Evening star., 1940-12-24
Of Stors, Men
And Atoms
Notebook Of Science Progress
In Laboratory, Field
And Study
BIZ Thomas r. Henry.

And Study
By Thomas r. Henry.
The United States already may be the
victim of an undeclared "psychiatric
war;" waged on q scale hitherto unheard
of and directed by fiendishly clever men
in Europe who are masters Of the most
intricate workings of the human mind
Such is the declaration of the South
ern Psychiatric Association, composed of
some of the foremost brain doctors In
the United States, just made public here,
Some of their findings are in close ac-
cord with goals described by Hitler in
''Mein Kampf."
Since the last war, it is pointed out, as
much progress has been made in study
Of the inner mechanisms of the mind as
in other branches of science and there is
evidence that some of the newly dis
covered principles are being used de-
lberately, through the agency Of Ameri-
can dupes.
The association urges that something
in the nature OF "psychiatrist corps" be
organized for national defense, to be
composed of psychiatrists, physicians and
highly intelligent citizens. The state
ment is issued through the William A.
White Psychiatric Foundation in Wash
ington.
Much of the new mind science" men,
bers of the foundation say, originated in
Central Europe and has had some of its
greatest developments in Germany.
Twenty years ago the technique of prop
aganda was simple-to praise ones own
country and condemn the enemy. But
this was like simple arithmetic to the
mathematics of Einstein compared to
the techniques which probably have
been worked out at present. These tech
niques have come largely from probing
the minds of insane persons.
Closing the channels of communica-
tion," as a measure of self-defense,
would be extremely hazardous, the as
sociation points out in its statement, and
should be resorted to only as last
resort.
Says the association: I'VE believe that
monotony, conflict and recurrent inse-
curity are the bases of fatigue. All of
these instrumentalities have been used
by the enemy. We should perhaps en-
phasize chiefly the threat and assurance
pattern. Your committee surmises that
this technique is being demonstrated in
our current relations with Japan. The
news grows more and more ominous.
Perhaps some violence occurs. Things
move rapidly toward a new crisis. It
suddenly tapers off and reassuring ut
terances are made. Then a new crisis
developes There is again a sudden let
down of tension and new hopes for a
happy ending. Another crisis follows.
In the meantime, rumor attacks the
validity OF the news, suggests that there
is no information, that every one is being
deceived by the government, that a false
face is being put on everything by sim
lister influences bent on leading us into
war.
Two aspects of this strategy remain
to be mentioned. There is the dissent
nation of defeatist rumors., The enemy
is invincible, we cannot possibly prepare
In time to win, the only course is ap-
peasement. There is the noising about
OF Trojan horses the widest publicity
to incidents of sabotage and subversion
and anything else that tends to ac-
centuate a feeling of insecurity, sus-
piciousness and paranoid misinterpre-
tations. Along with this there goes
every possible interference with the ac-
tual production of defensive materials
and the mobilization of men and ma
chimes"
1t is a great mistake, the Southern
Psychiatric Association committee con-
cluded, Ito think that we are dealing
now with clumsy propaganda of the
sort to which we were subjected during
the World War. The enemy has learned
a great deal since then, perhaps initially
through our teaching.
THE assaults on our national effec-
tiveness may be planned abroad, but the
staff work is done here both by delib-
crate and by self-deceived fifth column
Aooto, PSicoiAo VI anu SOCIAL Do
sition among us, well-known fellow citi-
zens who are intimately enmeshed with
our daily life. 1t is much too stimulating
to our often much too clearly formu-
lated selfish undemocratic interests. The
staff work is made effective by the un-
whiting collaboration of a veritable le-
gion OF disgruntled disillusioned or
merely psychopathically destructive as
sistants who do not know that they are
being used, who see nothing of the pat
tern which is provided for them, or
OF the ultimate purpose they serve.
The defeat of this psychiatric assault
clearly calls for counter strategy of
psychiatric defense, clearly a RESPONSE
bility of the Government. This is a
vital part of national defense. 1t is
high time that an appropriate agency
be directly concerned with it."