Friday, April 17, 1964
University Daily Kansan
Page 3
Ideological War Has Ups, Downs; No Winner
By Bruce W. Munn
UNITED NATIONS, N.Y. — (UPI) — Nobody wins a propaganda war.
That is the consensus of diplomats whose concern since 1945 largely has been ideological warfare—the struggle for the minds of men.
The field of such a conflict expands and contracts; its goals are reached and new objectives set up; its aims telescope or divide themselves like amoeba in a never-constant kaleidoscope.
Thus, at any specific point, it is next to impossible to say definitely that anyone is winning the ideological war.
FOR MANY YEARS after World War II, it was a clear cut "good guys vs. bad guys" struggle between the United States and the Soviet Union. Now, the Communist side is split by the rift between Moscow and Peking, and the East-West conflict is further muddled by the question of Castro Cuba and infiltration efforts in Latin America.
French President Charles de Gaulle's go-it-alone attitude has created another target area for the major propaganda opponents. The development of the "nonaligned" segment, especially through the emergence of African countries, has widened the field.
Even in the NATO alliance, strong militarily but sharply divided politically, rebellion against U.S. leadership has created the need for expanded ideological efforts.
U. S. officials, approached for an opinion on which side is winning the ideological war, are reluctant to give a definite assessment. They remain confident that in the long run—perhaps over decades—the Communists must lose because of inherent weaknesses in their present system, if the United States and the rest of the "free world" remain militarily strong and reasonably united on political and economic fronts.
RUSSIAN OFFICIALS admit no ideological opposition. They remain steadfast to Marxist-Leninist insistence on the correctness of Communism as inevitably the only way for the world. But, as Russia's rift with Red China continues, Moscow's propagandists subtly give way on some political points much as they quietly dropped their insistence of past years that Russians invented "beisbol."
At the moment, the troubles besetting the Kremlin appear to
be offset and possibly exceeded
by the disarray of the free world
the free world. Moscow's debit sheet lists the Sino-Soviet split, a growing desire in most Eastern European satellites to try to increase their relations with the West, the graphic evidence that Communism has failed to solve its agricultural problems and many of its industrial headaches—and a demonstrable lack of success in newly-independent Africa.
Washington is concerned about the split between the United States and its European allies about the question of trade with Communist countries, particularly Cuba, the schism with De Gaulle, the failure of many underdeveloped countries to create political stability in which to use lavish U.S. aid, and an indifference to the American campaign to save Southeast Asia.
From this global balance sheet, it would appear that nobody is decisively ahead on points in the ideological war.
BUT DIPLOMATIC ANALYSES of individual trouble spots would indicate that U.S. officials should take into account that in some particularly sensitive areas, they are losing ground which might prove in the long run to have a great effect on the outcome of the struggle.
Analyses from key points in the world show that, in the opinion of veteran and qualified observers, the situation in various phases of the ideological war is as follows:
- Over-all balance: London observers feel that while Russia is losing in Europe, Africa and Asia, the United States has lost in France on many issues and in most of Europe on the Cuba question. Paris observers find more sympathy with the United States than with Russia, but declare that the ideology of neither "cuts much ice" there.
Latin America finds the U.S. effort more effective. Asia reports the United States ahead in most countries, especially since the Moscow-Peking split. Berlin reports that the United States can do very little wrong in Germany, where "the most effective propaganda machine would fail when confronted with the Berlin blockade and the Wall."
WASHINGTON'S MOST notable failure in Germany has been the lack of real effort to explain why the Berlin Wall has been tolerated.
- Africa: most of this continent.
which is more of an ideological battlefield than any other, remains uncommitted to either Moscow or Washington.
But there are other contestants in Africa, some friendly, some not: Britain and France in their former colonies, the Arabs, Israel, and—not least—Red China which pictures Russia as part of the same "white west" which for so long "enslaved" Africa's peoples.
There is no doubt that Communist influence has grown from virtually nothing when Africa began its rush to independence with Ghana in 1957 to that of a considerable force today.
BUT RUSSIA HAS had setbacks—in the Congo, in Guinea, in its program to educate African students in Moscow.
