflect the views nor findings of the Justice Department; that Johnson was not one of its employees as reportedly cited in various newspaper accounts; and that Johnson in no way was connected with the Department nor did he speak for the Department.” [FBI-HQ 62-105198, serial #8, page 6; SAC Little Rock to J. Edgar Hoover, regarding Arkansas Legislative Council Committee; also FBI-Little Rock 44-341].

  The Bureau concluded that:

  “Despite the recurring allegations by Southern political leaders that the racial situation is Communist-inspired, our investigation of the Communist Party and the over-all racial situation in this country has reflected that in practically all instances, with relatively few exceptions, racial incidents in this country have not been caused or inspired by Communist Party elements.” [FBI-HQ 62-105198, serial #8, page 5; SAC Little Rock to J. Edgar Hoover, regarding Arkansas Legislative Council Committee; also FBI-Little Rock 44-341].

  In April 1951 Manning admitted lying under oath during the sedition trial of Steve Nelson.

  Manning Johnson’s book was published by Alliance, Inc. in New York. “Alliance, Inc.” was a publishing house in New York City operated by Archibald B. Roosevelt (a Birch Society member who was the son of Theodore Roosevelt). This same Archibald Roosevelt wrote a letter to Verne Kaub in 1962 which described the political situation in New York. Roosevelt told Kaub that “professional do-gooders” planned “to be elected by being extreme pro-negro…By extreme I really mean special privileges for the negro, who in most cases is certainly below the average white man in intelligence.” [9/20/62 letter from Archibald B. Roosevelt to Verne P. Kaub, Madison WI].

  THAT is how Birchers used Manning Johnson but behind his back adopted and circulated racist arguments.

  Color, Communism and Common Sense - Manning Johnson
• 
  grond2
  July 23rd, 2021
  

  @toadmanga

  You use the same strawman argument as the Defense Attorney…just because a witness is a hooker doesn’t mean that she has poor eyesight. Just because Manning lied once under oath does not mean that ALL of his conclusions/statements/observations are wrong.

  As far as “Birchers” using him and pushing a “racists argument”…that was 70 years ago, get over it. Not even dogs eat sh!t that old.

  Color, Communism and Common Sense - Manning Johnson
• 
  mcmlxiii
  July 23rd, 2021
  

  @toadmanga Thank you. An entirely convincing and well-argued post, with ample supporting evidence. So unlike the rantings of your right-wing compatriots who seem only to make up unsupported weird conspiracy theories and mindless abuse.

  Color, Communism and Common Sense - Manning Johnson
• 
  abb@outasite.net
  July 23rd, 2021
  

  I just don’t understand how there are so many people that feel the need to defend Communism!? Ready to dismiss any victims experience as “unsupported weird conspiracy theories”. Communism IS a conspiracy. It is amazing how the masses response is always to stick their head further in the sand.

  “It must be said that, like the breaking of a great dam, the American descent into Marxism is happening with breathtaking speed, against the backdrop of a passive, hapless sheeple – excuse me dear reader – I meant people.” Stanislav Mishin, writing in PRAVDA (the Russian state newspaper), June 1, 2009

  Color, Communism and Common Sense - Manning Johnson
• 
  batotit
  July 23rd, 2021
  

  Hmmm… What can we say to the angry black folks so that they should stop asking for equality and respect and everything return back to the good ol’ days when we can just call them boi and the N-word and people will just laugh it off?? hmmm?? … Oh I know! Let’s call it communism!! Quick! Find a token black dude and make him tell that he dont want to be commie no more!

  Color, Communism and Common Sense - Manning Johnson
• 
  toadmanga
  July 23rd, 2021
  

  @grond2

  If you could point out where the straw man is that would be very much appreciated as I can’t actually see it. From a legal perspective if someone lies under oath that quite definitely casts doubt on their testimony elsewhere and this can and will be reflected in the admission and valuation of their testimony elsewhere. When someone is caught publicly lying, not just to their fellow man but to their government and under oath to boot, and even the FBI at their peak-anti communist fervour think they’re not a reliable source, thats a pretty bad sign of their reliability. So straight up you’re just wrong to most discerning minds, but of course if you could source some kind of counter claim or present an argument wherein a documented and proven liar is somehow someone that should be given even more room to lie I’d consider it. I also wasn’t aware that the John Birch Society was dissolved or had become politically inactive since that time, or do you have some form of information that the rest of the world doesn’t?

  Color, Communism and Common Sense - Manning Johnson
• 
  toadmanga
  July 23rd, 2021
  

  Communism isn’t a conspiracy, its a political ideology and form of government. I don’t need to defend it, i just need to point out ridiculous alarmism about it - BECAUSE IT DOESN’T HELP YOUR CASE. If it was so evil then people wouldn’t need to lie about it. When people are publicly caught lying about it, what it’s motives are, who it’s in service to, the scale of it’s influence, how it came about, it’s long term aims etc - that only undermines their arguments. Sober minded assessment and knowing your source material are advantages that the right wing frequently abandon. Maybe look to the US military in how they deal with foreign or alien ideas - they engage with them, they understand them, and they form better plans on how to resist them because - surprise - your intention can survive contact with other peoples ideas. You guys can’t even engage with the ideas because you think reading a book = endorsing all of its content. Thats why you’re here moaning about books you refuse to read in the first place. You think magically coming into contact with an idea means you automatically start to believe that idea. That’s the same thinking behind sympathetic magic, and it’s very telling of where your mentality is at. Actually pathetic.

