Re: Morris Childs

[JSchaffner <jschaffner@xxxxxxx>]

Morris Childs was the district organizer of the CPUSA in Illinois in
the early-mid 40s. He was brought into New York to become the editor
/ managing editor of the Daily Worker.

Some in the Party leadership had strong feelings that his politics
were shallow, that he would always support the leadership,
initially Browder, then Foster. (private conversations with Gil
Green who succeeded Morris Childs as the Illinois district
organizer.)

The FBI-written biography of Morris and Jack Childs, published by
the right-wing publishing house, Henry Refinery,  Operation Solo:
The FBI;s Man in the Kremlin, by John Barron, former Reader's Digest
editor, claims that Morris was near-death, and in isolation from the
factional fights in the PArty, when the FBI reached out to him.

Morris had carte-blanche with Gus Hall, CPUSA General Secretary.
Morris took to referring to himself as the Deputy General Secretary
of the Party. The above-mentioned book details his travels on behalf
of the CPUSA as a fraternal delegate to other parties. There is a
bit of yeast in the Childs yarn. In the into, Childs takes credit
for fingering Angela Davis when she was underground. Comrades who
were very close with Angela, say there is no way that Childs, nor
even Hall  knew the where-abouts of Angela. So, take the other
"facts" with a great degree of salt.

Bottom-line. No question Childs was an FBI agent in the  top ranks
of the CPUSA. Childs had access to the top leadership in Moscow,
having attended the Lenin School in the 30s with Suslov and
Ponamarev, and being fluent in Russian. No question that Childs
received awards from the Feds and Reagan. Pictures in the book
attest to that.

When Childs died in 1991 there was a private burial at Jewish
Waldheim Cemetery in Chicago. This is not to be confused with German
Waldheim Cemetery in Chicago were the Haymarket martyrs, leaders of
the CPUSA, IWW and others are buried.  I happened to be at the
German Waldheim Cemetery shortly after (my brother and mother are
buried there). Ironically, the still unused plots in the CPUSA
leadership section are still held in the name of Morris Childs, not
in the name of the Party, or other Party representatives. The clerk
at the cemetery asked how come I was not at the cemetery when the
"big guy" died. In the course of discussion, it was obvious she was
talking about Morris Childs. Then she said it was not a public
burial or service, just a private thing for  family and
representatives of the "national security council." (Details on the
burial are included in the above book and its introduction.)

Childs' wife Eve was a fish out of water. Came from a wealthy
Evanston Jewish family. They married at the end of the 50s early
60s, when Morris was now firmly established in his career. Eva's
family was involved in a shady-mob-linked savings and loan in
Chicago, the Cook County Federal Savings and Loan (my memory might
have the name wrong.). The bank leadership was doing what the Texas
S&Lers would do later - they looted. Indictments were returned
against the leadership, and it seems after intervention, a couple of
folks were not indicted, but were named as un-indicted co-
conspirators. Guess who? Eva and Morris Childs.

Bottom line again. The book contains numbers of what Morris
supposedly brought over for the CPUSA from Moscow. Copies of
receipts signed by Hall have floated around the Internet and on
former Soviet web sites. Morris was the courier. The recipient was
Gus Hall. How much did Morris skim is anyone's guess. Whatever would
have been "acceptable," so that Morris could continue the  front of
a successful import-export businessman, that enabled him to travel
the world freely.

In reading the book, the "wealth of the FBI in continuing Morris
since he had the ear's of the Kremlin," requires a good grain of
salt. The depth of his political analysis as quoted in the book is
pretty shallow and weak.

I had limited dealings with Morris, I knew him, knew who he was, (he
was referred to jokingly as the "ambassador,").  I would share Gil's
estimate that he was shallow. His credentials in climbing to the
top, as a Party stalwart in the teamsters' union in Chicago
(actually the milk wagon drivers' local) are debatable. But then
again, my knowledge of this period comes from someone who was in
Morris'  first Party club. This is obviously an old-timer, his
memory is not what it used to be, and he is subjective. (Disclaimer,
the old surviving comrade (former Party member) is my 93-year old
father. He was a YCL organizer who had the dubious distinction of
having recruited both Gil Green and Morris Childs to the YCL and
then the Party.)

So, in answer to Anthony's post, I did not see the history channel
biography, but thought I would share my knowledge.

Jay Schaffner



Louis Proyect wrote:

> About COINTELPRO and the CPUSA
>
> Yesterday I walked by the television set which was humming away on its own,
> and was grabbed by a history channel biography of Jack and Morris Childs.
>
> Morris and Jack Childs were top ranking members of the CPUSA who worked for
> the FBI for more than 25 years. His brother.
>
> The documentary was convincing - especially the photographs of Morris in
> the CP, and recieving an award from the head of the FBI (one of the ones
> after Hoover.) However, the history channel is not my most trusted source
> of info.
>
> This show was particularly interesting to me, since I have long believed
> that the CPUSA must have been the long term and central target of the FBI's
> efforts to infiltrate and subvert the left in the USA.
>
> The CPUSA was simply - and by far - the largest and most influenctial
> organization of the left in the USA up until the 1960's.
>
> What happened to the Black Panther Party, and to a greater or lesser extent
> to all left organizations in the USA, must have happened to the CPUSA -
> only begining earlier, with more resources devoted to it by the government,
> and possibly with more success.
>
> This strong hunch was never anything I could completely substantiate - not
> having the access to the documentary evidence, nor the time or devotion to
> go looking for it.
>
> So, did anyone see the history channel bio of the Childs?
>
> Does anyone have any info, or opinions? I would be interested to read them.
>
> All the best,
>
> Anthony
>
> Louis Proyect
> Marxism mailing list: http://www.marxmail.org/