Gerald L.K. Smith Blasts Liberal Union President

Gerald L. K. Smith has accused Walter C. Carrington '52, president of the Liberal Union, of being a "creeping Socialist" in the pages of his monthly magazine, "The Cross and the Flag." Attacked along with Carrington were Walter Reuther, president of the United Auto Workers Union, and Professor Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. '38.

The Lowell House senior yesterday denied the charges in a statement to the CRIMSON. "These accusations fall into a familiar category of Smith rantings. . . and are obviously created by the workings of a sadly twisted mind," Carrington said.

Carrington, who is also treasurer of the Society for Minority Rights, said that last year he had been chairman of two meetings at which speakers had exposed the workings of Smith's extreme rightwing "Christian Nationalist Crusade."

"Attack by Bigot"

"The fact that I chaired those meetings is obviously the reason that Smith attacked me," Carrington said. He added, "It's the first time I've ever been attacked by a bigot with such national standing."

Carrington said last night that he planned no legal action against the man who at one time during World War II was on trial for sedition. "It's pretty hard to prove libel," he said, "and besides, Smith is too much of a crack-pot to bother with."

"The Cross and the Flag" has been the official monthly publication of Smith's various front groups for the past ten years. It has a paid circulation of approximately 47,500, averages about 40 pages per issue, and is printed in three colors on slick paper.

Gordon Hall, for many years an underground worker in the Smith organization and at present an expert on semi-Fascist groups, last night told the CRIMSON that the Nationalist Crusade has as many as 200,000 members in California alone. "Smith is an extremely successful bigot," he said.

Hall was the speaker at a meeting here last fall sponsored by the Society for Minority Rights. That meeting and one in the spring sponsored by the Liberal Union were the two gatherings that earned Carrington a denunciation by Smith.

The last time Smith visited, Boston was in 1947. After several protest demonstrations he left town. His headquarters are now in St. Louis, where he could not be reached last night by telephone