Birch official claims Red conspiracy
By MIKE NAGEL Kansan Staff Writer
Students reading newspapers, doodling and talking with their neighbor characterized much of the audience of last night's SUA Minority Opinions Forum.
The occasion was a speech by Reed Benson, national director of public affairs for the John Birch Society in the Kansas Union Ballroom.
Facing an audience of more than 200 persons, many of whom were hippies, Benson traced both the histories of Communism and the John Birch Society.
But Benson's fundamental comments concerned the bastion of the right wing organization's philosophy: the threat of Communism to the American republic.
Communist conspiracy
"What's it going to take to wake us up in time?" the Bircher asked, speaking of the "Communist conspiracy which is rapidly burning down the republic."
Benson then described what he felt was the unawarness of the American public to the threat of Communism which he considered "the gravest threat to all we hold dear."
The unawareness which Benson said made the danger of the "conspiracy" more potent resulted from America's apathy, ignorance and treason within.
Benson attributed Americans' ignorance to their not having read books concerning the Communist conspiracy by such authors as J. Edgar Hoover, head of the FBI.
Benson explained America's treason as giving aid or comfort to such "Communist causes" as East-West trade, cultural exchange programs and Medicare.
Treat like Communists
"Why don't we start treating Communists like Communists?" Benson asked.
"If we'd stop helping them, Communism would collapse eventually because they're parasitic in nature."
Benson then turned his attention to the John Birch
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Society and the role it played in the fighting of Communism.
The Bircher explained that because his organization did not endorse any candidates, did not give money to political parties and did not recruit candidates, it could not be classified as a political organization.
He described his organization's character as educational.
"We have great faith in an informed public," Benson said.
"Action without education leads to fanaticism. Education without action leads to frustration."
To put Communism in what he thought was the proper perspective, Benson had earlier in a news conference described the situation as "Today we're facing a situation which makes Hitler look like peanuts."
Benson described the public's opinion of the society as its being "down on what they are not up on." He thought the public's attitude toward Robert Welch, founder of the organization, resulted from Welch's being "too right, too soon, too often."
Benson described the position of the John Birch Society as right of middle. In answer to charges of being a right-wing extremist group he said, "Somebody has been painting the middle of the road in the left wing gutter."
Having said the first duty of the organization was to preserve the ship of state, Benson offered education and awareness as weapons. He suggested such educational material as publications of the John Birch
Societv.
To further fight the Communist threat, Benson mentioned certain Birch committees which were working on local government levels, such as "Support Your Local Police", "Truth About Civil Turmoil" and "Movement to Restore Decency."
Benson concluded his address by citing Communist publications which labeled the John Birch Society as the greatest opposing American organization—which therefore meant that the Society had to be destroyed.
End the war
When the floor was opened to questions the audience stirred and many hands were raised.
When asked about the
organization's attitude toward the Vietnam war, Benson said, "We feel the war could be ended in six weeks if the administration really put their mind to it."
In the earlier news conference, Benson had described the war as "tragic" and said, "Our boys are fighting with one hand behind their backs."
Benson was then asked about sex education in schools. He said, "Sex education belongs at home, not at school."
He was then asked to clarify his organization's recent statement saying the sex education drive was a "filthy Communist plot." Benson replied by saying he was not familiar with the statement but understood that the movement was "not geared to morality."
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