From our pages in 1942 (12/25/83)

In observance of The Weekly's 50th

From our pages in 1942

"Why Communists try to smear and ban Ukrainian flag," August 15, 1942:

"...the Communists in this country are antagonizing many of its patriotic citizens and thereby blunting some of the fine impression left upon them by the valiant fight the various peoples of the Soviet Union are waging against the Nazi invaders.

Take, as one example of such blundering, the current attempts by the Communists and their fellow travelers to force Americans of Ukrainian descent who participate in the "Win the War" parades to march under (besides the American flag, of course) the red nag of communism...

Of course this attempt to make loyal Americans of Ukrainian descent march under the red nag is not as brazen as it may appear. It has a certain amount of guile in it. First of all, an attempt is made to besmirch the centuries-old Ukrainian blue and yellow banner, as being "Nazi" or "anti-American," etc. Then when the parade committee has - through its ignorance or the presence in it of some fellow travelers and other enemies of the Ukrainian people - been prevailed upon by the Communists to accept this false view of the Ukrainian flag, the argument is next advanced by them that since the Ukrainian nag has been banned and since most of Ukraine is part of the Soviet Union, that therefore the Ukrainian nationality group in the parade should be headed by the red flag. It's all quite simple.

That is what happened some time ago in New York City "Win the War" parade. To their credit, however, most of the Ukrainian Americans marching in it refused to follow the red nag but marched by themselves headed by the American nag.

Today a similar scene is being repeated in Newark's "Win the War" parade. Last Saturday the parade committee was persuaded by the Communists and their sympathizers to ban the Ukrainian nag from appearing in the parade. Fortunately, the Newark Ukrainian parade committee, led by the Rev. Dr. Volodimir Klodnycky, is a fighting committee. It has not taken this patently un-American decision lying down. Instead it has conducted a fight against the ban that has brought it reams of publicity in the Newark press, and some in New York. It has even gone to the extent of appealing to Secretary of State Cordell Hull to express his opinion in the matter. As we go to press, no reply has been received from him.

What's behind all this? That is the natural query of anyone who has read about this banning of the Ukrainian flag in the daily press.

The answer is very simple, and when our fellow Americans realize it the Communist element in this country will be revealed as being more vicious and un-American than is generally supposed.

In a nutshell the answer is this: The Ukrainian blue and yellow banner is not only a symbol of the centuries-old Ukrainian struggle against aggression and oppression and for national freedom and democracy, but what is even more important from the American viewpoint, it is a symbol of the fight the Ukrainian American people have been relentlessly waging against communism from the very first time it reared its ugly head here.

It has been a long and bitter fight that they have waged against communism. And most of the time it has been a very lonely fight, a "when a 'feller' needs a friend" fight, especially during what has been aptly called the "Red Decade" (which lasted up to the Hitler-Stalin pact) in this country, when the Communists were all powerful and when it was hard to find someone who would side with the Ukrainian Americans against them. It was a fight conducted not only in the Ukrainian press, in meeting halls, in organizations and various public forums, but also on the streets of principal American cities, including New York, Chicago, Boston and Detroit, where Ukrainian anti-Communist parades were attacked by bands of Red hoodlums.

Nevertheless, the Ukrainian Americans never faltered in this struggle, they rarely grew discouraged when their fellow Americans remained indifferent to it, as well as the danger communism represents to this country. They did neither, simply because by tradition and by upbringing they are a very freedom-loving and democratically minded people. That fact plus their fighting traditions makes them natural and minded people. That fact plus their fighting traditions makes them natural and undying opponents of communism, of fascism, of nazism, and of any other "ism" which is anti-freedom and anti-democratic...

"What's behind the smear campaign," October 3, 1942:

Our fair-minded fellow Americans may not be aware of it, but we of Ukrainian extraction are being persecuted. Those who for reasons of their own would break up our unity and strength, our institutions and our common ideals, are doing their utmost to blacken our good name and bring disrepute upon us.

This they do by using that old trick known as "name-calling," which is especially despicable in wartime. And the name they use against us is - Nazi or Fascist. Of course, "sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt," but obviously today such a name carries very harmful consequences in its wake.

This our vilifiers realize. That is why their smear campaign against us continues unabated. They know well enough that the Ukrainians in the old country and we their American kinsmen here are traditionally and inherently freedom-loving, utterly hostile to autocracy and totalitarianism, be it nazism, fascism or communism. They know well enough that our American patriotism and loyalty have never been questioned by anyone except them and their dupes. ...

Now comes the question: who or what is behind all this calumny against Ukrainians, and why?...

Who are the "masterminds" behind the current smear campaign against us?

Briefly, they are mainly those who are enemies of the Ukrainian national movement for independence, of that movement that is founded on liberty and democracy, that is centuries-old, and that represents the traditions, the aspirations and the countless sacrifices in its cause of millions of Ukrainians.

Simply because we democratic Americans of Ukrainian descent, from the very time when our immigrants first came here - about 60 years ago, have been among the staunchest supporters of this idealistic movement; simply because we have for years endeavored to portray it before our fellow Americans in its true colors and thereby win their sympathy for it; simply because we want our kinsmen in their native land to enjoy after this war the freedom and democracy we are so fortunate having here as Americans; simply because of these and similar reasons we have become the objects of this ruthless vilification by those who regard with hatred the idea of a free and democratic Ukraine.

Chief among them, of course, are the Communists in this country, those who during the time of the Hitler-Stalin pact impeded our country's war preparations at every step, but who now have become 1,000 percent Americans, highly intolerant of the plain 100 percent variety, and constantly lecturing us on how we could "attain" their level. Among them, it is worth noting, is a small but quite noisy Ukrainian element.

The Communists have always had it in for us, not only because we are supporters of the idea of a free and democratic Ukraine, not only because of our churches, fraternal associations and the various other resources at our command for which they lust, but also because we have always preferred to look not to Moscow but to Washington for our leadership.

Today the Communists in this country are in their heyday. They are basking in the reflected glory of the valiant struggle the Soviet Russian and Ukrainian and other peoples are waging against the brutal hordes of Hitler. As a result their words and actions get the attention which ordinarily they would not merit. So when they say we Ukrainian Americans are pro-Nazi, some gullible souls are found to give credence to such rot and pass it on.

All this is bad enough. But what has made it worse are certain radio commentators and "writers"... who have become dupes of Communist anti-Ukrainian propaganda and with their wild, irresponsible and false statements about us are causing much damage to an innocent people.

Sometimes we wonder whether they are really dupes. In fact, we doubt their sincerity very much. For if they were really sincere they would not continue uttering the same old palpable falsehoods about us. If they were sincere they would take the occasional trouble of checking up on the truth of the Communist propaganda fed them. If they were sincere they would at least listen to our side of the story. And finally, if they were sincere they would strive to acquaint themselves a little with the background, history, traditions and aspirations of the people they malign so shamelessly. Yet characteristically enough they ignore it all, and with it the truth, and concentrate just on the dirt, venom and cheap sensationalism. ...

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