The United States has produced a running file of U.S. information Service (USIS) news, trips to America, aid, education and training. It has both suffered and gained from its alliance with former colonial powers. It has suffered from its civil rights problems at home. It has gained from the Peace Corps.
Africa is not one Africa, but several. Part is Arab, part is black. Part speaks Franch, part English, part Arabic. Part is radical, part conservative. Each has its own ideas, both some are in common; opposition to colonialism and a desire to develop.
Generally, the U.S. effort probably has been more successful with the present African leaders than with the youth, who are tasting education and are increasingly impatient for development and jobs and increasingly disenchanted with corruption where it exists. To them, the United States represents the status quo.
IT IS A tribute to Communist success that "capitalism" often equates in the African mind with "imperialism."
African diplomats at the United Nations say privately that their reluctance to oppose Russia here stems from a belief that they can count on the United States to "do what is right" but they are not sure what the Soviet Union will do.
They look to Washington for substantial aid—while insisting on their right to be non-aligned—but declare that if it is refused, while they might become "anti-west" they would not become "pro-Communist."
The recognized ranking danger in Africa is to allow the Commu-
Coed Just 'One of the (900) Boys'
MARIETTA, Ga.—(UPI)—Pretty Lucia Nelson, 19, is the only girl among more than 900 men attending Southern Tech here.
She is interested in electricity and electronics—and is being accepted as "one of the boys."
Students Aid Relays Work
During the weeks before the KU Relays, the Relays Committee has been doing the organizational work, planning the parade and selecting the queen.
The committee worked under the co-chairmanship of Robert Guenther, Augusta senior, and Bruce Hall, Coffeville senior.
Jeffery Baxter, Raytown. Mo., junior, and George Benson, El Dorado junior, office managers; William Flannagan, Scott C. junior, parade chairman; Gary Gradinger, Leawood junior, queen chairman, and Robert Winn, Leawood sophomore, publicity.
Other student committee chairmen are:
Some new plans to be tried this year are selling tickets in bloes to stimulate more student interest, and to try to make arrangements with Kansas City country clubs to facilitate sales, Bob Guenther, Relays Committee chairman, snid.
"We expect the entries this year to be outstanding, because it is an Olympic year," he said.
So far as the latter ambition is concerned, Miss Nelson believes she is making progress.
"I was at Georgia for a year and a half and had five French courses," she said. "I just couldn't face any more French lessons when there was so much else I wanted to do."
"Recently I was invited to join a fraternity," she said. "I guess I am just one of the fellows now."
One thing she wanted to do was study electronics, and she chose Southern Tech where she is majoring in electrical engineering, with an electronics option. Her other courses are mathematics, public speaking and human relations.
MISS NELSON, a native of Woodbine, Ga., entered Tech in January, transferring from the University of Georgia where she had been taking liberal arts courses.
Graduation will come two years from now. Miss Nelson hopes to work with radio, television or x-ray equipment.
She is not the first female student to attend Tech but is the first resident student. She does not live on campus, but in a private residence near the school.
WHILE OTHER GIRLS her age were playing with dolls, Lucia tinkered with wires and a soldering iron. In high school she built her own short wave radio set.
She eats breakfast and dinner with her landlady and takes her lunch which she eats with a group of Tech secretaries.
She also constructed an FM tuner and helped her older brother build a hi-fi amplifier.
"I am so outnumbered in class," she said, "I enjoy the female companionship during lunch hour."
MANY WESTERN diplomats and observers believe Washington downgraded the recent African visit by Chinese Premier Chou Enlai by pointing out that he made no large offers of aid and was not greeted by enthusiastic demonstrations.
These experts believe that United States missed the real significance of Chou's safari, which they contend was to lay the groundwork for China's efforts to gain control of the Communist movement in Africa when it achieves effective proportions.
Complete Radio Coverage
of
KU Relays and the Relays Parade
- De Gaulle: There is general acceptance that the French leader's recognition of Red China, his veto of British membership in the Common Market, his rejection of European dependence on U.S. military might, his espousal of neutralization of Southeast Asia, have weakened the Western ideological position.
nists a foothold for the establishment of their mechanisms. When disenchantment comes, the Communists then have the power to hold down anti-Communism forcibly.
