THURSDAY. MARCH 30. 19B1
8 ' A
Birch Society
MEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE. MEDFORD. ORE.
Iiapters in 34 States; Others Scheduled
i c? ..ilia Rcnripiv form
Editor's note: Followlnj Is the
second of three dispatches about
the seml-secrei jonn nircu buhuj.
an organization that has created
controversy across the land be
cause of Us methods of fighting
n.miinUm. A UPI sneclal re
porting team, headed by llarbara
ltundscnu 01 me new i
. tnrinv nit th SOCletV'S dOC-
trlne. membership and various
views on Its operations.
By BARBARA BUNDSCHU
. UPI Corespondent
At the start of 1961 the
John Birch Society had orga
nized one to 100 chapters in
each of 34 states and the Dis
trict of Columbia, according
to its founder, Robert Welch
of Massachusetts. . ; .
Still to be organized: Ala
bama, Alaska, Colorado, Dele
ware, Idaho, Maine, Maryland,
Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada,
New Jersey, Oklahoma, Penn
sylvania. Rhode Island, Utah
and Vermont.
"The John Birch Society is
tn be a monolithic body,"
Welch said in a blue book of
the organization's doctrine. -"A
Republican form of gov-
eminent or of organization
has many attractions and ad
vantages, under certain favor
able conditions. But under less
happy circumstances it lends
itself too readily to infiltra
tion, distortion and disruption.
And Democracy, of course in
government or organization
... is merely a deceptive
phrase, a weapon of dema-
goguery, and a perennial
fraud
"The John Birch Society
will operate under completely
authoritative controls at all
levels ... no collection of de
bating societies is ever going
to slop the Communist con
spiracy." .: - ' ! .
Hoped for Milion
. He hoped for 1 million dedi
cated members to fight the
forces of evil with "evangeli
cal fervor."
Paul H. Talbert, Los An
geles insurance executive who
is one of the society's council
members, estimated recently
that it might have 100,000
members by the end of 1961,
Its third year.
Welch said he wanted to
raise a million dollars from
sources other than dues dur
ing the society's first year
"and even that amount is an
awfully small drop in the
bucket, against what either
the direct Communist propa
gandists or the Reutherite la
bor bosses are spending
against us."
There is no public account
ing of either money or mem
bership. Dues are $24 a year
for men and $12 for women;
life memberships are $1,000,
either sex. Appeals for addi
tional voluntary contributions
accompany virtually all mail
ings to members, welch has
said he draws no salary. There
are 28 full-time employees at
headquarters and the society
is reported to be the largest
single source of revenue for
the Belmont, Mass., post of
fice next door.
Another 35 salaried persons
work around the country as
coordinators of member
groups, and an additional 100
persons work full or almost
full time as volunteers.
Welch frankly has borrow
ed the Communist technique
of setting up "front" groups
for specific purposes. He ac
knowledged that another tcc
nique he advocates - the use
of loaded questions to smear
a suspect he can't prove is a
Communist - is "mean and
dirty."
Chapters operate at widely
different levels of secrecy. In
North Dakota, meetings are
announced on local radio sta
tions and everybody's wel
come. The North Dakota or
ganization, with about 400
members in 19 chapters, was
active in a proposal to outlaw
the federal income tax which
was approved by the state's
lower house but killed in the
state senate.
In Dallas, Tex., a 32-year-old
businessman member of
the society wouldn't give his
own name for publication,
however, and explained: "most
of our members in Dallas are
little people, just like I am.
Most of these folks could not
take a sustained smear attack.
If it came along, they would
probably be thrown out of
their jobs. For that reason, the
thing has been kept pretty
quiet. There are no real mil
lionaires in Dallas in it as
far as I know."
He estimated there were 20
chapters in Dallas and said
he'd heard there were 100 Inl
Houston. Chapters are gener
ally made up of 20 members.
No Rule of Thumb
There is no rule of thumb
In Welch's bpok for members
to determine on their own who
is or who isn't a Communist,
or Communist dupe.
