described
time presents Arizona close ups, Curtis street where you find quality
radio and television audience, both in the capital city of Arizona can
currently active in her work with the night Alistair of women's activities
and vital message of veterans to all. Thank you, paul Hughes, we are
broadcasting direct from the phoenix Women's Club, located at 603 North
First Avenue across the street from the post office, there are several 100
women represented here today. In fact, thousands, I should say, to honor
the Central district committee of the Federated Women's Clubs, which
comprises 40 different club. The phoenix Women's Club was founded in 1900
to further civic, educational and philanthropic activities today. Our
program is a serious one for these are serious times in the President's
State of the Union message. He emphasized the uncertainty of times ahead
and said, are far more precious than teeth our freedom and justice during
this chaotic period of our history when we are mobilizing the spiritual
and material resources of our nations to fight tyranny and protects the
three people throughout the world. It is appropriate that we here at this
time from Captain Kenneth Hanky of the United States Army officer, Reserve
Corps. Captain Hanky, thank you very much mrs artist. I have a direct
appeal to the college graduates in the area of phoenix, specifically those
young women who have yet to choose a career in their future and perhaps
Captain, you'll give it just a little detail on this subject. Very glad to
Mrs Harland. First of all, I would like to point out the mission of the
Women's Army corps as most of you know, the mission of the women's army
corps is to provide for the assimilation and appropriation and utilization
within the army of voluntary women power. Throughout this entire nation,
the corps led by a group of trained and experienced officers is so
constituted as to be able in time of dire emergency to immediately expand.
Perhaps you'll give us some of these assignments. Can you captain? The
assignments Mrs harness are varied and many. In fact, there are a few
careers available to the young women of America, which offers such a
variety of interesting fields in which they can engage is that compared to
the various fields offered by the army, the career of an army officer is
based upon rotation of assignment in a very well planned and controlled
career pattern. These career patterns obviously will be influenced by
individual aptitudes, by the individual abilities of the girl and also by
her preferences. As one progresses upward in her career ladder, she
receives advanced schooling to prepare for the various responsibilities,
commensurate with the rank and experience. The career pattern is designed
to produce versatile and proficient officers capable of filling positions
of trust and responsibility throughout the entire army. Equal career
opportunities afforded every officer through proper selection of her
assignment and with certain exceptions, a woman's career will resemble
closely that the male officer in the army. Thank you very much Captain
Hanky for being with us today. We are in full accord with all you've said
and know full well that many women of our state will quickly respond to
your appeal while our armed forces are preparing to protect us on the
fighting front. Here at home on the FBI, we find that the FBI worked
around the clock to guarantee freedom and democracy to protect us from
sabotage and the fifth column intrigue of communism. Today we have as our
guest with you Mr William, a Murphy, special agent in charge of the FBI in
Arizona mr Murphy will discuss present responsibilities of the FBI as they
relate to the critical international situation and the responsibilities of
the average citizen to refer to the FBI. Any matters that you feel their
relation to our internal security? Mr Murphy, How long has mr J. Edgar
Hoover been the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Starless.
Mr Hoover during the past year celebrated his silver anniversary as
director of the FBI. And within a very few days will complete his 26th
anniversary as the director of the FBI. Has he been the only director then
that the FBI has had from the very beginning? No, there were several other
gentlemen who preceded him. But mr Hoover was appointed by the then
Attorney General. Uh Mr Stone, who later became the chief justice of the
United States Supreme Court. What is the FBI's responsibility and to
respect to such matters as espionage and domestic communism. The FBI mrs
Harless and members of the Women's Club and guests has been delegated the
responsibility by the Congress of handling all matters relating to
espionage, sabotage, and the various internal security branches, so that
we have a fixed and definite duty to make certain that Russian espionage,
for example, is contained and at the same time to handle any possible acts
of sabotage which might occur and many times acts occur. That the origin
is a definite question, such as our incident out here on the southern
pacific track Last friday night when we found a stick of dynamite
underneath one of the rails and through careful investigation, we were
able to determine that this act was not the result of any foreign inspired
sabotage nor any domestic inspired sabotage, but rather an ill advised and
ill conceived uh frank. You might consider on the part of some young boys
here in phoenix mr Murphy. Are there any leading cases now in court on
these Communistic matters? Yes, we have now pending before the United
States Supreme Court, probably the most important case that we have ever
handled that relates directly to domestic communism. Perhaps all of you
recall that a little over a year ago, after a rather long and tedious
trial in the courthouse in new york city, 11 members of the National
Committee of the Communist Party were tried and convicted of a violation
of the smith act, which is an act that makes it an offense for persons to
conspire to overthrow the United States government by force and violence.
