TEACHERS, TEXTBOOKS AND TRAVELS: COMMUNIST ACTION IN THE WORLD'S SCHOOLS'

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75-00001R000200210003-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 27
• Document Creation Date: November 11, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 19, 1999
• Sequence Number: 3
• Publication Date: April 12, 1961
• Content Type: SPEECH

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"Teachers, Textbooks and Travels:
Communist Action in the World's Schools"
Address by Lyman B. Kirkpatrick, Jr.
Inspector General of the Central Intelligence Agency
Seventh Annual
NATIONAL MILITARY-INDUSTRIAL and EDUCATIONAL
Conference
Chicago, Illinois - April 12, 1961
For Release at 2 p.m.
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The world's educational institutions will be one of the
decisive battlefields in the fight for existence between Communism
and the free world.
The election by the Communists to pursue their struggle
for world domination by competitive co-existence has signalled
an intensification of their efforts in education.
Let there be no illusion that the Communist efforts in the
schools, colleges and universities will be confined to the area
of the red bloc. Throughout the world there is ample evidence
that the Communists are determined to win the youth as the first
step in winning the world.
In a report entitled "Communist Target - Youth"
J. Edgar Hoover, the eminent Director of the Federal Bureau
of Investigation and a foremost authority on both Communism
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and the problem of youth, wrote: "The successful Communist
exploitation and manipulation of youth and student groups
throughout the world today are a major challenge which free
world forces must meet and defeat. "
You will recall that Lenin wrote: "Give us the child
for eight years, and it will be a Bolshevik forever. " He also
noted: "He who has youth, has the future. "
On the first day you heard from Mr. Sullivan, the Chief
of Research of the FBI, on the subject of "Communism and
Education in the United States. " I am sure his excellent report
left no doubt in your minds that the United States is a major
target of this Communist offensive in education. The statement
of Gus Hall, General Secretary of the Communist Party of the
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United States, to the National Committee on January 20, 1961,
certainly made their intentions completely clear. He said:
"There is a mushrooming of Marxist and Socialist - oriented
groups on the campuses in all parts of the country, and we have
witnessed the emergence of a new and very successful youth
paper. " He went on to say: "The Party must give much higher
priority for the work among youth in all fields of endeavor. "
This is a world-wide effort on the part of the Communists.
The statement of policy adopted by the Moscow Conference of
eighty-one Communist parties in December 1960 has been called
"the sharpest declaration of war ever adopted by any international
Communist gathering. " This statement emphasized Communist
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youth work in saying "there are new opportunities now to draw
the younger generation into the struggle for peace and democracy,
and for the great ideals of Communism. "
It is our purpose today to present a factual analysis of
how the Communists plan to pursue their objectives in the field
of education. These objectives are clearly recognizable in the
underdeveloped, education - starved and intensely nationalistic
countries of the free world. Here the aim is to capture the
future leadership and to utilize the pull of educational centers
in the free world, particularly the United States, the United
Kingdom, and others. Propaganda which identifies Communism
and the bloc with the national aspirations and anti-colonial
attitudes of the young generations creates a favorable climate
for the operation.
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We should recognize at the start that what we are talking
about today is the struggle between those forces who want to
create the Communist man and those who want men to be free.
The international Communist movement is dedicated to and
organized for the destruction of all non-Communist institutions.
Teachers are the principal targets of Communist
activity. East Germany provides a picture window on what
happens in an area that falls under Communist domination.
Every year from 2000 to 2500 teachers have fled from East
Germany. These men and women could not live with themselves
under Communist conditions, They recognized that they were no
longer educators, but propagandists and political puppets.
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The Special Committee on Refugee Teachers from East
Germany of the World Confederation of Organizations of the
Teaching Profession reported the reasons for the teachers'
flight as follows: "He is not only forced in all classes and to
pupils of all ages to represent the political conditions and
measures in the Soviet Zone as right and good, but in addition
has political tasks to fulfill outside school, such as: taking
part in political organizations, leadership work at political
rallies and propaganda meetings, participating in courses of
political instruction. " This same report goes on to say that the
teacher is obliged to determine the political views of the parents.
