WANTS BIRCH SOCIETY FORCED INTO OPEN

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP70-00058R000200150030-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: November 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 15, 1999
• Sequence Number: 30
• Publication Date: April 12, 1961
• Content Type: NSPR

PHILADELPHIA (Pa.)
BULLETIN. APR 12 951
Circ.: e.A`p~vor Release 2000/04/13: CIA-RDP70-0005
S. 691,530
Front Edit Other
Page Page . Page
DCAP
4r ,
Wants Birch Society
Forced Into Open'
life membership), It ti not like?i
ly to be a danger because?
Fascism in the world has beep
fragmented. This is open tO
question, certainly. There was
no world-wide Fascism whea'?
Hitler came to power.
You state also that the den
ger has now been minimiz
by "conscientious disclosure
by the press." In reality, the
press has been very reticent,
as cautious in its criticism aa;
it was with McCarthy. We.
have been told in the mildest'
terms that the organization'
held President Eisenhower-
'along with the CIA, the FBI,
the UN, etc.-to be Com-
munist, but that Mr. Welch
subsequently hacked down
with the remarkable statement
In your editorial on the John
Birch Society you quite rightly
point out that our concept of
political freedom should be
based on recognition of the .
entire spectrum of viewpoints,
from-extreme right to extreme
left.
In the interests of realism,
however, I question whether
a Marxist society of the some
dimensions'as the Birch group
would not be dealt with much .
more readily in this country.
We tend to forget that the two
extremes contain the same in-
herent threat to our cherished
liberties.
You imply that though Mr.
Welch's is a secret society with
a secret nationwide member-
ship of over 100,000 paying
enormous dues ($1,000 for a
that since he had made the
charge only in private it could
not be held against him.
Perhaps this is the crux of..
the danger, and also the. reason
for the society's conduct.
The solution lies not in for-,.
bidding membership in a group
like this, but In forcing It into
the open. It must be genuinely:
exposed and answered. The
literature, some. of which' 1,.
have seen, should be printed,ln 14
the newspapers.
Mr. Welch has been calleO
"sincere." It would be wise to ,..,?;.
remember that all but a very-
few courageous members of
the press and of Congress
thought Sen. Joseph McCarthy-4A'
"an honest man of sincere con- ;
viction" too, and that the
Southern racists are usually
sincere. not to mention the
Communists themsels s.
R. L. 01VeeiV
Approved For 16"ase, 2000/04/13 : CIA-RDP70-00058R000200150030-0
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