The following is from a 1951 petition to the United Nations entitled "We Charge Genocide" edited by William L. Patterson for The Civil Rights Congress, New York.
There was a time when Wall Street governed by pressure and influence. It now governs directly. Wall Street and the United States Government are identical as to personnel as far as the Government's most powerful offices are concerned. This is proved by the following list, prepared by the Labor Research Association, of Wall Street officers in key government positions: Director of the Office of Defense Mobilization: Charles E. Wilson, formerly president of General Electric Co. and director of Guaranty Trust Co., a Morgan bank. Wilson has retired from GE on a pension of $62,000 a year. He has powers greater than any official except the President in time of peace—and some conservative commentators claim his powers are even greater. Secretary of the Navy: Francis P. Matthews, chairman of board of Securities Acceptance Corp., Omaha; former director Northwestern Bell Telephone Co.; director Central National Insurance Co. of Omaha. Secretary of Defense: General George C. Marshall, director of Pan-American World Airways, a Morgan company, since replaced by: Under-Secretary of Defense: Robert A. Lovett, partner in Brown Brothers,Harriman & Co., leading New York investment house; director Union Pacific and other railroads, and New York Life Insurance Co. Secretary of the Air Force: Thomas K. Finletter, partner in Coudert Bros.,a law firm which has represented Franco Spain in the U.S.; director American Machine & Metals, Inc.; long advocate of a huge expansion in military and naval aircraft construction. Co-ordinator of Economic Mobilization (preceding Wilson): W. Stuart Symington, later chairman of National Security Resources Board, now chair man Reconstruction Finance Corporation which finances private plant exparision. Symington had previously been president of Colonial Radio Corp., president of Rustless Iron & Steel Co., and president and chairman of Emerson Electric Mfg. Co. Secretary of Commerce: Charles Sawyer, corporation lawyer of Cincinnati, formerly of the law firm representing Procter & Gamble Co.; director of American Thermos Bottle Co., Union Central Life Insurance Co., and the Crosley Co. Chairman Defense Production Administration: William Henry Harrison, former president, International Telephone & Telegraph Corp., a Morgan monopoly. Harrison was also chairman of the Federal Telephone & Radio Corp. and of International Standard Electric Corp., I.T.&T. subsidiaries. Special Assistant to C. E. Wilson in Office of Defense Mobilization: Sidney J. Weinberg, senior partner in Goldman, Sachs & Co., one of Wall Street's leading firms; director of General Electric Co., B. F. Goodrich Co., General Foods Corp., Continental Can Co., General Cigar Co., McKesson & Robbins, Sears Roebuck & Co., National Dairy Products Corp., and other corporations. Weinberg has been one of the chief Wall Streeters engaged in recruiting big businessmen to take government posts; many are from corporations of which he is a director. (Recently resigned after finishing his recruiting.) Assistant to C. E. Wilson in Office of Defense Mobilization: General Lucius D. Clay, chairman of Continental Can Co., director Lehman Corp. and Newmont Mining Corp. (Morgan), largest copper-mining investment company with large holdings in African mines as well as in Phelps-Dodge Corp. and Kennecott Copper Corp. (Clay resigned on March 30 to return to the Continental Can Co., but he will still act as a "consultant.") Adviser on Public Relations in Office of Defense Mobilization: W. Howard Chase, director of public relations of General Foods Corp. Assistant to Director for Materials, ODM: Fred Searls, Jr., president Newmont Mining Co. (Although Searls resigned recently, his influence exerted rhrough others still dominates policy relating to copper and other metals.) Deputy Administrator for Staff Services: Edwin T. Gibson, vice-president and director, General Foods Corp. Handles the job of certifying tax amortizations for corporate expansion, huge governmental donations to private companies. Director, Chemical Division, NPA: John S. Bates, president, Ciba Pharmaceutical Products, subsidiary of one of world's major chemical cartels. Director, Machinery Division, NPA: Marshall M. Smith, vice-president, E. W. Bliss