Hence, many of the distinguished speakers whom the Councils present are handpicked by the State Department; and they travel (sometimes from distant foreign lands) at United States taxpayers" expense.
To avert criticism (or to provide themselves with ammunition against criticism when it arises) that they are nothing but internationalist propaganda agencies, the Councils on World Affairs distribute a little literature which, and present a few speakers who, give the general appearance of being against the internationalist program of one-world socialism. But their anti-internationalism presentations are generally milk-and-water middle-of-the-roadism which is virtually meaningless.
Most Councils-on-World-Affairs presentations give persuasive internationalist propaganda.
Thus, the Foreign Policy a.s.sociation, through its Councils on World Affairs--and another affiliated activity, the Great Decisions program--has managed to enroll some "conservative" community leadership into an effective propaganda effort for one-world socialism.
The World Affairs Center was set up with national headquarters at 345 East 46th Street in New York City, as a formal affiliate of the Foreign Policy a.s.sociation, to handle the important job of directing the various "independent" Councils on World Affairs, located in major cities throughout the nation. In March, 1960, the FPA merged with the World Affairs Center to form one organization: the Foreign Policy a.s.sociation-World Affairs Center.
The FPA-WAC describes its Great Decisions program as an annual nation-wide review, by local groups under local sponsorship, of problems affecting United States Foreign Policy. FPA-WAC provides Fact Sheet Kits, which contain reading material for these local discussion groups.
These kits present what FPA calls a "common fund of information" for all partic.i.p.ants. They also provide an "opinion" ballot which permits each partic.i.p.ant, at the end of the Great Decisions discussion program, to register his viewpoint and send it to officials in Washington.
The old IPR line (fostering American policies which helped communists take over China) was that the Chinese communists were not communists at all but democratic "agrarian reformers" whom the Chinese people loved and respected, and whom the Chinese people were going to install as the rulers of new China, regardless of what America did; and that, therefore, it was in our best interest to be friendly with these "agrarian reformers" so that China would remain a friendly power once the "reformers" took over.
A major objective of the FPA-WAC--since it fell heir to the work of the IPR--is to foster American diplomatic recognition of red China.
The FPA-WAC, and its subordinate Councils on World Affairs, do this propaganda job most cleverly. Most FPA spokesmen (except a few like Cyrus Eaton, who is a darling of the FPA and occasionally writes for its publications) are "anti-communists" who admit that the Chinese communists are real communists. They admit that it is not pleasant (in the wake of our memories of Korea) to think of extending diplomatic recognition to red China; and they do not always openly advocate such a move; but their literature and Great Decisions operations and other activities all subtly inculcate the idea that, however much we may dislike the Chinese communists, it is highly probable that we can best promote American interests by "eventually" recognizing red China.
In this connection, the FPA-WAC Great Decisions program for 1957 was especially interesting. One question posed that year was "Should U. S.
Deal With Red China?" Discussion of this topic was divided into four corollary questions: _Why Two Chinas? What are Red China"s goals? Does Red China threaten "uncommitted" Asia? Red China"s record--what U. S.
Policy?_
The FPA-WAC Fact Sheet Kit, which sets out background information for the "study" and "voting" on the red China question, contains nothing that would remind Americans of Chinese communist atrocities against our men in Korea or in any way make Americans really angry at the communists. In the discussion of the "two Chinas," the communists sound somewhat more attractive than the nationalists. In the discussion of red China"s "goals," there is nothing about the communist goal of enslaving all Asia; there are simply statistics showing how much more progress red China has made than "democratic" India--with less outside help than "democratic" India has received from the United States.
In the discussion of whether red China threatens the rest of Asia, the FPA-WAC material makes no inference that the reds are an evil, aggressive power--but it does let the reader know that the reds in China are a mighty military power that we must reckon with, in realistic terms. Nothing is said in the FPA-WAC Fact Sheet Kit about the communist rape of Tibet. Rather, one gets the impression that Tibet is a normal, traditional province of China which has now returned to the homeland.
After studying the problems of communist China from this FPA-WAC "Fact Sheet," Great Decisions partic.i.p.ants were given an opportunity to cast an "Opinion Ballot" on the four specific questions posed. The "Opinions"
were already written out on the FPA-WAC ballot. The voter had only to select the opinion he liked best, and mark it. Here are the five choices of opinions given voters on the Foreign Policy a.s.sociation"s Great Decisions 1957 Opinion Ballot, concerning U. S. diplomatic recognition of red China.
"a. Recognize Peiping now, because we can deal with Far East political and other problems more easily if we have diplomatic relations with Peiping.
"b. Go slow on recognizing them but agree to further talks and, if progress is made, be willing to grant recognition at some future date.
"c. Refuse to recognize them under any circ.u.mstances.
"d. Acknowledge that the Peiping government is the effective government of China (recognition _de facto_) and deal with it as much as seems useful, on this basis, but avoid full diplomatic relations for the present.
"e. Other."