  Color, Communism and Common Sense - Manning Johnson
• 
  SDSaints
  July 24th, 2021
  

  North Korea,China,Cuba,Venezuela. Any other thing you want to say about these murdering toletarian regimes. 150 million innocent people murdered. What do they have in common.

  Color, Communism and Common Sense - Manning Johnson
• 
  Gweilo
  July 24th, 2021
  

  Should be noted this was written in 1958. Informed by the politics of the 1930s and 40s.

  And the “Red Conspiracy” he speaks of is the original Joe Stalin variety.
  There was some reality to that, but it was vastly exaggerated and led to the McCarthyism of the 50s, and ever since “Reds under the bed” has been a go-to for Republicans demonising calls for equality.

  Color, Communism and Common Sense - Manning Johnson
• 
  caesar963
  July 24th, 2021
  

  Indeed, there was a great deal of reality to it, as espionage & infiltration revealed (the Venona, decoding project). The most top-secret American defence initiative, the Manhattan Project, was infiltrated, and the most sensitive intel imaginable was conveyed to the Soviets. This was the most significant development in the genesis of the decades-long Cold War. It’s difficult to exaggerate the contemporary impact of this series of events.
  Just weeks after the Soviets exploded their atomic bomb in Aug 1949, a Venona decryption of a 1944 message revealed that info describing crucial scientific processes related to construction of the A-bomb had been sent from the US to Moscow.

  In this context, apprehension around such top-level infiltration was entirely reasonable. An ideological system which had no moral reservations about starving & making war on its own population, was not exactly deemed a safe pair of hands.

  Color, Communism and Common Sense - Manning Johnson
• 
  Gweilo
  July 25th, 2021
  

  @caesar963 Obviously, I said there were real spies. But equally obviously, the US right wingers weaponised this and for the last 80 years used accusations of “communist!” to attack union organisers, and anyone else advocating rights for the oppressed, black, brown, poor, etc. And still do to this day. Most absurdly, since now old KGB hand Putin is supporting them…

  Color, Communism and Common Sense - Manning Johnson
• 
  toadmanga
  July 25th, 2021
  

  Hey Gweilo. He doesn’t care. He will never grant you anything. He literally thinks the existence of foreign agents on US soil justified a moral panic that ultimately ended up disgracing joe mccarthy and being considered nothing more than a storm in a teacup even by J Edgar Hoover. Its ridiculous. You’re talking to a bad faith actor.

  Color, Communism and Common Sense - Manning Johnson
• 
  caesar963
  July 25th, 2021
  

  So, a perfectly civil exchange is toxified yet again by the anti-Semitic, genocide-denier-in-chief. The clown who ass-erts “If it (communism) was so evil” - so forced famines, genocide, concentration camps, enslaving populations, human rights abuses - none of this qualifies as “evil” for (the dumbest) moral philosopher in town, eh? Historical & political fact is not your sphere, toad.

  Spies exist everywhere, at all times. But the proximate cause here was the actual loss of the plans for the most devastating weapon in history up to that point - to a demonstrably evil imperial power. With the infiltration at the highest levels, societal concern was not at all warranted? The most important intel was lost - so then anything could be lost. Any institution could be infiltrated & compromised. It would be bizarre if there wasn’t an outcry. Are you too stupid (or an ideological toady - same diff) to perceive this?

  While the unprecedentedly destructive leaks to Moscow led to understandable political concern across the spectrum in the US, imagine if the reverse had been the case? If the information had been conveyed from your cherished, ideological utopia to America instead? Suffice it to say, a state of tension & congressional hearings would not merely have ensued.

  Massive purges, grotesque torture, indefinite detention & mass murders would have been the result (as in the Great Purge/Terror, 1936-38. 1.2 million murders). The communists were satisfied to regard suspicion, rumour, and accusation as absolutely incontrovertible evidence of guilt. And the doomed “criminals’” families were also fair game.

  Color, Communism and Common Sense - Manning Johnson
• 
  toadmanga
  July 27th, 2021
  

  I’m not antisemitic. I have not and do not deny genocide. You are, however, a fücking nutter and noone takes you seriously when you just lie about stuff like that. On your bike and back to the home you go ya daft, dishonest old cünt.

  Color, Communism and Common Sense - Manning Johnson
• 
  toadmanga
  July 27th, 2021
  

  I mean, just straight away with the lies Caeser! Couldn’t even help yourself for a second!

  Color, Communism and Common Sense - Manning Johnson
• 
  caesar963
  July 27th, 2021
  

  …and yet, genocide is “historical revisionism” - and “If” communism was so evil?
  Your wrist is busier than usual, Nat-toady.

  Color, Communism and Common Sense - Manning Johnson
• 
  Slychenko
  August 8th, 2021
  

  

  Makes a lot of sense.

  Color, Communism and Common Sense - Manning Johnson

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