Co., allocates machine tools, the basic equipment for all war production. Director, Rubber Division, NPA: Leland E. Spencer, vice-president, Kelly-Springfield Tire Co., subsidiary of Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., chief rubber products manufacturing company in U.S. Director, Iron and Steel Division, NPA: Melvin W. Cole, assistant general manager, Western Sales Division of Bethlehem Steel Corp., second largest steel company in the country. Deputy Administrator, Petroleum Adm. for Defense: Bruce K. Brown, president, Pan-American Petroleum & Transport Co., controlled by Standard Oil of Indiana. Administrator, Defense Electric Power Orm.: Clifford B. McManus, president Georgia Power Co., second largest subsidiary of Commonwealth & Southern, giant Morgan utility holding company. Administrator, Defense Solid Fuels Adm.: Charles W. Connor, formerly in charge of coal mine operations of Armco Steel Corp. Administrator of Economic Stabilization Agency: Eric A. Johnston, formerly president, Chamber of Commerce of the U.S.; director, Seattle First National Bank, United Air Lines and Bank of America, and president of Motion Picture Association of America. In the latter position he was known as czar of the film industry. Director, Transportation, Public Utilities, Fuel and Services Division, OPS: Richard L. Bowditch, director Boston & Maine R.R., Sprague Steamship Co., First National Bank of Boston and Liberty Mutual Insurance Co. Chairman, Munitions Board: John D. Small, president, Maxson Food Systems, chairman of the mercantile section of the New York Board of Trade; formerly vice-president, Emerson Radio & Phonograph Corp. Vice-Chairman of Munitions Board: William T. Van Etten, vice-president, Dun & Bradstreet, Inc., former chairman, New York Board of Trade. Vice-Chairman, Munitions Board: Cornelius W. Middleton, director, Babcock and Wilcox Co., one of the largest metal manufacturers closely linked to U.S. Steel, Republic Steel and General Electric. Vice-Chairman, Munitions Board: Roscoe Seybold, former vice-president, Wesunghouse Electric Supply Co. Deputy Chief of U.S. Delegation to United Nations: John Foster Dulles, director, International Nickel Co. of Canada, American Agricultural Chemical Co., Babcock & Wilcox Corp., American Bank Note Co., trustee of Bank of New York and Fifth Ave. Bank, partner in Sullivan & Cromwell, Wall Street law firm representing Morgan, Rockefeller and other leading financial interests; associated with banking circles which backed Hitler in Germany such as J. Henry Schroder Banking Corp. and I. G. Farben, clients of Sullivan & Cromwell. Presidential Assistant and White House Coordinator on Foreign Policy: W. Averell Harriman, partner of Brown Bros., Harriman & Co.; former vice-president, Union Pacific Railroad, director at one time or another of Guaranty Trust Co. of New York (a Morgan Bank), Illinois Central RR, Western Union Telegraph Co. and many other railroad and shipping companies. Assistant Secretary of State for Economic Affairs: William L. Thorp, director, General Public Utilities Corp., formerly trustee, Associated Gas and Electric Corp., director Associated Electric Co. and United Coach Co. Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs: George V. Perkins, vicepresident, Merck & Co., chemical company related to Nazi firm of same name; formerly director, City Bank Farmers Trust Co., leading Wall Street bank. Director of Policy Planning Staff of State Department: Paul H. Nitze, former vice-president, Dillon Read & Co., vice-president and director, U.S. Commercial Co., director, Rubber Development Co.; through his family and Dillon Read, closely connected with German cartelists and with North German Lloyd interests. Ambassador to Great Britain: Walter S. Gifford (replacing Lewis W. Douglas, chairman of Mutual Life Insurance Co. and director of American Cyanamid Co., who resigned in September, 1950), former chairman, American Telephone and Telegraph Co., director, U.S. Steel Corp., First National Bank of New York, main bank in the Morgan-First National financial interest group. This past summer I had the opportunity to take the class Police and Society at a Catholic university. My professor was a local, white police officer. My class consisted of myself, another Black female and two white guys. Our ages fell in the 20-50 range.
