(Not printed at Government expense) Congressional Record United States of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 87th CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION Beliefs and Principles of the John Birch Society EXTENSION OF REMARKS of achieving praiseworthy ends. We think without restraint or regard to consequences. OF that communism as a way of life, for in- Results in demagogism, license, agitation, stance, is completely wrong; but our ulti- discontent, anarchy." It is because all his- HON. JOHN H. ROUSSELOT mate quarrel with the Communists is that tory proves this to be true that we repeat they insist on imposing that way of life on so emphatically : 'This is a Republic, not a OF CALIFORNIA the rest of us by murder, treason, and cruelty democracy; let's keep it that way." IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES rather than by persuasion. Even if our own VI Tuesday, June 12, 1962 use of force ever becomes necessary and morally acceptable because it is in self-de- We are opposed to collectivism as a politi- Mr. ROUSSELOT. Speaker, many fense, we must never lose sight of the legal, cal and economic system, even when it does of my colleagues have questioned me traditional, and humanitarian considerations not have the police-state features of commu- concerning the beliefs and principles of of a compassionate civilization. The Com- nism. We are opposed to it no matter whether the collectivism be called socialism the John Birch Society. For their bene- munists recognize no such compulsions, but or the welfare state or the New Deal or the fit, under unanimous consent I insert this very ingredient of amoral brutishness will help to destroy them in the end. Fair Deal or the New Frontier, or advanced those beliefs and principles in the Ap- under some other semantic disguise. And pendix of the RECORD. IV we are opposed to it no matter what may be GENERAL BELIEFS AND PRINCIPLES OF THE JOHN We believe in patriotism. Most of us will the framework or form of government under BIRCH SOCIETY gladly concede that a parliament of nations, which collectivism is imposed. We believe designed for the purpose of increasing the that increasing the size of government, in- I freedom and lease with which individuals, creasing the centralization of government, With very few exceptions the members of ideals, and goods might cross national boun- and increasing the functions of government the John Birch Society are deeply religious daries, would be desirable. And we hope all act as brakes on material progress and as people. A member's particular faith is en- that in some future decade we may help to destroyers of personal freedom. tirely his own affair. Our hope is to make bring about such a step of progress in man's VII better Catholics, better Protestants, better pursuit of peace, prosperity, and happiness. We believe that even where the size and Jews-or better Moslems-out of those who But we feel that the present United Nations belong to the society. Our never-ending con- was designed by its founders for the exactly functions of government are properly cern is with morality, integrity, and purpose. opposite purpose of increasing the rigidity limited, as much of the power and duties of Regardless of the differences between us in of Government controls over the lives and government as possible should be retained creed and dogma, we all believe that man is affairs of individual men. We believe it has in the hands of as small governmental units endowed by a Divine Creator with an innate become, as it was intended to become, a as possible, as close to the people served by desire and conscious purpose to improve both major instrumentality for the establish- such units as possible. For the tendencies his world and himself. We believe that the ment of a one-world Communist tyranny of any governing body to waste, expansion, direction which constitutes improvement is over the population of the whole earth. One and despotism all increase with the distance clearly visible and identifiable throughout of our most immediate objectives, therefore, of that body from the people governed; the man's known history, and that this God- is to get the United States out of the United more closely any governing body can be kept given upward reach in the heart of man is Nations, and the United Nations out of the under observation by those who pay its bills a composite conscience to which we all must United States. We seek thus to save our and provide its delegated authority, the more listen. own country from the gradual and piecemeal honestly responsible it will be. And the dif- II surrender of its sovereignty to this Com- fusion of governmental power and functions munist-controlled supergovernment, and to is one of the greatest safeguards against We believe that the Communists seek to stop giving our support to the steady en- tyranny man has yet devised. For this rea- drive their slaves and themselves along exactly the opposite and downward direc- slavement of other people through the son it is extremely important in our case to tion, to the Satanic debasement of both machinations of this Communist agency. keep our township, city, County and State governments from being bribed and coerced man and his universe. We believe that into coming under one direct chain of control communism is as utterly incompatible with We believe that a constitutional Republic, from Washington. all religion as it is contemptuous of all such as our Founding Fathers gave us, is VIII morality and destructive of all freedom. It probably the best of all forms of government. is intrinsically evil. It must be opposed, We believe that for any people eternal We believe that a democracy, which they therefore, with equal firmness, on religious vigilance is the price of liberty far more as tried hard to obviate, and into which the grounds, moral grounds, and political against the insidious encroachment of inter- liberals have been trying for 50 years to con- grounds. We believe that the continued nal tyranny than against the danger of sub- vert our Republic, is one of the worst of all coexistence of communism and a Christian- jugation from the outside or from the pros- forms of government. We call attention to style civilization on one planet is impossible. pect of any sharp and decisive revolution. the fact that up to 1928 the U.S. Army Train- The struggle between them must end with In a republic we must constantly seek to ing Manual still gave our men in uniform one completely triumphant and the other elect and to keep in power a government we the following quite accurate definition, completely destroyed. We intend to do our can trust, manned by people we can trust, which would have been thoroughly approved part, therefore, to halt, weaken, rout, and maintaining a currency we can trust, and by the Constitutional Convention that estab- eventually to bury, the whole international working for purposes we can trust (none of lished our Republic. "Democracy: A Govern- Communist conspiracy. which we have today). We think it is even ment of the masses. Authority derived more important for the government to obey through mass meeting or any form of direct the laws than for the people to do so. But We believe that means are as important expression results in mobocracy. Attitude for 30 years we have had a steady stream of as ends in any civilized society. Of all the toward property is communistic-negating governments which increasingly have re- falsehoods that have been so widely and property rights. Attitude towards law is that garded our laws and even our Constitution deliberately circulated about us, none is so the will of the majority shall regulate, as mere pieces of paper, which should not be viciously untrue as the charge that we are whether it be based upon deliberation or allowed to stand in the way of what they, in willing to condone foul means for the sake governed by passion, prejudice, and impulse, their omniscient benevolence, considered to 644926-84733