Conde Mc Ginley - Career - Involvement With The House Un-American Activities Committee

Involvement With The House Un-American Activities Committee

At the confirmation hearings for Anna Rosenberg, McGinley and others associated with him were prominently figured, including Benjamin H. Freedman, who had partially financed Common Sense. The fallout of this brought him into the sights of House Un-American Activities Committee, which issued a 1954 report condemning his propaganda. Preliminary Report on Neo-Fascist and Hate Groups (PDF file, 3 Meg), Committee on Un-American Activities, U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, D.C. 1954:

Growth of the hate group in recent years is exemplified by the publishing endeavors of Conde J. McGinley and his son, C.J. McGinley, in Union, N.J. The McGinleys, senior and junior, operate as the Christian Educational Association, for the purpose of publishing a semimonthly paper, Common Sense, as well as a mass of individual printed matter.

Common Sense represents itself as the "Nation's anti-Communist paper." Subscriptions are sought from "loyal and patriotic Americans" in order to "help save our Republic".

Such patriotic claims provide poor disguise, however, for some of the most vitriolic hate propaganda ever to come to the attention of the committee. Common Sense defines communism as "Judaism" and devotes its pages almost exclusively to attacks on the Jewish and to a lesser extent the Negro minorities in our Nation. Sympathy for the former Nazi regime in Germany also is injected into this propaganda, which is hardly distinguishable from that of the National Renaissance Party except for the latter's open appeal for a fascist government in the United States.

Despite its patriotic claims, Common Sense has in fact employed and/or carried the writings of a number of individuals associated with the National Renaissance Party. Through the columns of Common Sense and innumerable booklets printed and offered for sale, the McGinleys appear to serve as a clearinghouse for hate propagandists throughout the country. Among these are many of the native fascists and hate racketeers who were active in the 1930s.

In contrast to the limited appeal of the openly fascist National Renaissance Party, the McGinley enterprise appears to be a shrewd and going business.

In response, "Conde McGinley of Common Sense urged the committee to hold a public hearing and 'if we cannot prove our statements we'll be very willing to cease publication'."