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Communist Gus Hall

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There is an important omission in your article of Feb. 6 on Gus Hall and the Communist Party, U.S.A. The article notes major FBI infiltration of the party, but implies that this was the extent of our government’s actions against it. Therefore, Hall’s suspiciousness is made to seem excessive.

In reality, however, the Communist Party was the victim of the most sustained campaign of governmental persecution in our history. Every branch of the government--executive and legislative as well as judiciary--was drawn into the war on communism. Not only the FBI, but the Immigration and Naturalization Service, the Internal Revenue Service, the Department of Labor, even the Health Department and the post office, took part in repression of American communists, many of whom, Hall included, paid for their beliefs with prison sentences.

This assault sapped the party’s resources and played a role in deforming its politics. It also was a violation of the Bill of Rights.

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JOEL KOVEL

Del Mar

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