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Born in Poland of Jewish parents, Niles grew up in Boston. He could not afford college and became a political activist by 1924.  He played a major role in every Democratic National Convention from 1928 through 1952.  He had what Roosevelt called a "passion for anonymity" and was seldom mentioned in the press.

Born in Poland of Jewish parents, Niles grew up in Boston. He could not afford college and became a political activist by 1924.  He played a major role in every Democratic National Convention from 1928 through 1952.  He had what Roosevelt called a "passion for anonymity" and was seldom mentioned in the press.

Niles directed the Boston's Ford Hall Forum (1921-1952), a lecture service. He directed the American Business Census in Massachusetts (1933-1934). Moving to Washington in 1934 he moved up rapidly in the [[New Deal]] under the patronage of [[Harry Hopkins]], becoming an assistant administrator of the [[Works Progress Administration]] (1936-1939), Special Assistant to the Secretary of Commerce (1939-1940). In 1940 he handled patronage for the Census Bureau, which hired 100,000 people to conduct the census that year. He worked for the Office of Production Management and [[War Production Board]] before becoming a presidential advisor.

Niles directed the Boston's Ford Hall Forum (1921-1952), a lecture service. Niles directed both the "Progressive League" for Democratic presidential candidate [[Al Smith]] in 1928 and the "Progressive Committee" for Joseph B. Ely, the Democratic candidate for reelection as Governor of Massachusetts in 1932.

 

He directed part of a special census in Massachusetts (1933-1934), where he met his patron [[Harry Hopkins]]. Moving to Washington in 1934 he moved up rapidly in the [[New Deal]] under the patronage of Hopkins, becoming an assistant administrator of the [[Works Progress Administration]] (1936-1939), Special Assistant to the Secretary of Commerce (1939-1940). In 1940 he handled patronage for the Census Bureau, which hired 100,000 people to conduct the census that year. He worked for the Office of Production Management and [[War Production Board]] before becoming a presidential advisor.

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In 1943, Congressman Fred Bradley accused Niles of having communist connections while involved with the Ford Hall Forum and with [[Harry Hopkins]] and [[Felix Frankfurter]]. [http://www.trumanlibrary.org/hstpaper/niles.htm]  More recent allegations of Communist connections to Niles have arisen:

In 1943, Congressman Fred Bradley accused Niles of having communist connections while involved with the Ford Hall Forum and with [[Harry Hopkins]] and [[Felix Frankfurter]]. [http://www.trumanlibrary.org/hstpaper/niles.htm]  More recent allegations of Communist connections to Niles have arisen:

:"An NKVD [[Venona]] document, a decrypted Soviet message, from New York to Moscow reported on a plan to send a husband and wife team of NKVD 'illegals' to Mexico.[http://www.nsa.gov/venona/releases/01_Jun_1944_R3_m1_p1.gif] The message said, 'Through CAPITAN'S (Roosevelt’s) advisor David Niles –will take 3-4 days, will cost 500 dollars.... [A]round Niles there is a group of his friends who will arrange anything for a bribe. Through them TENOR ([[Michael W. Burd]]) obtains priorities and has already paid them as much as 6000 dollars. Whether NILES takes a bribe himself is not known for certain.' Burd was a Soviet agent and an officer of the [[Midland Export Corporation]] in New York City."

:"An NKVD [[Venona]] document, a decrypted Soviet message, from New York to Moscow reported on a plan to send a husband and wife team of NKVD 'illegals' to Mexico. To get a visa the had to bribe a staff person working for Niles.

 

[http://www.nsa.gov/venona/releases/01_Jun_1944_R3_m1_p1.gif] The message said, 'Through CAPITAN'S (Roosevelt’s) advisor David Niles –will take 3-4 days, will cost 500 dollars.... [A]round Niles there is a group of his friends who will arrange anything for a bribe. Through them TENOR ([[Michael W. Burd]]) obtains priorities and has already paid them as much as 6000 dollars. Whether NILES takes a bribe himself is not known for certain.' Burd was a Soviet agent and an officer of the [[Midland Export Corporation]] in New York City."

(Romerstein and Breindel, p. 180.)

(Romerstein and Breindel, p. 180.)