Minneapolis spokesman. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1961-08-18

FragmenLary reports from
Union indicate, as Sen. Huber
that there are food shortages
there ia famine. The Khrushchev
Manifesto itself promises q better
life day after tomorrow, but not
much for today.
But we have grown so used to
accepting the Communists evalua-
ton of themselves that sometimes
we tend to lose sight of their
shortcomings and failures. Often
their propaganda machine makes
so much noise we don't know Just
what is going on. But every once In
a while some plain, unvarnished
reporting pops up, almost from
nowhere, and it helps put things
back in perspective.
Such information now comes
from a 25-year-old Ghanian en-
gineer, George Savara Arthur, one
of 5000 African students studying
In East Germany. He had to leave
Leipzig, where he had studied for
three years on scholarship, after
he objected to being indoctrinated
and used for propaganda purposes.
I'VE are not FOOLS" he writes,
''even If we do come from q rela-
lively backward country. It Is OBJ
vious to all Of US that the main
objective Of the East German gov
eminent in inviting US over to
study is political-their political
benefit, not ours. That is unlikely
to prevent their offers from being
taken up, as things now stand, but |
their success should not be taken |
for granted"
Mr.. Arthur then goes on to note
that the East Germans, who ap-
parently have drawn Africa as
their assignment in the world |
Communist movement, have three
closely related detectives.
First, they try to win the young
Africans good will through schol-
arships. Second, they expect these
youngsters to occupy high posi-
tons in the newly-created indie
pendent states and hence subject
them to heavy doses Of Commun-
list theology. Third, they use the
students for internal propaganda"
among the East German subjects.
The East Germans provide a
stipend of about SIS per month
for the students. Since their own
governments are poor this in it.
self is quite an attraction. A few
students receive invitations direct
ly but most are selected by their
own governments, which makes
everything look legitimate. Ghana
has about so students there. The
number from Guinea was not
available. Nigeria has refused the
scholarships.
THE PROPAGANDA MIS-
FIRES - Most Of the propaganda,
according to George Arthur, Is
directed towards making the stu
dents hate" the West German
government and the United States,
in that order. It falls wide Of the
mark so far as Bonn Is concerned
and he explains why.
Now few African students feel
strongly, one way or the other,
about the Federal German Repub-
lie, since 1t is beyond the range
Of their personal experience and
preoccupations. But from frequent
visits to West Berlin which
they enter just by taking the UNI
derground railway - we learned
that reality differed from propa-
ganda.
I'VE discovered that the workers
in the Federal Republic are In
comparably better off =. not by
studying statistics, but by elem
entary observation Of what they
eat, wear and use to furnish their
homes. You realize that West Ger
many Is a rich country. whose In
habitants are contented and loyal
to their regime, whether they are
! Government or Opposition; East