That case was tried before the honorable judge medina. And during the
course of the trial, it was necessary for the FBI to expose many people
that we had acting
as informants if you will, in the Communist Party itself. They were not
FBI employees, but rather people that we had gone to an appeal to from a
number of various standpoints to function in the party in our behalf. And
so when the case came on to trial, it was necessary to bring these people
, some of them actually being leading leading party functionaries in and
much to the amazement and surprise of the defendant. These people appeared
and testified for the United States government and thus that case resulted
in exposing perhaps for the first time the general pattern of the
Communist Party as an organization definitely committed to the overthrow
of our government.
Mr Murphy. What about the Communist situation here in Arizona only
recently read in our newspapers about an incident occurring, in fact, just
within a block of this very building we're in today, just as the cathedral
here whereby a phoenix woman announced herself publicly as being an active
member of the Communist Party and she asked to be heard, Can you tell us a
bit about this? Many people ask, do we have a Communist Party here in
Arizona and the answer is very definitely yes. And the open appearance of
one of our phoenix female residents a little over a week ago
in admitting that she was a member of the Communist Party brings, I think
home, most realistically, the fact that there is a group here in our state
who adhere to the principles of communism and our members of the Communist
Party of the United States. Now, one thing I believe is extremely
significant as a result of the new york case the party in many respects,
has gone underground.
They no longer hold open meeting. There are no published lists of members
and they have
maintain maximum secrecy about their activity.
But this individual who appeared here recently and announced who she was,
and the fact that she was a member of the party, I think makes everyone
realized perhaps for the first time in certain respects that communism is
an active living, vibrant
activity throughout the United States. And definitely at least here in
phoenix
heretofore we've had a great deal of nebulous material, you might say not
anything definite, not any places or persons name, but here we have a
woman who is not only willing to be counted as such, but who would openly
try to persuade you in open meeting that the communist way of life is the
real way of life right here in our own community. Mhm. Um just as you said
, mr Murphy every time anything like this cathedral incident comes up, it
makes us realize our responsibility to carry on a constant educational
program to persuade anyone with Communistic leanings or anyone who has in
the future might have the desire to be that communism is not the answer.
It is a challenge to the women here today, to our radio audience and to
the people throughout the nation, to feel a responsibility to convince all
of free peoples that democracy is the best way of life. Can you tell us
just briefly before we leave the air uh about the Cook murder case, which
we've been reading about today in the papers, Mr Murphy, We'd like to hear
about it just a short time ago. This young boy by the name of William
Edward Cook was known in the penitentiary as little billy. No one
considered him as a very vicious or a very heartless individual. And yet
Within the past two weeks, This boy has killed at least six people. He's
exploded mentally. And we consider him one of the most biggest boys that
we've had to seek. And I want to say that all the police officers and
cooperating agencies have been working with us night and day in an effort
to locate this young boy. Thank you Mr William Murphy for these FBI tax
and the vital information that you've given us. I know that our members
here today, our radio audience will remember all you have said and
maintain a full alert and feel an individual responsibility to bring to
the FBI's attention all pertinent information that will help to bring
about the security which you and the FBI are constantly fighting for. And
may I take this opportunity to thank Ben pro chin and chest Goldberg of
Hanis for their generosity in making this broadcast possible. And now,
paul Hughes you have just heard Arizona close ups presented by MEREDITH
Harless at the bi monthly phoenix woman's club meeting to honor the
central district committee of the Federated Women's Clubs. This program
has come to you through the courtesy of Hanis and Adams and First Street
where the wise shopper will find the best buy MEREDITH Howard Harless,
known to radio and television audiences in the nation's capital and our
state's capital, will be back with you again at the same time next Tuesday
when she will interview Susan Peters of Motion picture fame and other
stars, who will be featured in the barretts of Wimple Street tune in next
Tuesday at 6 15 For Arizona.
Mhm.
Yes. Yeah.
This program was transcribed
to ourphoenix