There are ways of sizing
up both Individuals and orga
nizations in this battle which
come only with experience, a
knowledge of the inter-locking
pieces and personalities and a
feel for the way the Commu
nists work, says the blue
book."
"And while of course I can
make mistakes too, I know
from the way my opinion of
various characters, formed in
dependently, has then proved
to coincide with the opinion
of J. B. Matthews . . , that I
have a fairly sensitive and ac
curate nose in this area . . .
so we do not Intend to be frus
trated by indecisions of this
nature." t v
Matthews is an associated
editor of Welch's "American
Opinion" as well as the stand
ard by which he checks his
nose for Communists. He re
signed as chief investigator
for Sen. Joseph R. McCarthy's
Senate committee in 1953 af
ter appearance in "The Amer
ican Mercury" of Matthews'
article "stating that clergymen
were "the largest single group
supporting the Communist ap
paratus" in this country.
The "most important activi
ty" of the John Birch Society
at the moment is its campaign
to impeach Chief Justice Earl
Warren.
In the view of the society's
founder and leader, Robert
Welch, the Supreme Court's
school decision and all the ra
cial troubles in the South have
been brought about by Com
munists to foment civil war.
"Civil Rights" is a Commu
nist slogan, "an exact parallel
to the slogan of 'Agrarian Re
form' which they used in
China," he has told members.
In his bulletin for March he
urged them to write "more
letters to the same congress
men . . . the same letters to
more congressmen" and to the
newspapers to prepare the
way for undisclosed "specific
actions" to come.
"There is plenty of evidence
that we already have the pot
of the Warren impeachment
boiling," he said. "What we
need now, by adding more
fuel and blowing on the fire,
is to give that pot a head of
steam that will be looked at
askance by anybody who
might want to sit on the lid
Looking Askance
Congressmen, recently
made aware of Welch's old ac
cusation that former President
Eisenhower was a Communist,
are already looking askance
at what they describe various
ly as a "trickle" or a "flood"
of "lmpeace Warren" mall.
Republican Whip Sen.
Thomas H. Kuchel of Califor
nia, who said he had received
about 200 such letters since
October, described the cam
paign as "contemptible and
vicious."
"One may,- if he chooses,
disagree on occasion with de
cisions of the Supreme Court,
the votes of a member of Con
gress, or on a position which
the American President
takes," Kuchel said. "That is
part of our right of free
speech. But to attempt to heap
slime and abuse on any public
figure poses an extremely
dangerous problem for self
government in this country."
Rep. Ken Hechler (D-W. Va.)
told the House on March 13
that the desks of many of Its
members "have been flooded
for the past few weeks by a
great deal of junk mail which
maliciously and unfairly re
flects on the Integrity of our
great Chief Justice of the
United States, Earl Warren.
"I would like to know who
is paying for all of these
mimeographed and duplicat
ed letters and cards . , ."
Rep. Edgar W. HIestand (R-
Calif.) is listed by the society
as a member of its committee
of endorsers." HIestand said
he has been a member of the
society for several years.
"It is a society of individu
alists dedicated to fighting
Communism," HIestand told
United Press International.
"They make up their own
minds. They arq violently an
What entered
88 of all
U.S. homes
" yesterday?
i ' ( TO
I ' 'i''iU,'(',',ii'i't!iH'''i cWto.' 'M W fr 4
mMttHUlM sMMIf HMIsMIMislll MMIMII.iisM'iii.i'''--- jftyl"r W!HWwi-.vtMiwH t f fca ,.'"i
ANSWER: THE DAILY NEWSPAPER. A recent study
uy me juaricei Kcsearch Corporation of America
revealed that "88 of all U. S. families had a news
paper in their homes yesterday." And Sindlinffer &
Company, analysis, report that on an average day, some
100,000,000 people (12 years old and over) read the
newspaper ! The daily newspaper comes closer to reach
ing all customers than any other medium under the sun.
MEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE
ti-Communlst. That is the one
thing we have in common."
HIestand said "a lot of prom
inent people have been mis
led by misinformation" and
he Is considering putting into
me record a "well document
ed" reply to charges against
the organization.
