Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-04-15
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Our political leaders have
been telling us lately that In
the race to win world support
for our foreign policies we
are being outwitted and de-
feated by the Russians. It is
not that Russian policies are
better. we are told. 1t is
mainly because the Russians
are doing a better job In per-
suading peoples Of the world
to accept them.
In Russia the launching Of
a Sputnik or announcement
Of q disarmament proposal Is
co-ordinated with projected
press releases and a full-scale.
worldwide publicity cam
paign in the Central Commit
tee Of the Communist Party
Of the USSR-at the pinnacle
Of political power in Russia.
AS any politician knows
and as any public relations
man knows-public relations
and publicity planning must
be geared in with policy plan
ming at the top level Of man
agement II you expect to gain
maximum impact on public
opinion.
In fact, the Russians are
merely doing what any good
politician does when he en-
tiers a big political campaign.
He tests public opinion to
find out what the people
think Is important. He selects
appealing issues on which he
thinks he can win. Then he
campaigns with every means
available to persuade the
people to vote for him and
for his solutions to major
campaign issues.
Soviet Premier Khrushchev
is just another shrewd ward
politician. The difference is
that he has extended his
campaign territory to include
the peoples Of the entire
world. a normal move for a
man seeking political rule of
the world.
While the Russians have
been campaigning to the
world, we have been trying to
make deals with other politi-
cal bosses. many Of whom
cannot hold the support Of
their own constituents. So
the Russians have been cam
paigning on q worldwide
scale with almost no unified
political opposition.
Our leaders are right. We
have been losing the votes Of
free men. And we cannot af-
ford to do it. For the contest
winner will decide in the long
run whether the world win be
run by the Communists or by
free men. Yet It is q political
contest-if rightly UNDER
stood-that could easily be
won by free men.
Donald L. Miller.
How long will our govern
ment leaders let Khrushchev
ct al. get away with the big
lie, untruths and half truths?
What are the facts? Did
not the United States take
the initiative in urging a ban
on nuclear weapon produce
ton and testing with inspec-
ton to safeguard against
violation? Did not the Com.
munists reject these propos-
ais?
What's wrong with our
publicity men? Do they lack
initiative. even interest in
spreading knowledge OF the
fact? Why don't their supe-
riors. those who direct our
affairs Of state, put them to
work? Such consideration
might have led to earlier con-
centration on a satellite pro-
gram 1t might have led to
our own announcement that
we would unilaterally suspend
nuclear tests within q few
months. Certainly we could
have been better prepared to
meet Russian activities in
these connections.
Khrushchev in Hungary
employed his nuclear testing
propaganda to lend verisi-
Multitude to the almost UNI
believable claim that the
Russians in 1856 liberated
Hungary. How clear is our
duty to show that the latter
falsehood itself indicates the
dishonesty in the claim that
the Soviets have taken the
initiative to ban nuclear test
ing!
Ineptitude and desire for
partisan political advantage
are poor weapons in the cold
but nonetheless real war in
which we are engaged. Even
the advantages Of truth and
good faith can be dissipated
and lost to an enemy which
will not be diverted from its
ceaseless and shameless faAse-
hoods. Lloyd Buchknan