ROTARY HEARS BIRCH OFFICER

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75-00149R000400310006-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: November 11, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 15, 1998
• Sequence Number: 6
• Publication Date: November 14, 1962
• Content Type: NSPR

%h:edUCRtlonaI organization and as.,
uc f does not engage in politics,
he . Michigan coordinator of the,
Otitroversial organization t o I d
embers of the local notary Club'
Mi,
esday at their luncheon meeting
" n.
ak_ ;Shield's.
Speaking on the subject, "Prin
cIplea and Beliefs of the John Birch
society," Edward Kelly of Fraser
4rged hit audience to "study the
Society, e.ce its films, find out the,
truth for 'tour elves, and then make'
up your minds."
After teciting the nine principles
of':the 'organization, Fraser said
that the society is not secret,
ex-cept for its membership lists. He
declared that the society merely
"observes," and cited these ohser
vationst U.S. Cuban policy 1s back
rupt; speeches of military officers
are censored; Soviet spy Soblen
was allowed to flee the country;
the' UN has become a center for
Soviet spy activity; and charged
CIA "bungling."
Q He concluded his talk with the
statement that the "John Birch
Society wants to tight against God-
less Communism."
In answering questions following
this talk, Kelly said that Robert
Welch, founder of the society, trade
his charge that former President,
Eisenhower is a toot of the Com-
munists in a 1954 manuscript and
that this had no connection with
the society Itself. He rapped news
papers for what he alleged was (10s'
torted reporting of the racial rioting in connection with the Meredith
case in Mississippi and declared
that "recently, anything the John
Birch Society favors, most news-
papers are opposed to."
He concluded with the assentor
that congress had no anthurii v, un
der the constitution, to give Presi~
,dent Kennedy the right to cut tar
Frank Snyder . crvcd ns progr;itn
'chairman ,~'