Rep. Gordon Scherer (R-
Ohio), a member of the House
Un-American Activities com
mittee, also listed as an en
dorser, said he was not a mem
ber of the society, but "I look
with favor on It."
The Senate Internal Secur
ity subcommittee is replying
to inquiries "With a form let
ter over the signature of its
chairman, Sen. James O. East
land (D-Miss.). It reads: "The
John Birch Society, about
which you asked, is known to
be a conservative anti-Commu-nlst
organization officially. We
are happy to state that it
seems to be, from our records,
a patriotic organization. Very
truly yours : . ."
All Senators are not so sure.
Senate Majority Leader Mike
Mansfield (D-Mont.) told the
Senate: "Something ought to
be done to lay the facts before
the American people so they
can judge this organization for
what It is.
Brown Asks Report
In California, Gov. Edmund
G. Brown said on March 21
that he has asked state At
torney General Stanley Mosk
to look into the organization
and report to him.
"Unless they violate a law,
they have a right to speak;"
Brown said.
Welch telegraphed Brown
the following day demanding
a full-dress investigation by
the state Senate's Un-Ameri
can Activities committee and
promising "a dozen or a hun
dred or a thousand of our
members in California will
gladly testify."
Paul H. Talbert, Los An
geles insurance man who is a
member of the society's coun
cil, said that if any members
plead the Fifth amendment
"we would just love to find
out just who these Infiltrators
are so that we can get rid of
them."
Talbert said, "we all believe
In loyalty oaths, preservation
of the Connally amendment,
restoration of the investiga
tive powers of the FBI and
any other government commit
tee for the purpose of investi
gating subversion . . .
"What is happening to
cause supposedly reputable
newspapers to refer to us as
Fascists, Neo-Fasc!sts, Silver
Shirts, Red Shirts, Black
Shirts, Subversives, and even
to compare us with the Ku
Klux Klan?"
Stirred To Protest
Congress was stirred to pro
test by the John Birch Soci
ety's campaign against Chief
Justice Earl Warren. But It
is the society's attack on the
nation's churches that appar
ently has brought It to the at
tention of more communities
-than any of its other activi
ties. It is an attack that has been
made for years by some relig
ious fundamentalists and eco
nomic conservatives who see
as both heresy and commu
nism the preaching of a "so
cial gospel" which attempts
to apply biblical teachings to
current secular and political
problems.
The people of Arizona are
getting two barrels at the mo
ment. It is one of the Birch
Society's "biggest" states. And
it is receiving similarly con
centrated attention from the
American Council of Christian
Churches, a fundamentalist
group which has been waging
a hot war of words for many
years against the larger Na
tional Council of Churches.
The division has been intensi
fied by controversy over the
House Committee on Un
American Activities' motion
picture, "Operation Aboli
tion," which Is being promot
ed by the Birch Society,
among many others, and
which the national council of
churches, also among others,
has recommended not be
shown without presentation
of serious questions about its
accuracy.
The Rev. Carl Mclntyro, a
defrocked Presbyterian minis
ter who is a spokesman for the
American council, devoted
his nation-wide radio program
on two successive weeks to the
situation In Phoenix, replying I
to a defense of the national
council issued by 122 Phoenix :
clergymen. j
Received Questionnaire
In Santa Barbara, members :
of the First Presbyterian !
church received through the j
mail a Birch Society "qucs-;
tlonnaire" attacking its own !
church leadership and that of j
the national council. The Rev.
Eugene Carson Blake, stated
clerk of the Presbyterian !
church In the U.S.A. and a
former national council presi
dent, flew to Santa Barbara
to accuse the Birch Society In
a sermon; his text "Thou Shalt
Not Bear False Witness . . ."
'If you let these propagan
dists have their way they will
rlluifln thie phnrnh riffht rlnwn
the middle bctwtcn Commu
nists and Fascists hating each
other, labeling each other, and
distrusting each other,- uibkc
said.
At Amarillo, Tex., Brig.
Gen. William L. Lee, retired
commander of the Amarillo
Air Force base is head of the
local Birch organization. He
denied the society has any
thing to do with the rumored
circulation of a list charging
five prominent local men are
Communists.