He cannot have any religious convictions and he must influence
children to abandon the Church.
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The same report noted that the economic circumstances
of the teachers in the East Zone are quite good compared with
other professions. This is a significant aspect of the problem
of which we should take note.
One of the principal Communist appeals to teachers is
that in many areas of the world they are underpaid and socially
insecure. Quite a few turned to Communist doctrines in search
of a political philosophy which would assist them in explaining
the complexities of modern life to themselves and their students.
Sad to say, the training afforded teachers has often neglected
modern history and the political sciences and left them all too
vulnerable to the impressive pretensions of Communist pseudo-science.
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Communist peace propaganda attracted teachers
because their daily contact with young students kept questions
of pacificism and militarism continuously before their eyes.
This propaganda skillfully combines the teachers' economic
and professional demands with its disarmament bid: If the
defense budget is reduced the government can build new schools,
raise teachers' salaries and provide for new research facilities. "
Some teachers accepted Communist leadership of their
professional organizations and unions for the same reason as
many industrial workers did: the Communists promised them
everything they wanted in a material sense - higher salaries,
increased job security, old age insurance, etc. The fact that
these promises mean nothing is often not recognized until it is
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too late. Mr. Hoover says in his book Masters of Deceit:
"The Party keeps stressing Marxist-Leninist education: Party
schools, reading the Communist press, self-study. It builds
up a discipline that automatically attacks doubts, rationalizes
contradictions inside the Party structure, and guides every
decision in the Party's favor. "
To prevent deviations there is constant pressure from
the Party or from the union which is affiliated with the World
Federation of Teachers Unions, an affiliate of the Communist-run
World Federation of Trade Unions.
The history of the World Federation of Teachers Unions
indicates its true nature. It was organized in 1946; was expelled
from Paris in 1952 for "fifth column activities". The WFTU
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moved to Vienna; was again expelled from that city in 1956.
It finally settled its headquarters in Prague.
The World Federation of Teachers Unions claims
a membership of some 6, 000, 000 from 30 countries. However,
the bulk of its membership comes from the Communist bloc,
Among its objectives it lists the establishment of universal
"free education" - meaning under Communist control; and the
outlawing of all textbooks propagating "militarism, imperialism
or racial domination" - meaning all those not written from a
Marxist-Leninist point of view.
Under the sponsorship of the World Federation of
Teachers a Third World Conference of Teachers was held in
Conakry, Guinea, in July 1960. This conference was attended
principally by delegates from Communist countries and Communists
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from western countries. There were actually more minor
officials from the various Ministries of Education present
than there were teachers. There was little serious discussion
of the problems in education facing Africa, but considerable
political propaganda was directed at the United States. The
tactics were in keeping with the pattern established by the
World Federation of Teachers Unions, wherein educational
problems are never studied as such, but always from the
viewpoint of the so-called class war.
To propagate its philosophy the World Federation of
Teachers Unions publishes an illustrated monthly magazine,
Teachers of the World, in English, French, German, Spanish
and Japanese. This is but one of the many Communist
publications designed to have an impact in the field of education.
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The Communists have long recognized the tremendous
impact of the printed word. But in their use of the printed
word they are extremely careful to see that the student and
intellectual see only the right words. It should be noted here
that without exception education in the Soviet orbit is praised,
while that in the United States and the British Commonwealth
is ceaselessly criticized.
In the United States and other free countries the
students in courses of political philosophy and economy are
given a careful objective analysis of the various types of political
and economic systems. Original documents and publications
from the various countries of the world are used.
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In Communist countries a course in political economy
presents the capitalist system within the framework of a
Marxist interpretation of history. Students are not allowed
access to current western texts. In the political economy course
required of all students in Communist universities there are
books by only four authors: Friedrich Engels, Karl Marx,
V. I. Lenin and Josef Stalin.
Such is education in the Communist bloc. These efforts
are not so obvious in areas of the free world, but equally dangerous.
