Evening star., 1947-10-31
A Pro-Freedom Offensive

There Is much to commend the idea
behind General Clay's plan to launch
o militant pro-freedom, anti-Communist
propaganda campaign in the American
sone In Germany The idea Is simply to
combat falsehood with truth-to speak
out aff1rmatively and vehemently In an
theological war in which we have done
little up to now to wrest the initiative
from the Russians.
Ever since starting the war months ago,
the Soviet Union has been bombarding the
German mind with libelous attacks on our
democratic system and with eulogies of the
Krernlin's way of doing things. AS head
of the United States military government,
General Clay-in accordance with instruc-
tions-has countered with not much more
than dignified silence But now his policy
Is to undergo a change. 1t Is to be one OF
hitting answers to nail down the lies
and to paint true picture Of what Amer
lea stands for and what its vilif1ers would
try to palm off on the world.
There Is a great deal of room for af-
firmation and vehemence on this score.
On the one hand, General Clays campaign
can accomplish much through straight
forward plain speaking and constant
effort to make clear to Germany just why
and in what manner the United States
breaches and practices the principles OF
freedom and how those principles-in ad-
dition to their incalculable spiritual value
have helped to give us the highest stand
ard of living in the world And on the
other hand by way of contrast, the Soviet
Union can be described for what 1t 1s-an
ancient form of tyranny, the tyranny OF
the few over the many, an lron-flSted dc
tatorship under which handful of ind1-
viduals has deprived scores of millions OF
the basic liberties that spell the difference
between a man and slave.
This system goes by the name OF COM
nunisnl, but it is essentially the same as
fascism and the earliest forms of totalitari-
anism. in that it will tolerate no opposition
and allow none of it's subjects to be free
Censorship, secret police, rigid control over
travel, the concentration camp, the knout,
the firing squad the gibbet, the harnessing
of all forms OF expression to pour forth an
endless stream of truth -butchering propa-
rsnda-these are the key instruments OF
the government that has been telling the
Germans how democratic it is, how un-
democratic we are, and how only it and its
terrorized satellites stand for what Is good
and beautiful.
Directly and indirectly, General Clay's
campaign in Germany can make much of
these demonstrable facts. 1t can make
much, too, of the demonstrable fact that
the Soviet Union, while forever promising
Utopia to it's imprisoned masses, still can
offer them nothing but one of the lowest
standards of living in the world. with our
own American standard estimated to be
about ten times higher. These are things
that the German people ought to know.
Indeed. the story is worth telling and re-
telling everywhere.
It may be, after all, that freedom has
been too slow about blowing Its own horn
and taking the theological offensive. IT
properly organized and directed, global
application of the Clay campaign con-
eeivably could negate the Kremlin's propa-
ganda by opening the eyes of great num-
eer Of dupes in many lands to this fact: