COMMUNISM and CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT --More Birch Society Myths

Re: * Alan Stang's It's Very Simple book -and- * Highlander Folk School controversy, Martin Luther King Jr photo

Control and domination of the civil rights movement by subversive elements is a constant theme in JBS literature during the 1960's. In the June 1965 JBS Bulletin, Robert Welch observed:

"Our task must be simply to make clear that the movement known as 'civil rights' is Communist-plotted, Communist-controlled, and in fact...serves only Communist purposes."

In the November 1965 JBS Bulletin, Mr. Welch strongly recommends Alan Stang's book entitled It's Very Simple: The True Story of Civil Rights, because, in Welch's words...

"It gives the whole picture of the 'civil rights' development, as a part of Communist strategy, more completely and convincingly than anything else available."

"This book, because of its thoroughness, its comprehensive coverage of the whole 'civil rights' story, and its meticulous documentation, is the best single searchlight we have for exposing the 'civil rights' fraud."

In May 1965, the Special Agent in Charge of the Boston FBI Field Office forwarded proof sheets of the Stang book to FBI Headquarters, two months before scheduled publication. An evaluation of the book was prepared for Assistant Director W.C. Sullivan by F.J. Baumgardner:

"It's Very Simple is an attempt to rationalize today's civil rights movement in this country as primarily a communist operation...Practically all his documentation is to public source material and there is no significant information in the book which appears to be new and previously unknown to the Bureau. Stang makes frequent use of literary license and importantly fails to include documentation for key passages (examples appear on pages 101 and 185). An entire chapter (14) is devoted to an attack on civil rights legislation and the book, in general, is critical of all Administration and other efforts aimed at improving the lot of the Negro." [100-106670-1412, May 28, 1965, and 100-106670-1525, June 24, 1965, both F.J. Baumgardner to W.C. Sullivan].

"The details of the book do not support the strong conclusions reached by the author. We have had available to us all the material which Stang has plus considerable additional data from our investigations and we could not arrive at such conclusions. The impression is received that Stang may have well started with his conclusions and then developed the information and manner of presentation which he hoped would prove his point. This work must be viewed in the light of the author's apparent close connections with Robert Welch and the John Birch Society." [Ibid]

NOTE: At this point it is appropriate to introduce some context about Alan Stang's research habits to supplement the FBI's evaluation:

Alan Stang authored the article appearing in the Birch Society magazine, American Opinion, that resulted in the historic libel lawsuit by Elmer Gertz against Robert Welch, Inc.

After 14 years of litigation and appeals, the JBS paid Mr. Gertz $400,000. However, the JBS (which describes itself as an "educational" organization, "whose only weapon is the truth") didn't consider the litigation result to be of significant "educational" value to share with its members nor did they retract their defamatory comments about Gertz---even though, during the trial, they admitted "falsehoods" were contained in their article.

The trial court judge in that case (Robert A. Sprecher) described Alan Stang as...

"a writer with a known and unreasonable propensity to label persons or organizations as Communist...There was more than enough evidence for the jury to conclude that this article was published with utter disregard for the truth or falsity of the statements contained in the article about Gertz." [Elmer Gertz: Gertz vs. Robert Welch, Inc.: The Story of a Landmark Libel Case; Southern Illinois University Press, 1992, page 206]

In 1965, J. Edgar Hoover described the civil rights movement as "a great and too long neglected cause of human rights" in our country. [FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, Introduction, April 1965].

After warning about radicals who had no genuine interest in advancing civil rights, Hoover observed in a December 1964 speech, that:

"Let me emphasize that the American civil rights movement is not, and has never been dominated by the communists--because the overwhelming majority of civil rights leaders in this country, both Negro and white, have recognized and rejected communism as a menace to the freedoms of all." [J. Edgar Hoover, 12/12/64, Our Heritage of Greatness, pg 7 - Hoover speech before Pennsylvania Society and the Society of Pennsylvania Women; emphasis in original].

The Birch Society and its front-organization TACT (Truth About Civil Turmoil) were responsible for widespread distribution of a postcard showing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. "attending a Communist training school." The school was identified as Highlander Folk School (HFS) in Monteagle, TN.

Alan Stang discusses HFS and the photograph in his book and he describes Highlander as "this Communist school". [It's Very Simple: The True Story of Civil Rights; Western Islands Publishers, 1965, page 114)

The famous photograph of Dr. King at Highlander was taken by Ed Friend. Mr. Friend described himself as "an undercover agent" for the Georgia Commission on Education (GCE).

Ed Friend was hired by the Chairman of the GCE, Governor Marvin Griffin of Georgia. Mr. Griffin was a life-long segregationist and co-founder of the States Rights Council of GA, an organization, like the GCE itself that was devoted to preventing integration in Georgia. Given that background, is it any surprise that Governor Griffin was a welcomed speaker at White Citizens Councils and States Rights Council functions?

Mr. Friend attended a 1957 Labor Day weekend seminar at HFS and took a picture of a group of individuals seated in an auditorium, one of whom was Dr. King.

When the GCE published its pamphlet on Highlander, it described the HFS seminar as being "held to discuss methods and tactics for precipitating racial strife and disturbances."

Subsequently, Ed Friend testified before a Tennessee legislative hearing concerning what he "learned" during his "investigation" of Highlander. The excerpt appearing below, reveals his underlying motivation:

"Q: Mr. Friend, was that a subversive meeting there at that time? A: It was subversive, sir, to the way that I have been taught to live in America. Q: Explain that to the committee. A: I have been taught by southern tradition to keep the races separate. I was taught to go to Sunday school and Church. I was taught to respect the other fellow's habitat...Up here it seems like all of those things weren't even considered. It is the primary motive of this group to tear down the forces that were trying to keep the races separate."