In one important area of southeast Asia, where as you know there
are large Chinese Communities, it is estimated that as high as
90 per cent of the students in the Chinese secondary school systems
are under Communist influence. With few exceptions the textbooks
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used are identical with those used in Communist China. They
are carefully written in order to create a sense of identification
with China, so that the schooling, rather than providing an
objective and balanced education, is in effect creating a fifth
column for Peiping.
In a major Latin American city a new school is being
organized under the direction of two prominent Communist
activists whose role, if they are successful in their covert
activity, will be unknown to the public, to most of the teachers
and to the students. In other words they are using respectable
citizens and educators as a front. The courses which will be
presented have most respectable names: Political Economics,
Philosophy and History. What these courses will actually present
are the political economics of Marxism, dialectical materialism
and the history of socialism.
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Perhaps we should note here in passing that the Cuban
public schools have recently received an order from the
government to give instruction in Communist doctrine.
Under the Communist scheme of things the student is
not just a passive recipient of indoctrination. The objective is
to bring him under firm control and to make him an activist.
Terror is not an unknown weapon in this effort. Force
is used against teachers and non-conformist students - something
that never fails to affect the impressionable young. Social
ostracism is used by listing the names of opponents on the
blackboard and labelling them as traitors,
Enticing scholarship offers attract many, particularly
those students who are bright but poor. In order to get and keep
their scholarships students are required to read prescribed books
and to follow the orders of all leaders.
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Tool of the Communists in their activities among
students is the International Union of Students which was
founded in Prague in 1946 and which claims a membership of more
than three million students in some 36 affiliated organizations.
Most of the non-Communist affiliates of this organization left
it by 1950.
The International Union of Students holds periodic
World Student Congresses, and works closely with the World
Federation of Democratic Youth, another Communist-front,
in running the biennial World Youth Festivals. It uses every
opportunity to criticize conditions in the free world eulogizing
life in the Communist countries. Indicative of the wide extent
of its activities are the Departments in the Secretariat.in Prague:
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1. Education, Culture and Travel; 2. Student Needs and
Welfare; 3. Press Information; 4. Administration and Finance;
and 5. Faculty Bureau.
This organization is among those responsible for the
mass of Communist literature available to the students from
secondary schools and universities. Attractive books and
periodicals are sold for very little. These print distorted
reports and half-truths about the United States and the free
world and extol the conditions of life in Communist countries.
It is small wonder that many students are tempted to travel
to Communist countries for university education.
Chukwuemeka Okonkwo of Nigeria wrote of his experiences
in this regard in the Nigerian Sunday Times. He reported that
he was consciously trying to test the suitability of Communism
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as a state system in order to prepare himself to play a part
in the development of Nigeria. He obtained U. N. sponsorship
to study in the Soviet Union. Before going he read everything
he could lay his hands on about the U. S. S. R. and about
Marxism-Leninism. He was impressed by the promises of
aid to Africa and by the objectives stated.
Here is his report in his own words: On the basis
of what I had read. ..I formed a mental picture of a perfect
society, devoid of social, economic and political injustices...
a highly organized State, potentially greater than any other. "
He goes on to say that upon first arriving in Moscow
the students were pampered and feted. They were allowed to
mix with the Russians. "It was hoped no doubt that they would
influence us. " But he reports that the reverse was true. The
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Russian students had never experienced such free and open
discussions and questions in class -- they could not understand
this at first; but they too began to imitate us because we... got
away with it. " The inevitable followed: "The authorities called
a halt to fraternization. They put us in separate hostels and
gave us passes... From your hostel through the Russian sectors
to the classroom you had to use three passes.
