The Press: Follow that Spoor

As a comradely service to its readers, Manhattan’s Communist Daily Worker last week swiped an idea from the class enemy and for once gave him credit for it. The Worker “noticed” that a “firm of ‘liberals’ ” had offered industrialists advice on “how to detect Communists in industry.” Columnist Ted Tinsley submitted his own tips on “How to Detect Capitalists in Your Industry”:

“Don’t expect to find the capitalist in your shop. . . . Look for him on the golf course. It is there that he will tell you that without him, the industry could not function.

“He never comes before you and says, ‘I am a capitalist.’ He works through various ‘front’ organizations: large sections of the Republican and Democratic Parties, the ‘free’ press, the N.A.M., the State Department, and others.

“Watch out for the fellow who tells you that you, individually, are free to give U.S. Steel a run for their money. This is a trap. Do not try to manufacture steel….

“Examine the suspect’s hands for callouses . . . but this is not conclusive…. If his heart is calloused, he’s your man.” In short, the woods were full of them, and a Communist couldn’t be too careful. A point the Worker did not mention: what to do with the capitalist after he was tracked down.