"Due to the interracial character of the School, it has been the subject of numerous allegations that it represented the headquarters of communism in east Tennessee. An extensive investigation was conducted in 1941 and 1942 as a result of the allegations. These allegations have never been substantiated and much of the information of a subversive derogatory nature concerning this School was later repudiated by the individuals who previously furnished the information...This organization has continuously been involved in the integration movement and as a result charges are being continuously made that it is 'communist'. These charges are based mainly on the opinion of the individuals making the charges that being pro-integration is being pro-communist." [64-7511-286, July 26, 1963, F.J. Baumgardner to W.C. Sullivan].

In 1963, Mississippi Governor Ross Barnett testified before the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee against a proposed public accommodations bill. Governor Barnett raised the issue of Dr. King's attendance at HFS. An FBI memo on the controversy concludes:

"FBI files concerning the HFS show that this school was the subject of a security investigation which was closed in 1943...No information was developed that the school offered courses of instruction on communism nor that the Communist Party ever succeeded in gaining control of the school. Due to its interracial character, however, the HFS has been the subject of numerous past allegations that it represents the headquarters for communism in eastern Tennessee." [July 13, 1963 FBI memo from J.F. Bland to W.C. Sullivan].

Here we go, perhaps this will interest you:

COLOR, COMMUNISM AND COMMON SENSE By Manning Johnson, NAACP

CHAPTER ONE

IN THE WEB

Ten years I labored in the cause of Communism. I was a dedicated "comrade." All my talents and efforts were zealously used to bring about the triumph of Communism in America and throughout the world. To me, the end of capitalism would mark the beginning of an interminable period of plenty, peace, prosperity and universal comradeship. All racial and class differences and conflicts would end forever after the liquidation of the capitalists, their government and their supporters. A world union of Soviet States under the hegemony of Russia would free and lead mankind on to Utopia.

Being an idealist, I was sold this "bill of goods" by a Negro graduate of the Lenin Institute in Moscow.

The color of one's skin is no bar to a young man or woman dreaming of making a better world. Like other Negroes, I experienced and saw many injustices and inequities around me based upon color, not ability. I was told that "the decadent capitalist system is responsible," that "mass pressure" could force concessions but "that just prolongs the life of capitalism"; that I must unite and work with all those who more or less agree that capitalism must go.

Little did I realize until I was deeply enmeshed in the Red Conspiracy, that just and seeming grievances are exploited to transform idealism into a cold and ruthless weapon against the capitalist system-that this is the end toward which all the communist efforts among Negroes are directed.

The rest is here: http://www.thebirdman.org/Index/Temp/Temp-COLOR_COMMUNISM_AND_COMMON_SENSE.htm

Wizard---your paranoia slip is showing....How does one "infiltrate" a website which is open to anyone who wants to discuss and debate just about any topic of interest?

Yes, I am quite familiar with Manning Johnson. He testified in 1958 that the NAACP was a "Communist front" and at other times he simply said it was "Communist dominated". Obviously, the Birch Society immediately elected him as one of their heroes. In April 1951 Manning admitted lying under oath during the sedition trial of Steve Nelson.

After Manning died in 1959, the JBS discovered Julia Brown and appointed her as their resident expert on civil rights matters but Julia explicitly said that the NAACP was NOT Communist controlled or dominated and, in fact, was an entirely legitimate organization working "for first-class citizenship for all Americans." She even declared that the Communists "hated the NAACP".

So what should a Bircher believe?

Incidentally, Julia Brown did not write the 1966 book (I Testify) published under her name by the Birch Society publishing arm. Julia hired Carleton Young to write it.

Julia rejected two chapters that Young sent to her for review because she "didn't want that type of information in her book". According to Julia, Carelton had fallen under the influence "of the Birchers" and she described their views as "lunatic right". Ouch!!

But, as interested students know, Julia underwent a major attitude change when she recognized the revenue potential of appearing as a paid speaker before Birch-sponsored committees around the country.

For a real hoot -- check out pages 10-12 of her book where she gives a totally false account of her marital history.

According to the book version, as a teenager living in Atlanta, she met her first husband (Edward Harris) and she married him when she was 17 years old (i.e. 1915). She then moved from Atlanta to Asheville NC. According to Julia, Harris died and she subsequently re-married in 1944 and settled in Cleveland.

The truth of the matter is starkly different:

(1) Her first marriage was in 1918.
(2) Edward Harris didn't "die" -- Julia divorced him.
(3) After her divorce, she married Jack Latimer in Atlanta
(4) She divorced Latimer in 1939
(5) She then married Fred Brice in Chicago but divorced
him in 1940
(6) She then married Curlee Brown in 1944 and considered
divorcing him as well, but changed her mind

I will be devoting a lengthy chapter of a book to Miss Julia and her habitual inability to tell the truth. I'm sure you can hardly wait!

Ernie

"When black Americans look back in time and ask the question "who stood with us during our civil rights battles?"

Considering that the vote FOR the Civil Rights Act was 92% Republican and 62% Democrat, one has to wonder at the choice they eventually came to make.

I do believe, in fact, that the NAACP is a Communist front. They care nothing about the color of one's skin (all legal battles on that front won long ago) as much as political ideology that favors communist regimes. Explain their relentless attacks on Justice Brown, Condoleeza Rice, Justice Thomas and Colin Powell recently?

Qwinn

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