#32: How The Communists Changed America
In 1954, Norman Dodd discovered the link between "collectivism" and America's large private foundations.
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Editor’s Note: Norman Dodd was the director of research of the House Special Committee to Investigate Tax-Exempt Foundations in 1954. He produced a report for that committee — and hearings were held in Congress regarding a group of “little known persons” who had “established tight control” over education and research. Mr. Dodd focused on the radical changes in social philosophy and politics in America between 1933 - 1936 and he discovered that many of the changes were the result of a plot by socialists and communists who were supported by some of the great philanthropic foundations like the Rockefeller Foundation and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
The following short interview with Norman Dodd took place in 1980 — a few years before his death — and was preserved by tape recording.
The Interviewer: “Now did you or any member of your staff ever have the opportunity of going through the records of any of the great foundations?”
Norman Dodd: "We had one remarkable instance of that kind by, again, by invitation. This invitation came from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and was in response to a letter which I had written to the Endowment asking certain questions, seeking certain information. And this invitation was issued to me over the telephone to come to their office in New York when I was next there. This I did. And on arrival I found myself in the presence of Dr. Joseph Johnson, the president, two vice presidents, and their own counsel, a partner of Sells & Cromwell. And after amenities, Dr. Johnson said, ‘Mr Dodd, we received your letter, and we can answer all these questions but that it would be a great deal of trouble because with the approval of, by the Senate, ratification of the United Nations treaty, we felt our job was done. So we took all our records, from the beginning of this endowment, up to 1945, and sent them to the warehouse, and then we concentrated on just using our funds to build this new building across the street from the United Nations, which would provide the various organizations that would follow the United Nations activities with a place to meet.’”
“But,” he said, “we have a counter suggestion, and that is, Mr. Dodd, if you can spare a member of your staff for two weeks and send them to New York, we will provide that member with a room in the library, our library. And the minute books of this endowment, since its inception. And we think whatever you want to find out you can find out through that source.”
