The CCC program was pretty good. It was the WPA (Works Progress Administration) that had serious Communist Party USA infiltration in it. There was another similar program, something like the NRA (National Relief Administration/agency)? that also got into the makeshift jobs market.
I think Aubrey Williams was one of the top reds in the WPA.
I was referring to CCC and WPA and some of their fellow alphabet soup kin as a package (on the makeshift jobs, you might be thinking of the Public Works Administration or Tennessee Valley Authority or one of the
Federal Project Number One agencies, too), but yes, WPA was far worse, being a creature of Harry Hopkins--Aubrey Williams reported to Hopkins while heading the National Youth Administration within the WPA. AAA was also pretty bad. As far as the CCC goes, the first head of CCC, Robert Fechner (1933-1939), generally made no effort to prevent Soviets from distributing literature at CCC camps, apart from one occasion in 1937 when he would not allow CCC libraries to carry a publication advocating that its members organize into cells, to the objection of the Popular Front. Fechner and his successor at CCC, James McEntee, both came from the International Association of Machinists, which the CP had targeted for infiltration in the 1920s:
As far back as 1925 the Executive Council, then known as the Executive Board, issued official circular No. 183 to the officers and members of all Local Lodges reciting the decision of the Board that the Communist Party had the ultimate purpose of destroying the trade union movement of America and that its secret activities constituted a dual organization to the International Association of Machinists "within the meaning of the terms as set forth in the Constitution, Article XXII," referring to the Association Constitution as it then read. This circular also stated that the Board had adopted a motion that the Communist Party, among other organizations, is antagonistic in character and dual in nature to the Association, and all members were notified that on or after October 15, 1925, no member of the Association could hold membership in or affiliation with any such dual organization. The circular said this action was required by the 1924 Convention of the Grand Lodge. Again, under date of February 6, 1947, the Executive Council issued a declaration of policy to all officers and members of all Local Lodges, referring to the circular of August 15, 1925, quoting from it with respect to dual organizations and membership, stating that Communism and other totalitarian ideologies now imposed an even greater threat, and advising that the Executive Council had unanimously resolved that any individual who encourages Communism or other totalitarian philosophies, or supports them, "is not eligible to membership in the I. A. of M."; and that any member of the Association who encourages Communism or other totalitarian philosophies or supports them, is subject to the charge of "improper conduct" and trial under "Article K-Code" and if guilty shall be expelled. The declaration concluded, "it is expected that every local and district lodge, as well as the entire membership will take due notice of the announced policy and be governed accordingly." In a revision of the Association Constitution effective April 1, 1949, the present Article XXV, Section 2, was added.:
International Association of MacHinists v. Al Friedman, 252 F.2d 846 (D.C. Cir. 1958)