Okonkwo said many of the African students had a grudge
against the West for what they considered "the injustices of
colonialism", and were urged to make statements favorable to
the USSR and anti-Western. He said: "We did not know it then,
but later it dawned on us that not only were the Russians striving
to convince the world of their own system, they were hard put to
it, trying to convince their own people about Communism. " He wrote:
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"Today I know that Communism in theory reads better than
any ideology on earth; but I know also that Communism in
practice is the most oppressive, the most abominable and the
most inhuman government machine that has yet been evolved. "
Okonkwo isn't the only African who had illusions
shattered by the realities of the Communist system of education.
Another commented: "In Africa they all want to come here.
We come to be taught but we find, when we get here, that you
cannot be neutral in this country! They won't let you. " And
a third student said: "The best way to become an anti-Communist
is to live here. "
We would be foolish to presume that education in the
Communist countries affects many in this manner. But even if
a few students see through the sham, we cannot conclude .that
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Communist manipulation of education is so obvious that it is
self-defeating. Young people are often intelligent but rarely
wise.
Most students are selected with care by the Communist
embassies, or the Communist Party, or front organizations.
Several countries have expressed concern over the direct
recruitment of students in this manner. The Indian Government
has indicated that it will not permit it, and further that the 30
to 40 students selected to attend the new Friendship University
in Moscow will not be permitted to take political or ideological
courses.
The Friendship University will be the lodestone by which
the Communists will try to attract more and more foreign students
to Moscow. It opened October 1, 1960, with 500 students only
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about ten per cent from the Soviet Union and all the rest from
Asia, Africa and Latin America. It has been stated that the
foreign students will not have to take courses in Marxism-
Leninism which are compulsory for all Russians. Foreign
students will get free tuition, a free room, medical care, a
clothing allowance and $ 70. 00 a month. Transportation will
be provided to Moscow -- and home again after five years.
In three years this university will have three to four thousand
undergraduates in everything from engineering to Marxist
economics.
The Soviet Union is not alone in offering expanded
opportunities for foreign students. African youth leaders are
trained free at the Wilhelm Pieck Youth College in Bernau.
Czechoslovakia has offered forty technical scholarships to Mali,
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each for a two to three-year period with all expenses paid.
Leipzig University has a Department of African Studies and
many other opportunities are offered in schools and universities
from Prague to Peiping.
The challenge that this Communist offensive poses for
the free world is impressive. It is a challenge which must be
met or we will truly be buried.
First, as Allen Dulles said in a speech to the Veterans
of Foreign Wars in Detroit last August: "We need far and
wide in this country more education on the whole history of the
Communist movement.
"We should not be afraid to teach the subject. A history
of Communism and all of its works would bear its own indictment
of the system. Let the facts speak for themselves. "
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There is no shortage of literature on the subject. Your
own Dr. Kenneth Colegrove produced the book Democracy Versus
Communism under the auspices of the Institute of Fiscal and
Political Education. J. Edgar Hoover's book Masters of Deceit
should be required reading. And there are other studies produced
by many research organizations throughout the country.
Second, every effort should be made to permit others the
opportunity to study not only Communism but the free world.
Already many fine research institutions in the free world are
studying the problems of the Communist world particularly in
such countries as West Germany, England and Japan. There
should be more such institutions and they should particularly be
open to scholars from the new and underdeveloped nations.
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Third, world-wide efforts are required to improve the
status of the teacher. I have described what attracts teachers
to Communism, and perhaps the most important is the poor
economic state in many parts of the world, Salaries of
teachers are all too often insufficient to meet the necessities
of life. The Hong Kong Government reported that a growing
interest on the part of teachers in Communism vanished when
a more adequate salary scale was adopted.
Fourth, students in the world should not be permitted
to have empty stomachs and intolerable living conditions.
These conditions breed Communism regardless of the education
they receive.
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Finally, there should be a full and free interchange
of unclassified information. When a chemistry student spends
six months in the Soviet Union without being permitted to see
the list of chemistry courses offered by the university in which
he is enrolled, it is obvious that Communist practices do not
match their promises of freedom,
The Communists are terrified of the searchlight of
truth -- they will not allow it to shine on their own people:
they will strive to keep the light from all others.
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