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A pocket-sized brochure, "'Confuse and Control," recently issued
by the US Department of State, describes
Soviet efforts to reduce the German people to a helpless confusion of distrust
and divided purpose. Through
example and detailed analysis, presented against the background of US policies
and programs in Germany, the
brochure gives the story of Soviet subversion tactics, their successes and
their failures in a crucial year of the
occupation. The account opens with an estimate of Soviet intentions and of
the importance of Germany to the
USSR and to the free world. It proceeds with a discussion of the two Germanys
of today, an estimate of the
influence of Communism in Western Germany and an examination of the current
Communist Party line. The
concluding chapter, entitled "Building Strength against Communism,"
is reprinted in full here.
Building Strength
- :Against Communism
In the hundred-odd pages of the brochure, "Con-
fuse and Control," are described the attempts of
the Soviets to entice the young people of Eastern
Germany into the Communist- Party by the methods
Hitler used more than a decade ago to convert the
youth of his day to Nazism.
The pamphlet describes the Communist spring
festival in Berlin in May 1950 when half a million
young Germans were brought to the former capital
for a jamboree that was to rise to a climax of a
riotous march through western Berlin. Through the
precautions taken by the people and officials of
West Berlin, the Soviet plans for a riot were block-
ed. Instead, some thousands of the young visitors
who wandered into western Berlin were welcomed
by the people of those sectors who took them into
their homes and to their entertainments, and offset
some of their Communist teachings with considera-
ble success.
"Confuse and Control" pays tribute to the citi-
zens of both East and West Berlin for the cou-
rageous way in which they are resisting Soviet
pressures. With a spirit characteristic of most of
the peoples who stand closely under the guns of
the Kremlin, Berliners are showing a fortitude and
toughness of mind that are defeating the Soviet
confusion tactics.
As this account indicates, Germans who are not
in daily contact with Soviet rule are likely to be
more susceptible to these confusion tactics, but the
strenuous efforts of the Allied authorities in West-
ern Germany have had a marked success in defeat-
ing Soviet plans and in building up the democratic
patterns that are establishing confidence and a
clear goal for the German people.
"Confuse and Control" gives an extensive pic-
torial coverage of its topics with maps, cartoons
and photographs.
The brochure, "Confuse and Control," is on sale
by the Superintendent of Documents, US Govern-
ment Printing Office, Washington 25, D.C. The
price is 30 cents. - Excerpt from Department of
State Bulletin.
3HE CENTER OF ALLIED RESISTANCE to Com-
munism in Germany is in the field of the spirit; all
the economic and military moves have to be planned
with due respect for the progress of the German spirit.
Economic recovery cannot succeed if Germans have no
heart to work otr if Communist agents can needle them
to strike for mere disorder instead of for the natural
purpose of getting better pay and working conditions.
German help in the military defense of the West can-
not succeed if the German people do not care whether
or not the Communists itake them over.
Success depends on developing a spirit of courage,
hope and love of democratic liberty, in a people who
have only recently been crushed by defeat and disil-
lusioned by the collapse of Hitler's insane dream. That
is why one of the largest sections of the US High Com-
missioner's office in Germany is the section that handles
information and education. That is why the policies of the
Whole organization are planned, as far as possible, with
a view to building the institutions and the spirit of
democracy.
In the long run the best policy in any country is to set
up conditions that will make the people practically im-
mune ito Soviet propaganda and subversion. The same
healthy conditions will also make the Germans want
to avoid a revival of Nazism. If we can make Germany
strongly democratic, the fact that Communists cannot be
kept out, and that the Soviet radio still blares over the
ether, will not be important.
The best reason for building health is that health is good in
itself, not merely to escape disease. Our main job, therefore,
is positive and constructive; defense against Communism
is only one of many benefits that will come with success.
IN THE SHORT RUN, we also have to do some nega-
tive or merely sanitary work in cleaning up Soviet lies
and efforts at sabotage. But most of the Soviet propa-
ganda is well understood by the Germans themselves.
The free newspapers in the western zones make the neces-
sary comments without having to be told what to say.
Negative propaganda against the Communists consists
largely of satire, which is always dangerous to a dic-
INFORMATION BULLETIN
-
JUNE 1951
43