SPIRIT
get the Iv K.l. and the Array now and then
the people.
(J N on believe there’s a plot to destrov the
F.B.I?
A. Definitely.
O Welch ays the I'.S. is 70'/ Communist
now if that's the case do you have any
chance of succeeding?
A. \V ell. lie didn't say it was 70''/ Communist.
Hut it s 50-70''/ Communist and if the
people start to think straight we’ll heat
them.
(J How can anyone gauge the amount of in
filtration in a country by percentage
points?
A He gets inside reports and can get a pretty
good estimate on things.
O What will happen to your members when,
and if. the Communists take over?
A Well all he shot. Anyone with capitalism,
with property—and so forth—will he shot
They say that up in Portland at their ral
lies -i\ million Americans they’re plan
ning to kill.
O I have friend- at Yale and Princeton who
are members of Young Americans for
f reedom. They claim there is a big swing
to the right on their campuses. There
doesn’t seem to be any motivation from
the right on Oregon campuses. Do vou
think the Kirch Society should go around
to the schools and encourage conserva
tives to set up clubs ?
A Well, were mostly concerned with adults
—not college students. But I think it's
fine tor students to set up these organiza
tions.
(J At the \ oung Americans fur Freedom ral
I\ in New 't urk recently—the group
claimed that of the 20.000 people attend
ing dOD were under 25. Uo you think
conservatism is a movement of the na
tion''' youth now? *
A. Well, it's a movement of all clear-thinking
people, whether they he nine or ninety.
(J. They wouldn't let T.shombe into the coun
try to address that rallv in New York. Do
you have any opinion on that?
A. The State Department is against T.shombe.
Look at their U.X. policy—they're out to
unify the Congo under the Reds.
Q. \\ hat does the John Kirch Society plan to
do to stop this?
A. W ell, we can’t do much except tell the
American people what's going on. How
thev re being stabbed behind their backs.
Q. What do you say to the charge that the
Kirch Society is anti-union, anti-social
security, anti-integration. anti-Semitic, an
ti-Catholic. anti-L'nited Xatioiis, anti-for
eign aid, anti-lower tariffs. anti-Common
Market, anti-anti-trust, anti-immigration,
anti-Alliance tor Progress, anti-peace, au
ti-Supreme Court?
A. Well, 1 can't speak for the Society. That's
a jumbled problem—we don't like many
of the "so-called" social measures—like
socialized medicine. We aren't anti-Catho
lic or anything—a lot of negros, Jews and
Catholics belong to the Society.
(J. Are most of your members rich?
A. Some are rich, some are poor. Thev come
from all levels— a lot of poor—they can't
make any money with big government—
a common man can't get a dairy farm it -
take' too much money. We represent the
common man.
[>■ Vou don't think the common man need
social security or free medical care? How
can lie |>ay fur it—support himself after
retirement ?
A. They could if the government would get
off their hack.
O. Are you anti-government?
A AN ell, the government should just do those
things specified in the Constitution—not
all the rest of this stuff. Those men have
no right doing half the stuff they pull—
they ought to be locked up.
Q. N "u believe that we should revert to the
Constitution ?
A. Yes, do only the things specified in the
Constitution.
O. Hut aren't there many implied powers in
the Constitution?
A. No—it's very specific. It lays down just
what you can do and can't do.
(J. W hy does the Birch Society want to im
peach Justice Warren of the Supreme
Court ?
A. Because lie’s been handing down Commu
nist decisions ever since he got on the
bench.
O What <lid you think of (>us Hall's speech
at U of <)? Did you go to it?
A. No, 1 didn't bother to go sec- it. He achieved
hi-v purpose though—lie achieved it per
fectly.
[J. What* \va> his purpose?
A. To put you to sleep. Put all the Americans
to sleep so the Russians can march in and
take over.
(J. If all these people are in alliance (in gov
ernment) why did Hall—a Communist—
have to spend eight years in prison. And
why is he under indictment now?
A. Communists get ahead by stepping over the
bodies of dead comrades—it's an old poli
cy. Look at the history of the party in Rus
sia. Today Stalin is a hero. Tomorrow he
is down-graded—taken out of Red Square
—it’s a farce.
Q. \\ hen Rudolf Abel was arrested as a spv—
it was reported that he was told not to
contact the American Communist party
since they are so unreliable and infiltrated
with F.B.I. agents. If this is so—the Com
munist conspiracy in America must be
very weak—it couldn't have even left the
ground.
A. They are still a powerful factor. They may
not be Communists. They have a lot of
front groups. The American Communist
party may not even be a Communist
group.
O. There is a new theory circulating that your
group, the John Birch Society, is a Com
munist group in disguise. Would you care
to comment?
A. '1 hat's the sort of stuff the Communists
would spread. '1 hey try to stop any oppo
sition.
(J. In a report of the C.I.A. it was noted that
in Hast Germany those who had been the
most ardent Nazis—were at once the first
to become radical Communists. It’s called
the “Cosmic Law" the thin line between
two opposites. Do you think members of
the far-right would be easy converts to
the far-left.
A. We're not Nazis—we re just common Am
ericans doing what’s right. I don't believe
any Birchers are Communists—and I
would never go to the left.
Q. That’s what is bothering many free-think
ers, that is, the insistence of the Birchers
that their and only their opinion is the
right one. That all the rest of us are stupid
and that only Robert Welch knows what's
going on. Do you think the American peo
ple should follow Welch unquestionably?
A. There is only one right way and that’s a
clear, sensible government following the
Constitution. Mr. Welch is telling us about
this—he isn’t seeking power.
Q. You then say there are no alternatives in
policy other than those laid down by
Welch ?
A. That’s right.
Q. Don't you believe that since society is con
stantly changing that government should
be dynamic, flexible to the needs of the
people it should serve?
A. Government should provide a service to the
people—but only as much as is specified in
the Constitution.
Q. Do you believe Reed College is Communist?
A. Well, I think most political science depart
ments in most colleges are left-of-center.
That’s been my experience.
Cj Do you approve of the Freedom Center in
Portland that so strongly objected to Hall’s
coming to Oregon ?
A. I think they’re doing a job that needs to be
done.
Q. \\ ouldn't anti-Freedom Center be a better
title for them. They allow freedom only for
those who hold views of their own.
A. Hall achieved his objective in coming here.
Q. You don’t believe people have the discrimi
nation to make their own judgments after
hearing both sides of the story?
A. They can be led astray by Communist lies.
They (the Communists) don’t ever speak
the truth.
Q. \\ hat do you think the future of America is
if it were "50 to 70rr Communist?”
A. If we get thinking straight, we'll be all right.
Q. Why don't you go to Reed and speak ?
A. If I spoke up there—they’d give me thirty
minutes to speak—and I'd get the usual
snickers and smiles. Then some professor
would spend three months of his tax-paid
time to knock down everything I said.
That’s what happened at (University of)
Oregon—I spoke briefly—and then some
self-appointed egghead took three months
to knock it all down. I'm too busy for that
sort of thing.
Q. But if you don't answ er these charges—how
is your group to succeed? You can’t expect
to win with a defeatist attitude?
A. We have to fight them in other ways. The
press is all controlled by the left.
Q. \\ ell, this one isn't. It desires to present
both sides of every story. Would you like
to write an article for us and tell the Uni
versity of Oregon students of the real
character and goals of the John Birch
Society? It’s possible they have a distorted
picture—and as leader of the Oregon chap
ter I think it would be worthwhile for you
to write such an article. How about it?
A. We’re too busy. Too many things to do. A
good thing for you to run would be Sena
tor Goldwater’s speech on the A.D.A. that
tells about that group. A lot of professors
are members of the A.D. and it’s a Com
munist front group.
—Interview by Art Harger
(The concluding article on The John Birch So
ciety will appear next week. It’s an analysis of
the tactics of the Society by Donald Haynes.)