KLWN AM Dial 1320
His new offensive to win influence in Latin America is debatable and, among some diplomats, has ranked the question "is grandeur exportable?" alongside the question "is revolution exportable?"
EXPERTS IN ASIA, where the U.S. is conceded a great edge over Russia and China in the non-Communist areas, agree that De Gaulle's recognition of Peking "rocked the continent to the rafters."
But U.N. experts, while conceding that De Gaulle's action enhanced Communist China's chances of gaining a seat, feel certain that Peking will not replace Formosa in the world organization this year.
French economic and cultural influence in Africa is great. Its political influence will be measured by whether the former French colonies follow Paris' lead and vote to put Red China in the United Nations.
De Gaulle's advocacy of a neutral Southeast Asia has stirred up all the former French colonies in Indochina. But U.S. policy in Viet Nam generally is supported in Asia except in Cambodia and the Communist-controlled portions of Laos, North Korea and North Viet Nam. Neutralist countries such as Indonesia, India, Ceylon and Burma have passively objected to the U.S. effort in Viet Nam, but have not made a major issue of it.
Europe watches De Gaulle with interest. German opinion regards him as a menace to Western unity but his firm stand on West Berlin and his refusal to negotiate the issue of Germany with Moscow is applauded.
Latin America is inclined to regard him as a focal point for the independents. And there is wide recognition everywhere that he was the first to stand beside Washington when President Kennedy decided to make a do-or-die issue of Cuba.
- Cuba: U.S. policy on Cuba appears to be a bust. France and other European countries regard the U.S. embargo on trade with
Castro as useless, ineffective and unjustified, although they honor the embargo on strategic shipments to all Communists countries. Britain, whose bus deal outraged Washington, justifies its position with the contention that a "fat Communist" is less dangerous than a hungry one.
Britain supports the United States in the dispute, although London still rankles over Suez. Latin America thinks the canal treaty should be renegotiated. Asia, meaning mainly Japan, is not concerned as long as the waterway remains open to its ships.
- Latin America; While U.S. officials acknowledge that the Alliance for Progress has failed to catch fire in almost three years, they believe a good basis has been laid for eventual success and hemispheric solidarity.
- Latin America finds the trade embargo unwelcome, even though popularly endorsed. Except for Japan, which supports it, Asia couldn't care less.
- Panama: the U.S.-Panama dispute on the canal is pretty much of a bore to the rest of the world. Observers in France report "malicious glee" at Washington's plight after the U.S. opposition to the British-French-Iraeli attempt to take over the Suez Canal in 1956.
Latin Americans have a genuine fear, however, that hemispheric solidarity is seriously threatened. De Gaulle's "invasion" of the hemisphere also gives pause, but realistic Latin diplomats are asking how much the French leader is able to spend in this part of the world.
HOWEVER, U.S. OFFICIALS privately express extreme concern over whether the program inaugurated by President Kennedy will ever be able to achieve appreciable gains, since it counts on large private investment—both foreign and domestic—which is actually declining because of the trend toward nationalization in many Latin American countries.
Meantime, these officials report that whatever efforts countries south of the border may have made to prevent Castro-Communist infiltration, it has not lessened and may be increasing. The French have not been much moved by U.S. attempts to enroll them in the cause of Western Hemispheric solidarity against Communism. They have not forgotten that the United States politely snubbed De Gaulle's 1958 call for a worldwide policy-making directorate of the U.S., Britain and France. They see no reason why France should now help bail the United States out of its problems with the Communists.
In sum, the "big picture" of East-West ideological conflict currently seems blurred by an overlay of individual domestic problems.
The thermo-nuclear balance of terror has diminished in most minds the immediacy of an all-out war threat and in most countries—especially the underdeveloped and developing—the race appears not to the most powerful transmitters but to the capital that can offer most to relieve the everyday problems in the country concerned.
The Steak House
"Where every meal is a feast"
1100 E. 23rd Street
After the KU Relays, enjoy a fine dinner in a pleasant atmosphere
STEAKS CHICKEN
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Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m.