European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 29, 1964, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Pabe 4 the stars and stripes to today september 29, 1964 controversy Breeds Prosperity Republican attacks denunciations of John Birch society on Ada increase to membership Roll Treasury interest in group Washington Nana at lacks on the association of democratic vice presidential Candi Date Hubert Humphrey with americans for democratic action Ada has resulted in a booming business in the Small and crowded offices of the organization. Hall including application for membership has increased to five tunes the rate it was before the democratic Conven Tion. The attacks that spurred the new interest in the a a Are on two Levels Republican Campaign contentions that the Ada b a leftist organization As extremist in it philosophy As the John Birch society is at the right and a letter writing Campaign that attempts to imply the organization is soft on com  of the increase in mall to the Ada s offices comes from Humphrey s office. A member of the senator s staff Tali let ters merely seeking information on the organization Are for warded to the office of the Ada s National chairman Johnp. Roche which dispatches Basic information. Critical questions about the Ada crop up frequently daring Humphrey s Campaign Tours Aad Are bandied generally the Ada is an anti communist Independent political organization of a Liberal Point of View. It is the counterpart of the americans for constitutional action which presents the conservative Point of  of the organization Are developed in a democratic manner and in some cases Humphrey says he does no agree with the Ada. He Specif Icay says he disagrees wit the Ada s stands on red China mid Castro s  became associated with the organization when he saw Bow effective it was in helping rid the Minnesota democratic Farmer labor party of commit a charge that the Ada i communistic would be impossible on the record to make stick. It was formed in january 1m7 specifically to offer a lib eral position completely free of any communist  original program contained this statement we reject any association with communists or sympathizers with communism in the United states As emphatically As we reject any association with fascists or their sympathizers. Both Are hostile to the principles of Freedom and democracy on which this country has grown great in the ims Campaign the or Niz Atton condemned Henry iliac and the progressive party u a front far the  and worked for the re election of president Harry . The Ada s most recent re statement of its anti communist stand says we believe that the most serious communist threat to our internal Security lies in espionage and sabotage and that the communist party is a conspiracy toward that  Many of its members who now number some 50,000, con Sider themselves social democrats in the tradition of West Berlin mayor Willy Brandt Al though the organization s pro Gram would be considered conservative by european stand Ards. The soft on communism argument however. Is advanced through two lines of  first equates social welfare legislation with socialism an socialism with communism. The second uses generalization that give a distorted View of what the Ada advocates to sup port the Contention that the organization helps the International communist conspiracy. The first such Contention i that the Ada advocates admission of red China to the unite nations. The Ada does favor a two China policy on to grounds that . Foreign poll John p. Roche Ada National chairman by would be better served by direct dealings with communist  Contention is that the Ada favors a halt to Al congressional investigations of communists. What the organization actually said was we recognize the vital need for legislative investigation in a free democracy. We condemn the perversion of that function the Ada did favor abolition of the House in american activities committee solely on the grounds that the committee. It contended treated witnesses unfairly. The critics also contend that the Ada advocates a hands off policy toward communist Cuba. The organization in a Plank adopted at its last convention failed for lie sub ashment of democratic Liber ties in Cuba and accused Cas Tro of betraying the demo cratic social and political alms implicit in the org Enlal Cuba revolution. The Plank also noted How Ever we do not believe that actions contrary to our International obligations As a Mem Ber of the organization of Amer ican Stales and of the unite nations or reckless sporadic raids on cuban territory worships in cuban Waters Are proper or  new York a the de Bate about extremism in the United slates has not upset the John Birch society. It said its membership Roll and its treas Ury have grown tatter. Unsuccessful efforts at the Republican notional convention to insert a Plank in the go platform condemning extremist groups and naming the Joh Birch society among others has helped the society its pub Lic relations director John h. Rousselot said. Attendance at our meeting increased substantially he said. People heard so much about us they were curious. They wanted to find out the truth. Where we usually have 8 to is people at a meeting we had As Many As 40. Most of our meetings Are held in living rooms and that s about As Many As a living room  Rousselot 31, a former Republican congressman from California who became a $3�,-Mo-a-year spokesman for the Birch society la june said it Sim was us policy not to reveal actual membership figures or names of members but not through any desire la work i secrecy. We just Don t want our members to be bothered  he said however the society is still Short of it goal of one million members set by Robert Wal re who founded the organization in 19s8. It also is against policy to endorse political candidates Rousselot says but in his Pri vate View the nomination of sen. Barry Gold Wutch has give the society added purpose. Sen. Gold Alcor he said has espoused a conservative constitutional position which Man americans can associate hem selves with and which Birc members have found accept  Birch society was not acceptable to some at the Sanfrancisco convention. Gov. Wil Liam Scranton of Pennsylvania then fighting for the Republican presidential nomination led Theattle to denounce the society by name. He referred to the society As this weird presence in America and said it was trying to take Over the Republican party. He also said represented an extremism alien to our shores and was seeking the subversion of lib  another speech at the convention rep. Abner w. St Balof Connecticut denounced communists the Kun flux klan an the Birch society saying these groups do not share inthe traditions or beliefs of american democracy or of the Republican  contained this clause we condemn extremism whether from the right or the left including the extreme tactics of such organizations As the communist party the Kun flux klan and the John Birch  membership according to Rousselot doubled in 10ufollowing the assassination of president John f. Kennedy whom it had criticized severely and redoubled in the first seven months of this year. Shortly after the assassination the society ran full Page ads in papers across the coun try publicizing us belief that Robert Welch. Birch society founder president Kennedy s murder was u definitely communist oriented  John Lilich society come into National prominence in11 1 when Welch from his of fice in bal Mon. A prosperous suburb of Boston dispatched what he termed a private let Ter to some Well placed friends. The letter ran to More than100 printed paces and has a title. The  ii he expressed his belief that Dwight Eisenhower is dedicated conscious agent of the communist  expressed a similar belief about the late John Foster Dulles former Secretary of state. Rousselot says he is in Basic agreement with Welch in his general political philosophy but that he does t think Eisenhower is a communist or that Dulles was. I think dunes Rousselot says was a social  society members were Defeated in congressional races one Birch candidate for the City Council in Glendale was beaten and the society failed in a fight to oust three Mem Bers of the it s Alamitos school Board who opposed their  membership in South Ern California is estimated at8,000 to 7,000 and said this was "39 per cent of its member ship if that is Correct nation Al membership would be about20,000. Rousselot says the society i engaged in a project to counter what he considers misrepresentation in the press. Under direction of or. Francis x. Gannon head of its research department the society is putting of two pamphlets titled correction please and a review of  Rousselot says a con Lnu ing project is its movement to impeach chief Justice ear Warren. Actually Rousselo said we know Earl Warrenton t be impeached by the be ale. What we Wunt is a trial there As provided by the Constitution that will result in re  where the Legisla Tive authority resides in the Congress not in the  this aim runs sell says has been greatly misunderstood and  Birch program of Long standing is to get the United slates out of the United nations. We feel Rousselot said that the . Is in agent of the communist conspiracy the civil rights movement Rousselot said is clearly penetrated by communists both in the North and the  the society he says wants Volun tary local action on civil  says about Haltine membership is made up of re publicans half democrats. He said about 90 per cent Are protestant. 10 per cent Catholic but that there is a sprinkling of jews. He also says 3 to 4 per cent of the membership i negro. Iuro Pian edition Ahev Navy col rid Drav p. Smith jr., Usa. Cd mar d. Frank.  s.  Aik rocc.,_"" i Iii sss3s.  Somr Ssiss  Spain Madrid the platform committee rejected Gera non s plea Tor a denunciation Aad the Conven Tion went on to nominate cold water. Tie Seator Kas de scribed Welch As intemperate acid aug wow Aid a Ciuti  of making damaging ridiculous and very stupid slate Momanvi  As for members of he society Goldwater said the Yare Anu common isl and i Don t see How we can be  the society itself he said is on no subversive  has been quoted As writing Bat he would love Tosee him Goldwater president of inc United  democrats however left no doubt where they stand on the John Birch society. The parly s platform adopted atthe Atlantic City convention. _  of news bureaus. A Ulit liar a m3aa�  ibs is 111 Vik Uii my. 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