General purposes of the Foreign Policy a.s.sociation-World Affairs Center are rather well indicated in a fund-raising letter, mailed to American businessmen all over the nation, on February 23, 1961. The letter was on the letterhead of Consolidated Foods Corporation, 135 South La Salle Street, Chicago 3, Illinois, and was signed by Nathan c.u.mmings, Chairman of the Board. Here is a part of Mr. c.u.mmings" appeal to other businessmen to contribute money to the FPA-WAC:
"In his inaugural address which I had the privilege of personally hearing in Washington, President Kennedy summoned the American people to responsibility in foreign policy: ...
"This call for individual initiative by the President characterizes the kind of citizen responsibility in world affairs which the Foreign Policy a.s.sociation-World Affairs Center has been energetically trying to build since its founding in 1918....
"The FPA-WAC"s national program for informing the American public of the urgent matters of foreign policy such as those mentioned by the President--"the survival and the success of liberty,"
"inspection and control of arms," the forging of "a grand and global alliance" to "a.s.sure a more fruitful life for all mankind"--is making remarkable progress.
"The enclosed "Memorandum: 1960-61" describes the program and past achievement of this 42-year-old organization. Particularly worthy of mention is their annual "Great Decisions" program which last year engaged more than a quarter of a million Americans in eight weeks of discussion of U. S. foreign policy and reached hundreds of thousands of others with related radio, television and newspaper background programs and articles on these important topics.
"Of the basic budget for 1960-61 of $1,140,700, nearly one-third must be raised from individual and corporate sources to meet minimal operating needs. The fact that over 400 major corporations, some of whom contribute as much as $5,000, already support FPA-WAC is evidence of the effectiveness and vitality of its educational program....
"I hope that you and your company will join ours in generously supporting this work."
Erwin D. Canham, editor of _The Christian Science Monitor_, has caustically denounced the American Legion Post in Atlanta for its "attack" on the FPA.
Mr. Canham, in a letter dated April 25, 1961, accused the American Legion Post of making a "completely false" statement when the Post contended that Mr. Canham and the _Monitor_ advocated the seating of red China in the UN. Mr. Canham said:
"This newspaper"s editorial policy has never espoused any such position."
I have in my file a letter which Mr. Canham wrote, April 29, 1960, as editor of _The Christian Science Monitor_, on the _Monitor"s_ letterhead. In this letter, Mr. Canham says:
"I believe that the United States should open diplomatic relations with communist China."
The interesting thing here is the coincidence of Mr. Canham"s policy with regard to red China, and the policy of the Foreign Policy a.s.sociation-World Affairs Center.
The Great Decisions program for 1957 (discussed above) was obviously intended to lead Americans to acceptance of U. S. diplomatic recognition of red China. The same material, however, made it clear that the invisible government was not yet advocating the seating of red China in the UN! Do these backstairs formulators and managers of United States opinion and governmental policies have more respect for the UN than they have for the US? Or, do they fear that bringing red China into the UN (before U. S. recognition) would finish discrediting that already discredited organization and cause the American people to demand American withdrawal?
Christian Scientists (through Mr. Canham and the _Monitor_), Protestants (through the National Council of Churches), Quakers (through the American Friends Service Committee), and Jews (through the American Jewish Committee, The Anti-Defamation League, and other organizations) are among the religious groups which have publicly supported activities of the Foreign Policy a.s.sociation. Powerful Catholic personalities and publications have endorsed FPA work, too.
On December 9, 1959, The Right Rev. Timothy F. O"Leary, Superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Archdiocese of Boston, wrote to all Catholic schools in the district, telling them that he was making plans for their partic.i.p.ation with the World Affairs Council and the Foreign Policy a.s.sociation in the Great Decisions 1960 Program.
On November 27, 1960, _Our Sunday Visitor_ (largest and perhaps most influential Catholic newspaper in America) featured an article by Frank Folsom, Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors of the Radio Corporation of America, and a leading Catholic layman. Mr.
Folsom was effusive in his praise of the FPA-WAC Great Decisions program.
The interlock between the Council on Foreign Relations and the Foreign Policy a.s.sociation-World Affairs Center can be seen in the list of officers and directors of the FPA-WAC:
Eustace Seligman, Chairman of the FPA-WAC, is a partner in Sullivan and Cromwell, the law firm of the late John Foster Dulles, a leading CFR member.
John W. Nason, President of FPA-WAC, is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Walter H. Wheeler, Jr., President of Pitney-Bowes, Inc., is Vice Chairman of FPA-WAC, and also a member of the CFR.
Gerald F. Beal, of the J. Henry Schroeder Banking Corporation of New York, is Treasurer of FPA-WAC, and also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Mrs. Andrew G. Carey is Secretary of FPA-WAC. Her husband is a member of the CFR.
Emile E. Soubry, Executive Vice President and Director of the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey, is Chairman of the Executive Committee of FPA-WAC, and also a member of the CFR.
Benjamin J. b.u.t.tenwieser, of Kuhn, Loeb, and Company, in New York, is a member of the Executive Committee of FPA-WAC, and also a member of the CFR.
Joseph E. Johnson (old friend of Alger Hiss, who succeeded Hiss as President of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace) is a member of the Executive Committee of the FPA-WAC, and also a member of the CFR.
Harold F. Linder, Vice Chairman of the General American Investors Company, is a member of the Executive Committee of FPA-WAC, and also a member of the CFR.