Evening star., 1942-04-24
intellectual Drive
Urged Against Axis
Writer Contends Propaganda
Should Be Used to Aid
Armed Attock on Enemy

To The Edisor of The Star
We have read with interest IN The
Star, April 81, the account Of Archibald
MscLeishs address at the annual
luncheon of the Associated Press. In
which he warned against Nazi peace"
offensive and urged the Nations news
papers TO combat such an offensive.
In The Star. April /, we suggested
that our country was conducting q de-
fensive intellectual warfare and pro-
posed an intellectual offensive against
the leaders of the Axis powers. We now
present as further evidence for our point
of view the text of Mr. MacLeish's ad-
dress before the Associated Press and
a recent Government pamphlet entitled
Divide and Conquer" Both of these
documents are almost wholly on the de-
fensive.
The director of the Once Of Facts
and Figures tells us that Nazi propa-
ganda won victories in France which
tanks and parachute troops could never
have won" Truth is always stronger
than falsehood. and If the Nazis have
conquered Europe by a program of half
truths and lies, the United Nations by
a strategy of truth can reconquer Eu-
rope and the territory they have lost in
the Pacific But this strategy of truth.
like our military strategy. must take the
offensive. Even our military offensive
is dependent in large part upon an in
tellectual offensive.
The strategy of divide and conquer
was an old and successful method OF
winning wars long before Hitler was
born. This method repeatedly has proved
successful throughout history and has
been used both in the realm OF ideas
and in military operations. Modern
means of warfare and modern means
of communication have increased its
efficiency many fold. The tragedies that
we now are experiencing are due to the
fact that the Axis powers used this
method (after they had given full warn
ing in eMein Kampf" and other publica-
tions), while our educators were busy
circulating peace pledge petitions and
talking peace, peace when world con-
ditions loudly were warning of war.
Capitalists, munition makers and per-
sons over SO years of age were alleged
bv our liberal educators to be the causes
of all wars, and it was suggested that
If we put these men in the front
trenches there would be no more wars.
England was considered the big bad
wolf" among nations, and Germany was
called an innocent victim. Can we Won
der that our educators now find it diffl-
cult to launch an intellectual offensive
against the Axis powers7 Had Hitler
waited a few years longer his complete
victory probably would have been as
sured.
Granted that we were unprepared for
this war from a military point OF view
(thanks to our educators who Influenced
public opinion), why should we not wage
a vigorous intellectual offensive now9
Mr.. MacLeish himself told us in his
Associated Press address: mo country
has ever had at its disposal greater
resources with which to fight the war
fare of opinion than the practice OF the
profession of journalism in this country
has produced" If this be true, why
should we confne ourselves to mere
intellectual defensive? Not only do we
possess great power, but the peoples OF
Germany, Japan and Italy are particu-
larly vulnerable to an intellectual Of
fensive which can divide and conquer
them.
We know that the Italians have no
love for the Germans, and vice versa
We know that the race theories of Hitler
do not fit either the Italians or the jap
anese We know that the pagan religions
of the Nazis and the japanese are re-
voting to the Christian people OF Italy
and that Italy furnishes us with means
of getting at Hitler. We know that
Hitler has said in "Mein Kampf" that
the japanese are nation of imitators
and that we're the influence of the
peoples of Europe and America stopped
the Japanese culture would stiffen and
fall back into the sleep out of which
1t was startled seven decades ago by
the Aryan wave of culture" We know
that the German people are far different
in many respects from the Japanese and
that for generations the Germans have
feared that the japanese would lead a
yellow peril" against Western civiliza-
ton. We know that a victory by the
japanese over Western powers while
Germany is being weakened by war
would be dangerous for the Germans
The Germans know and fear this and
our intellectual offensive should give
them no peace on this point.
If the German government is pre-
pairing peace offensive" this sum-
mer, which Mr.. MacLeish warns us
against, why should we not call the
bluff? Why should we not tell the Nazis
to accompany their words with deeds
If they are in good faith and put them
on the defensive? Let us say to the
German government: Withdraw your
armies from countries you have invaded
and we will talk peace with you" Ger
tainly this would not hurt us any and
1t would give the German people an
opportunity to save their face and their
nation from total destruction. Let us
call all of the bluffs of the Nazi leaders
and If they will not cooperate we can
go to the German people with this
knowledge. This at least would put the
leaders of the Nazi party on the de-
fensive and being on the defensive
weakens the morale. There are many
-