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Information bulletin
(June 1951)
Building strength against Communism, pp. 43-47
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Page 43
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
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