Changes

Following Paul Robeson's first trip to Russia in late 1934, he became an ardent lover of not just the [[Soviet Union]] and its peoples, but Russian culture and history.<ref>Duberman, Martin. ''Paul Robeson'', 1989, pg 190.</ref> Robeson became fluent in Russian, studied Russian history in depth, learned about the many national minorities (eg: Yakuts, Uzbeks, Tartars) and wrote numerous essays and articles demonstrating his deeply held beliefs that the US should seek peace and understanding with Soviet Russia.

Following Paul Robeson's first trip to Russia in late 1934, he became an ardent lover of not just the [[Soviet Union]] and its peoples, but Russian culture and history.<ref>Duberman, Martin. ''Paul Robeson'', 1989, pg 190.</ref> Robeson became fluent in Russian, studied Russian history in depth, learned about the many national minorities (eg: Yakuts, Uzbeks, Tartars) and wrote numerous essays and articles demonstrating his deeply held beliefs that the US should seek peace and understanding with Soviet Russia.

Robeson's [[Stalinism]] extended to denying civil rights to Trotskyites, whom [[Stalin]] had labeled "objectively fascist." In 1949, President [[Harry Truman|Truman]], seeking to distract attention from the [[Whittaker Chambers|Chambers|Elizabeth Bentley|Bentley]] revelations of widespread [[Communist]] penetration of the Federal government, arrested 11 leaders of the [[Communist Party]] under the [[Smith Act]]. [[Soviet]] agents such as Congressman [[Samuel Dickstein]] (D-N.Y.) (the Soviet agent code-named "Crook"), the architect of what would become [[HUAC]], had used the act in 1941 to convict 19 leaders of the Trotskyite Socialist Workers Party (SWP). Now that the [[CPUSA]] found itself attacked by the same law, some called for pardons for the Trotskyites. Robeson led the opposition:

Robeson's [[Stalinism]] extended to denying civil rights to Trotskyites, whom [[Stalin]] had labeled "objectively fascist." In 1949, President [[Harry Truman|Truman]], seeking to distract attention from the [[Whittaker Chambers|Chambers]]-[[Elizabeth Bentley|Bentley]] revelations of widespread [[Communist]] penetration of the Federal government, arrested 11 leaders of the [[Communist Party]] under the [[Smith Act]]. [[Soviet]] agents such as Congressman [[Samuel Dickstein]] (D-N.Y.) (the Soviet agent code-named "Crook"), the architect of what would become [[HUAC]], had used the act in 1941 to convict 19 leaders of the Trotskyite Socialist Workers Party (SWP). Now that the [[CPUSA]] found itself attacked by the same law, some called for pardons for the Trotskyites. Robeson led the opposition:

{{cquote|In speaking for denial of civil liberties to the Socialist Workers Party, Mr. Robeson asked the conference, "Would you give civil rights to the Ku Klux Klan?"

{{cquote|In speaking for denial of civil liberties to the Socialist Workers Party, Mr. Robeson asked the conference, "Would you give civil rights to the Ku Klux Klan?"

"No," chorused the delegates.

"No," chorused the delegates.