The Daily Alaska empire., 1951-09-05
T H ESE D AY S
By GEORGE F. SOKOLSkY Copyright, 1851, King Features
 Syndicate, Incl
A Misunderstood Country

It is indeed tragic that the rest of the world so completely misun- derstands the United States. The question arises as to whether we understand ourselves. If We do, we have not been able to convey to the rest of the world what it is that we believe.
 During World War II, our main propaganda agencies were, of course, the State Department and the owl. managed by Elmer Davis and Joseph Barnes. Nelson Rockefeller operated a unit that was supposed to produce a good neighbor policy for Central and South America.
 Then along came 'The Voice ot America" which is a very expensive organization but somehow it makes no impression on the rest ot the world.
 Professor Saul K. Padover maA es the point:
 unlike the Soviet Union, the United States has taken no steps to train political propagandista or peolpe to wage psychological war fare there should be in Wash ington a high-level staff. to set up and supervise a political and opera tional training center. Such an' institution should, after severe screening and testing, recruit the ablest and most imaginative candi- dates regardless of age CT sex, and train them both politically and technically. This is specially import ant bec.sise all world-political signs indicate that we are in for . long conflict on theological grounds, and one that will continue whether there is shooting or not
 Our tendency has been to turn this job over to advertising and pub lie relations men. Their training insults them for the work. An advertising man does not need to believe in the product he sells. He may be a cigar smoker who despises cigarettes; yet he will write "bril- liant" copy to promote cigarettes He thinks in slogans rather than ideas.
 The current American type ot public relations man is far cry from Lemuel Eli Quigg or Ivy Lee who were id>alists. They served not their clients as much as the ideas in which they believed and adVlsea their clients accordingly. Too many American business men hire and fire public relations counsel as they do forenen and are served accord ingly.
 In the battle over ideas, the teeh- nics deyeloped to sell "body odors' or to write dull speeches for halt inc industrialists will not serve There must be faith, sincerity con- viction. Every agent must be terVld, even fanatical in his acceptance or a view
 Let us see what we want to say to the world. It can be stated simply:
 1. The United States belives that every individual on the face o1 the earth possesses inalienable rights, among them life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, and the own ership of property protected by law;
 2. The United States believes that these rights are not product of legislation or administration, but that they are manifestations of Gods will; that they come rom natures God and natures law;
 3. The United States has no as- pirations to increase it's territory or to take over any people;
 4. The United States believes that every people, great or small, is entitled to a government of it's own choice, selected as the people themselves determine without inter- ference by any other government by any means, by war, by propa- ganda, by infiltration, by intrigue
 5. The United States is commit ted to an association of nations in which any nation may be member if it's people so desire. No such asso- ciation may be regarded as sat- isfactory as long as independent and sovereign nations are excluded from membership
 Few people in any country believe that the United States has not been using it's billions of give-away dollars for some ulterior purpose