Meeting the menace of communism

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Part of The Cabletow

Title: Meeting the menace of communism
Language: English
Source: The Cabletow Volume XXXIX (Issue No. 3) September 1963
Year: 1963
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Fulltext: Meeting The Menace Of Communism By Williard E. Givens and Belmcnt M. Farley This nation is face to face with the greatest danger ever to confront it. The menace of Communism is no simple, forthright threat. It is a sinister and deadly conspiracy which can be conquered by an alert, informed citi zenry dedicated to the preservation of the prin ciples on which America was founded rpHE HIGHEST goal of Commu nism is to destroy the political, social, economic and religious achievements gained by mankind through centuries of struggle toward a better life and to replace them with a new set of institutions and human relationships envisioned by a dreamer in a London slum who sometimes had to sell his children’s clothes to buy potatoes. The Communists do not propose to do this by gradual, orderly change, but by violent, swift-mov ing. bloody revolution that will place all power in a dictatorship of a few self-appointed representatives of the "proletariat” in an arrogant campaign to rule the world. The first victim of this plot un der the leadership of Lenin was Russia. Under him and his suc cessors the conspiracy has now been extended to include one-third of the peoples of the earth. The United States is the present prime target. Its survival as a free country de pends upon the prompt and effec tive mobilization of all the nation's resources — military, educational, in dustrial, agricultural, bus ncss, fi nancial, moral and religious. Such mobilization is already under way. It can be intensified. Among steps to be taken and precautions to exer cise are the following: Maintain an Effective Military Posture The armed strength of the United States must be great enough to con vince the Russians that it means what it says about defending its own and the free world’s security from Communist tyranny. The best pro lection against a nuclear war is a recognition that its holocaust could make victory indistinguishable from defeat. Until the Kremlin consents to a genuine program of disarma ment, the United States is forced, at whatever expense, to improve its military capacity through nuclear tests, by establishing new bases, by 60 The Cabletow building atomic submarines and by improving all the engines of war. “Fall-out” from the testing required to make nuclear devices more effec tive is considered a hazard to the health of this and future genera tions, but the decision to test or not io test must weigh whatever these hazards are against possible annihi lation. Know the Facts About Communism Every loyal American citizen should know the origin, history, idea/ls, leaders, practices and pur poses of communism. It is the pur pose of this publication to make some of the most pertinent of these facts available. There are many other treatises on the subject. News distribution agencies, the daily news papers, books, magazines and other periodicals are rich sources of in formation. Hundreds of schools and colleges aic introducing units of study about Communism into their curricula. Many national patriotic and frater nal organizations like the American Legion, the American Bar /Xssociation and the Scottish Rite Masons arc encouraging such units of sludv and are providing materials for use in them. Scores of national and local groups arc choosing the threat of communism as their program to pic for the year. Prevent Infiltration Since infiltration into organized groups in American life constitutes communism’s present greatest men ace, members of such groups, wher ever it is possible, should screen candidates for membership careful ly, create a committee or other agen cy for this purpose, know the back ground and previous activities of candidates and to what other organ izations they belong. Avoid Being Enticed Into Fronts It is stated on good authority that the are 215 front organizations spending a total weekly budget of S150.000 in our cuntry. Use care in joining new organizations. Do not be misled by names that imply that the group is "progressive, or is interested in needed social re forms, protection against injustices and discrimination, or the develop ment of a higher form of democ racy. Who started the organization? Who belongs? Who arc its leaders? What is its history? “Too often I have seen cases where loyal and patriotic but mis guided Americans have thought they were ‘fighting communism’ by slap ping the label of ’Red’ or 'Commu nist' on anybody who happened to be different horn them or to have ideas with which they did not agree. "Smears, character assassination, and the scattering of irresponsible charges have no place in this nation. They create division, suspicion and distrust among loyal Americans — just what the Communist want — and hinder rather than a.cl the light against communism.” — J. Edgar Hoover In assessing the purposes of a new organization, it should be remem bered that freedom of thought and support lot minority opinion is an z\merican right. Teach the Facts About the American Way of Life Communists arc busy spreading calumnies about our country. '1 hey September 1963 81 call it imperialistic. They picture it as poised and eager for a nuclear war. They magnify isolated cases of discrimination anti injustice and re present them as typical of American life. They seldom point to great American achievements, but exult in American failures. The United States Government is maintaining a great effort to tell the world the truth. The United States Information Agency broad casts radio and television programs, distributes films, issues publications, maintains libraries in foreign coun tries, sends speakers around the world to interpret American aims and estimates the degree to which they have been actually attained. The official student exchange programs and the students who choose on their own to seek some of their education abroad, in 196162, totaled 58,086 loreign students from 119 countries in 1798 institu tions of higher learning in the United States. In 1960-61 there were 19,836 students from the United States in •><> foreign coun tries, attending 590 institutions. These students arc ambassadors of information who know what they have actually seen and can tell it to their compatriots when they re turn home. In addition to the tremendous waves of official and non-official information that impringe upon the opinion of the world s peoples, there are many thousands of private tour ists and travelers always en route to another nation than their own. Their aid is needed, too, in depict ing a fair and true picture of the life they have known best. Travel agencies in the United States and publications promoting foreign trav el from the United States are brief ing tourists on effective means of answering the inquiries they will receive from those who wish to know more about America. In his relationships, with citizens of other nations, even the casual traveler can do much to help our country. Clarify Understanding and Revitalize Faith in American Ideals The American way of life is its own best answer to those who misre present or revile it. Depicting it truly is a great responsibility ot all the channels of communication from mind to mind, but no greater re sponsibility lalls upon any of them than upon the public schools. Across the whole continent the .American schools arc strengthening courses interpreting the American way of lile in contrast to life behind the Iron Curtain. This is a study of ideology, and it is precisely in the field of ideology that the schools work. The schools are joined in this progiam ol awaken ing, recognition and appreciation for American ideals, by homes, churches and many civic organiza tions. Too many Americans take their freedoms for granted. It has been a long time since they were won and today they are seriously threat ened. Loyal citizens must be alert to protect them, exercising the same diligence and willingness to make the same sacrifices with which the Founders of this nation fixed the ideals for their posterity. Each of us who believes in our way of life should participate actively in the af fairs of government; go to the polls 82 The Cabletow and vole; make sure that everyone who offers himself for election, from constable io President, is a loyal and well-qualified citizen. We must be actuated by the same de termined spirit which prompted the defenders at Bunker Hill, their last rille-ball used, their last ounce of powder spent, to make a final charge with clubbed muskets. We must be moved by the same dauntless spirit that upheld the cold and hungry soldiers at Valley Forge who re mained through the bitter winter, after a scries of consecutive defeats in the last of which the little army suffered 700 casualties and had 400 of its men taken prisoners of war. We must be fired by the spirit of George Washington who gathered anmnd him the shivering, ragged men who were left and closed a stirring speech to them with the words: 'll the war is to encl here, let it find each of us with his mus ket barrel in his hands.’’ This was the “Spirit of ’76” which must have a rebirth in our own day in our determined struggle for the survival of the ideals of humanity which our forefathers won for us. It will not be manifested in dubbed muskets, or even in nuclear war heads alone. Battle hardware will not be the deciding factor in the outcome of such a war in which persistent and constant faith in the ideals of a hee people stand against the dictatorship and oppression of communism. By any other course the resounding words. “Eternal vig ilance is the price of liberty” will be merely hollow echoes clown the empty corridors of history. — The \’ew Jge, October. 1962 Universal Brotherhood The idea of tho universal brotherhood of all mon is as profound; or, an occasion when we glimpse some of the deeper meanings of the notion of brolhorhood, we hastily avert our eyes lest wo should be took shaken by the ethical insights of that moment. The domands upon personal and group conduct which the notion of brotherhood makes are fundamental at variance with the demands made by racism. The belief in the Fatherhood of God and its necessary corollary, the brotherhood of man, is ojr greatest affirmative religious resource for attacking tho casto system. Eithor God is the Father of all men or He is not. If we say he is not, we deny the Christian God and resort to sc.-no lesser pagan god of tribe or clan or race. That is what Hitler commanded his followers to do. If we accept the Fatherhood of God, we must accept the brothorhood of man. —B. G. GALLAGHER September 1963 83