15 September 2017--
On April 1, 1953, the anthropologist Gene Weltfish appeared before the Senate Committee on Governmental Operations, chaired by Senator Joseph McCarthy, Republican from Wisconsin.
The testimony can be found in its entirety at the following location, beginning on page 232:
https://books.google.com/books?id=3cIHAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA233&lpg=PA233&dq=weltfish+germ+warfare&source=bl&ots=pjd0IgdK5e&sig=V7VERhq0qqz1YqNdTjOq0ziKLNU&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj0_fXBsKjWAhVH82MKHRPIBFEQ6AEILDAB#v=onepage&q=weltfish%20germ%20warfare&f=false
Following the usual "Have you ever been a member of the Communist party..?" introduction by a "Mr. Morris", the testimony begins with Senator Ferguson, (Homer S., Republican from Michigan)
about a germ-warfare allegation brought up in several newspapers, pro-Communist and otherwise.
Sifting through the dialogue, the evidence submitted is a June 5, 1952 affidavit by Rev. Dr. James Endicott relating to the charge.
The testimony continues, eventually ending up with no concrete evidence that the anthropologist was indeed a Communist, whether she actually released the story to the media, or whether in fact it was even true. On August 26, 1952, a group of Canadian scientists take to task the charge by Endicott in The Lethbridge Herald (Alberta, Canada):
The article has been uploaded to an OCR decoder and reproduced in text format below--
CANADIAN SCIENTISTS , Their Answer to Dr. Endicott
By C. F. S. Official Ottawa has given flat de-nial to the Germ Warfare charges of Dr. James G. Endicott of Toronto, as have, United States authorities. This repudiation of the statements made by the former clergyman and chairman of the Canadian Peace Cozily ess, that the Ainerkan fvAuca in Korea had been waging bacteri-ological warfare in Korea, is well known. But there is another body of evi-dence that is not so well known, It is pertinent right now in view of the use made of the "Germ War" charges of Dr. Endicott by Chinese and Russian spokesmen at the re-cent International Red Cross meet-ing in Toronto and the turmoil they caused. This answer to the widely publi-cized Endicott story, comes from Ca-nadian scientists, the standing of whom is not questioned. Their fully documented report was tabled in the House at Ottawa last June by Jus-tice Minister Carson and gives fur-ther denial to the charges. xx xx xx Making the study and issuing the report were Dr. W. H. Brittain, Vice-Principal and entomologist, Mac-donald College, McGill University; Dr. A. W. Baker, head of the De-partment of Entomology and Zeningy, Ontario Agrieultural Col-lege: and Dr. C. E. Atwood, pro-fessor of Zoology, University of Toronto. The whole text of the Rc.,ort of these scientists, following their study of speeches by Dr. Endicott and Mr. Malik, and other evidence brought forward including the mimeographed pamphlet "Docu-mentation on Bacteriological War-fare" distributed by the Canadian Peace Congress, generally viewed as an agency of World Communism, might. be presented with profit. But this is beyond the compass of this review.
xx xx xx Examined specifically were the speeches made by Dr. Endicott in Toronto in May, and elsewhere, and the interview hr gave in London, England, April 29 last on return-ing from the Far East war theatre. Says the report: Dr. Endicott said that he was not a "scientific or technical expert". Despite this statement Dr. Endicott proceeds, in his various speeches and interviews, to give so-called evidence and makes decisions thereon con-trary to those which a trained biologist would make. In a Radio Peking broadcast, in English, on the Chinese International Serv-ice, April 12. 1952, Dr. Endicott is reported to have said: "I have seen the germ-laden in-sects. In fact, I have caught some myself!" Since Dr. Endi-cot t acknowledges that he is not a "scientific or technical expert" it is obvious that he could not know the insects which he' caught nor decide whether or not they were "germ-laden." In other words, throughout his testimony. Dr. Endicott has either drawn conclusions which he is incompetent to make or has accepted hearsay evidence . . . Furthermore, Dr. Endicott has made statements which are contrary to the 'data submitted by the "Commission of the Medical Headquarters of the Korean People's Army on the uk. of Bacteriological Weapons." These data are included in the pamphlet "Documentation on Bacteriological Warfare" distri-buted by the Canadian Peace. Congress, of which Dr. Endicott is chairman. z'or example. in his address in Maple Leaf Gar-dens, May 11. 1952, speaking of "huga numbers of insects" appearing at various times and alleged to Have been dropped by United States aircraft, he made the statement that "rill were in-
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29, 1952. 80 specimens of insects, ticks and spiders examined-2 specimens infected: on February 13. 1952. 78 specimens of in-sects end spiders examined-1 specimen infected. In both cases all other specimens were reported by the Commission as not carrying disease germs. Dr. Endicott's statement Is obviously vs conflict with the evidence
distributed by his own organiza-tion.
xx xx xx Dr. Endicott makes the ,astound-ing statement that "any epidemics that may be in China today are not the result of natural causes nor of neglect on the part of the Chinese This mn is Itie‘.." Y. ct, the Rcpert poi nth out, the Peiping Peoples' Daily of Feb. 25, 1952. does not agree at all. It reported extensive epidem-ics of disease raging in several provinces of China and accom-panied this report with strong criti-cism of the public health services of the Red regime, that Dr. Endicott commends so highly. The Canadian scientists note the unreliability of the lay evidence ad-vanced by Dr. Endicott, among the "witnesses" being small boys. More-over. the vague identification of the insects purported to have been drooped is noted and the Report adds: There is no evidence that the insects referred to or illustrated are not native to the region. Insects referred to very vague-ly, as "flies" with "long wings". "and small heads", etc., might be any one of a number of in-sects which normally emerge at the season of the year in question throughout the tem-perate zone. We cannot imagine any trained entomologist refer-ring to them in terms given in the text.
xx xx xx In the document put out by the Canadian Peace Congress certain photographs of insects represented as being poisonous and disease-car-rying to humans, are used. The Canadian entomologists identify them stating it is Quite possible the forms of spiders, fleas, etc , shown are to he found in Korea and North-east China but they are not disease-carrying insects and harmless for the most part Continuing, the Report says: In this statement we have not dealt with the bacteriological evidence because it is not in our field and also has been com-pletely answered by Dr. Rene Dubos, a bacteriologist of inter-national repute, connected with the Rockefeller Institute. Re-garding a picture of bacteria, in the series noted, his general con-clusion was that the pictures represent an amateurish attempt at "scientific :akery"; that none of the bacteria were correctly named and that none of the bacteria they were supposed to he could be carried by insects. And so this Report is read into the parliamentary records for the world to see. It is in objective, factual and scientific approach to the subject in hand, Dr. Endicott's claims were subjected to the light of scientific logic and were found wanting—wanting in the barest shred of plausibility. The find-ings of this panel of experts were expected but it is well to have them snelled out for us by men who know whereof they speak.
The Lethbridge Herald--Alberta Aug 25, 1953 (End of OCR)--
Noteworthy from all of this is Miss Weltfish's collaboration with Ruth Benedict, while at Columbia U., to publish "The Races of Mankind", an extremely controversial pamphlet that was banned from reading by the US Army. It had made statements to the effect that Negroes from the North had higher IQs than Whites from the South.
A SUIVRE
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