Professor informed us at the beginning of the class that we would be covering current events as well as the book. He told us that we represent society. I got to relive the shooting of Samuel Dubose in Cincinnati. I got to relive the death of Tamir Rice. I got to relive the Arizona officer who hit a Hispanic man with a gun and send him flying 30 or so feet. I learned that Black Lives Matter is considered a terrorist group. I learned that a person has no right to resist arrest. When arrested, one is supposed to submit and let the system do the work. Sure no problem. I learned that the police’s authority is primarily based on ‘use of force,’ either in the form of presence, tone of voice or even physical, up to and including deadly force. Police are the ‘use of force’ authority who protect and serve. This is where I first learned of Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke. I heard from him almost every week this summer. I didn’t know the man prior to this class, and I would have been perfectly fine if I could have remained ignorant of him. The controversy in this class was obvious from the start and the professor wanted us to debate our issues. I first thought that he was trying to learn something from us, and perhaps he did, it just wasn’t what he wanted. July was the turning point for me. I had kept quiet mostly because I don’t debate, I argue. That’s usually unacceptable in a college classroom. However, Philando Castille and Alton Sterling were shot in the same week, both having videos. Both garnering national attention. I had to relive those too. On the Thursday of that week, professor decided we should convene a grand jury on whether the officer who shot Castille should be indicted based on the facts that we know. Those facts: Castille was driving a car. The officer was looking for a suspect who had just robbed a store at gun point. The officer told Castille that he was being pulled over for a broken tail light. Castille informed the officer that he had a conceal carry permit and that the gun was in the car. Castille’s girlfriend and 4 year old child were in the car. When the live stream video opens, Castille has already been shot. When the girlfriend asks the officer why he shot, the officer says “I don’t know. I told him not to reach for it.” The officer claimed that Castille fit the description of the robbery suspect. Castille’s wallet was next to him, wedged between the seat and the arm rest. Castille’s arm, when reaching for the wallet was behind (or under) the seatbelt. Those are the facts known at the time of this “grand jury.” Did we indict? Of course not. It was split, two Black girls calling for indictment, two white guys saying no. Is anyone surprised? But wait this gets better. After the “grand jury,” we had further class discussions and I called the shootings of Sterling and Castille State sponsored murder. Professor was offended. I didn’t have the words to explain myself at that time (a common problem) and we moved on. Later that day, when I got off of work, I thought I should e-mail professor to at least clarify my statement. Seems a reasonable thing to do when you’ve offended someone. So I did. I attached a piece I wrote called “The Social Sin of Injustice” dealing with the killings of unarmed Black men and Black Lives Matter; I also included a Frederick Douglass quote in the body of the email: “If an unarmed colored man is shot down and dies in his tracks, a jury, under the influence of [prejudice], does not hesitate to find the murdered man the real criminal, and the murderer innocent” –1881. I woke up the next morning to the news that 5 officers in Texas officers had been gunned down in a sniper attack. Knowing the professor had a soft spot for fallen officers (he had been showing us a website dedicated to them), I immediately regretted sending that email. Six o’clock that evening, I received his reply: “If you want clarification, meet me before class next Thursday.” Instant fear. I called my fiancé and asked him to read it and asked how I should interpret it. “If you need me to go to class with you, I’ll be more than happy to go with you,” he said. The hairs on my neck raised. This is a local cop. I have to drive through his jurisdiction almost daily. He’s my professor! The following week, on Tuesday, I’m driving to work. I stop at a red light right behind an officer (not my professor’s jurisdiction). The light turns green and as soon as the cop pulls off, his lights and sirens come on. I hit my brakes, thinking What the fuck did I do? I’m paralyzed. The cop makes a u-turn and races up the road the other direction. My shoulders sag; I sigh and grab a cigarette. It’s not my turn I thought. The horn blowing made me realize that still hadn’t moved. As I traveled down the street, seeing a cop made me check my rear view mirror. I kept a close watch on my speed. I was scared. It turned out my fear was over exaggerated; professor just wanted me to know that using such language incites anger. But was it justified? Our last class before the final answered that question. On the board, professor wrote $400,000,000 and asked what its significance was. It was the amount of money the US paid to Iraq in exchange for hostages (of course the White House claimed it was an unpaid debt paid at an inconvenient time). From here he asks the class what the word ‘demands’ bring to mind. I said ‘terrorists.’ (Wouldn’t you, based on the context?) With that answer (that’s what he was looking for) he proceeded to bring up the Movement for Black Lives and the platform that they had recently released. I had read some of the platform, had even downloaded the provided brochures for parts I was highly interested in. It took me a while, but when he decided to take particular bullet points from one platform, I realized he was calling them terrorists! The sickening feeling that came to me that day was among the worst things I’ve ever experienced. Here I am, a supporter of Black Lives Matter and I’m being called a goddam terrorist! My fear was and is justified! Professor also went against protocol (police and college) and openly declared his support for Donald Trump. What do you do? WHAT DO YOU DO!? Me, I got the A to keep up my GPA. I write to spread the word. I learn and get to teach as I go along. That’s what I do. It may not seem like much, but revolutions don’t start out as a revolution. At the end of the summer, professor had the occasion to visit me at my job while he was on duty. It was a weird experience. He appeared extremely uncomfortable, almost nervous. “Hey professor,” I greeted him. “Hi, got a special order.” “Sure, no problem. What do you need?” “Could you put the Old Bay in the middle and on top please?” “Of course. By the way, our grades aren’t posted yet.” “I just posted them today, so they should be up soon.” “Cool. That was a crazy class and I’m so glad it’s over…no offense, of course.” “No, you’re right. Next time I’ll ask Frank to make it a block class, that way the classes are a little shorter. This last class got me rethinking my future career choices.” “I guess so. Police and Society this summer bought out the true controversy.” Red faced and nodding, he went on his way. I haven’t seen him since. It was December cold. The air crisp and dry. Friendly clouds hung in the sky, blotting out the sun. No snow on the ground; no snow in the forecast. Oh, how she had wished for snow on this day! In hindsight, she reflected that the weather had tried to warn her in its cold silence. But the eyes of love see no such forebodings. It was her wedding day. Every kind of excitement crossed her mind. His smile. His jokes. His laughter. His eyes, big, round, dark and glassy. Sometimes the eyes were thoughtful, but mostly full of mischief, smiling with childlike glee at Christmas. Every worry crossed her mind. Is this real? What if I go into labor? Will he say I do, or make some joke of it? Can we look at each other without bursting into laughter? Without tears? Does this happen to everyone on this day?
The ceremony went without a hitch. No laughing outbursts. No tears. All smiles and “I do.” And they lived happily ever after… The reception was well done, though the lack of alcohol made the bride a bit uncomfortable. It wasn’t that everyone knew she was pregnant, it was those self-righteous church folk who made it so. They didn’t stare, but it seemed everywhere she turned, people were whispering. Was she imagining things? And then it was time to cut the cake. There they were, the newlyweds, cake in hand. Unknown to the Bride, this being her first wedding, the couple was supposed to feed each other. The Groom was standing in an odd way, like he’s ready to throw the cake instead of offering it to her. “Smash it in his face,” someone yelled. Confused, but smiling the Bride looked out and said, “Nooo. Now why would I do that?” Her voice full of ignorant innocence. Smiling still, she gently feeds him his piece of cake, when all of a sudden, he’s smashing cake into her face! She couldn’t hide her surprise nor the rage welling up inside her so she bent over and put her hands over her face. The crowd laughed; no they howled with laughter. They cheered. The Bride had to recover quickly, lest it be known that she neither knew of this “tradition” nor was she happy about it. She stood and allowed the Groom to wipe her face. She searched his eyes. She found that childish mischief she thought she loved so much. She could feel the tears welling, but managed to keep them at bay. He finished and handed her a napkin to clean her glasses. “Try it again.” Someone from the crowd was looking for more. The Bride looked out the window. The friendly clouds looked darker. Maybe it’ll snow after all. This brought her back. Her smile returned. She didn’t speak, only shook her head and moved to sit down, feigning fatigue. Then came time for the toasting. Mother of the Bride went first. The microphone wasn’t working and it frustrated her. “Congratulations,” was all anyone heard as her shoulders sagged in disappointment. Father of the Bride came next. Of course the mic worked fine for him. “I’m so proud of you.” The Bride looked up in surprise and amazement. It was the first time he’d ever uttered those words. She beamed at this. This was even better than getting married! Daddy’s proud of me! She could not stop smiling. Daddy’s proud of me. The words echoed throughout the day. The words changed everything. Even the cake smashing was forgot. Nothing could breach the good of what she felt. |
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