BISHOP MCGANN AND THE MESMERIZED MINDS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00965R000706690001-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 2, 2011
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: May 18, 1987
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

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Declassified in Part -Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/12/02 :CIA-RDP90-009658000706690001-6 ,/
' ARTICLE A?Fi:AR1:D WASHINGTON TIMES
onl PaGE ~-.~ ~ g May 1987
Bishop McGann and the
mesmerized. minds
CAL THOMAS
t first the comments by
Bishop John McGann at
.the funeral of fo er CIa
.director William ac
seemed inapmm~riatP Instead of
the traditional eulo Bisho
c ann criticized Mr. Case 's su
rt or t e ree om g~
icara a. Such critici m ,
serve the valuable nurt~ose of
heiQhtenina public awareness of the
sense and nonsense in the ra ing
debate over .potty to entr
America.
This focusing of public attention,
although in the rather unusual set-
ling of a funeral, came at a very op-
portune time. In Washington mem-
bers of Congress were engaged in
Iran-Contra hearings. While some in
Washington continue to debate the
wisdom of the administration's
policy in Central America, the ques-
tion of opposing, communist en-
croachment was settled long ago in
the mind of the late Arthur Kcestler.
Following his transformation
from an ardent Communist to an op-
ponent of communism, Mr. Koestler
wrote in his 1952 book, `Arrow in the
Blue": "The well-meaning 'progres-
sives of the Left' persist in following
their old, outworn concepts. As if un-
der the spell of a destructive com-
pulsion, they must repeat every sin-
gle error of the past, draw the same
faulty conclusions a second time, re-
live the same situations, perform the
same suicidal gestures. One can
only watch in horror and despair, for
this time, [here will be no pardon:'
came the highest-ranking Commu-
nist official ever to defect to the
West.
Believing that no one understands
the communist mind like a former
Communist, I asked Mr. Spasowski
what he thinks of liberal American
attitudes about communism. "My
experience and knowledge of the So-
viets and of communism in general
tell me very strongly that the Com-
munist system is not reformable,"
said Mr. Spasowski. "It might be a
little bit improved here and there as
far as production is concerned, but
it cannot change, because it is based
on power, people's fear and also some
illusions that the system will be
modified:'
? It is these "illusions" that appar-
ently have mesmerized Bishop
McGann and some members of Con-
gress.
Mr. Spasowski then offered an
opinion which, stated by anyone else,
would probably earn him the label
"McCarthyite" or "Red-baiter":
"The basic goal of communism is the
domination of the world:'
At the funeral, Bishop McGann
said that Mr. Casey "must have
thought us bishops blind to the po-
tential for a communist threat in this
hemisphere as we oppose the vio-
lence wrought in Central America
by support of the Contras:'
Yes, he thought you were blind,
Bishop McGann. If your view of vic-
tims and oppressors had prevailed
200 years ago, we would all have Brit-
ish accents.
The former ambassador says the
Soviets are exploiting America's
weaknesses, particularly its failure
to develop a bipartisan foreign
policy. He believes the current di-
vision over Nicaragua plays directly
into the hands of Soviet policy-
makers.
It might be easy to dismiss such
talk from an "ultra-right-winger," as
the press likes to label anyone to the
right of Daniel Ortega, but coming
from a man who spent most of his
life as an ideological disciple of
Marx and Lenin, such opinions are
difficult to ignore.
In his book "The Liberation of
One;' Mr. Spasowski issues this cri-
tique of the West: "Soviet tyranny is
long-lived and thriving, not because
it is strong, but because the Free
World has no solidarity of its own to
combat it:'
The soap opera now being played
out on Capitol Hill must not be al-
lowed to impede the legitimate pur-
suit of U. S. policy in Central
America.
Attention must be given to the se-
rious threat so near our southern
border, a threat seen quite clearly by
the former Polish ambassador and
apparently not by the many blind
mice in Congress.
A s the hearings continued and
America listened to mem-
bers of Congress "repeat ev-
ery single error of the past" while
questioning policies designed to
thwart the advancement of commu-
nism, Ispoke to the former Polish
ambassador to the United States,
Romauld Spasowski. In December
1981, Mr. Spasowski was granted
asylum in the United States and be-
peaking of those like Bishop
McGann and such members of
Congress as Democratic Reps.
Ron Dellums of California and Jim
Wright of Tbxas, who have been
critical of U.S. policy in Central
America, Mr. Spasowski said "they
haven't any experience with commu-
nism. They are looking through their
own glasses and using their own
measuring sticks. Such people are
easily misled by communist tactics:'
Cal Thomas is a nationally syndi-
cated columnist.
Declassified in Part -Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/12/02 :CIA-RDP90-009658000706690001-6