Lee said there are no Com
munists in Amarillo.' But he
acknowledged that the society
is stirring up friction in local
churches.
"We have documented proof
that the national council has
been infiltrated by Commu
nists and some of these minis
ters Just won't listen to us,"
Lee said. "Until we carl con
vince them that the national
council has some Communist
followers in it, there is going
to be some friction."
Church leaders in Amarillo
have said they are fearful that
congregations may be split in
to warring camps.'
The Amarillo group has
been less successful in another
campaign. The public library
refused to yield to its demand
that it call off a "Great Deci
sions" discussion series spon
sored by the 42-year-old For
eign Policy association.
At Wichita, Kan., the so
ciety has moved to battle in
policy matters in PTAs, the
library and college. According
to George H. Lewis, assistant
professor of economics at the
University of Wichita and di
rector of the Kansas Council
for Industrial Peace, they "vir
tually control the Wichita
Chamber of. Commerce and
seem to have a dominant influ
ence in the state chamber organization.
One of their major objec
tives in the state is to destroy
collective bargaining. They
are preparing to push through
some vicious anti-labor legis
lation during the next ses
sion." .
Members Undisturbed
Members of the society from
coast to coast have professed
themselves undisturbed b y
Welch's pre-society charge
that President Eisenhower was
not a dupe but a Communist.
"If he (Eisenhower) is one,
he doesn't know it," said a
Santa Barbara woman. ) .
ftoruille Braden, former
U.S. Ambassador and a mem
ber of the society's council,
said he didn't agree with the
charge but that it in no way
led him to question . Welch's
judgment on other matters.
"He may exaggerate some
times," Braden said of Welch.
"When you're in a barroom
brawl no holds are barred.
You don't fight by the Marquis
of Queensbury rules." '
Friday: Welch gives hit
opinion on Eisenhower, Taft,
MacArthur and Goldwater; ac
tion of the opposition.
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII1IIIH
GRAND
t if si -itjy
"if lliJ
This Friday & Saturday
The biggest news in Medford's appliance history is the grand
opening of the MONARCH RANGE STORE. Now MONARCH, the
oldest line in ranges, offers you cooking that is fun and time
saving! Visit the new store today and look over the wide selec
tion of top' range buys.
Register Now .. .
You may win absolutely FREE this big,
beautiful MONARCH Modernique range
with all its exclusive features. NOTH
ING TO BUY . . . just register at the
GRAND OPENING or any other time be
fore the Crater Lions HOME SHOW. You
may be the lucky winner. Drawing will be
held the last day of the HOME SHOW.
mm COFFEE ii COOKIES !
jjfcal o re N
Don't forget the CAL-ORE
BONUS on your range
purchase.
Cooking Demonstrations
See exactly why MONARCH is tops
. . we'll have cooking demonstrations
by GOLDEN SWARTSLEY of the COP
CO HOME DEPARTMENT and our
MONARCH Factory Representative.
Monarch... America's Most
Complete Line of Ranges
Featured on the Floor ...
fa Moderniques
fa Combination Wood and Electrics
Built-in Ovens and Cooking Tops
Complete Stock of 20", 24", 30", 36", 40" and' 43" Ranges
SEE THEM NOW DURING THE GALA GRAND
OPENING CELEBRATION
THE
RANGE STORE
130 E. Main SP 2-2022
Former Location - Lawrence's Jewelers
APPLET!
GOOD ADVERTISING
REALLY SELLS!
When you tell them, they know. But when you
sell them, they buy! And buying makes the
difference in your business profits.
Apply this same thinking to your advertising.
A listing in a business directory tells the pub
lic that you're in business. A timely, pointed
ad in the Mail Tribune Classified Section tells
'em . . . and sells 'em! A Want Ad shows the
customers that you have what they want right
now . . . and gives them good reasons for buy
ing it right now.
When you have something to sell . . . use the
advertising medium that knows the difference
between telling and selling. Use the Want Ads
. . . they make the profitable difference!
MEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE