NAWSA. GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE. Ludington, Katharine WESTERN UNION TELEGRAM RECEIVED AT PUTNAM,CONN. 4 NY F 59 NL ARDMORE PA DEC 7 8/17 MISS ROSAMOND DANIELSON Phoned to R. Danielson Time 905 By [???] To Be Mailed MRS PARK WIRES FROM WASHINGTON SUDDEN DEVELOPMENTS MAY BRING VOTE ON FEDERAL AMENDMENT BY DECEMBER SEVENTEENTH URGE YOU TO BRING ALL POSSIBLE PRESSURE TO BEAR ON TWO SENATORS ALSO ON FREEMAN ASKING HIM TO WORK AS WELL AS VOTE FOR FEDERAL AMENDMENT GET OTHER SUFFRAGISTS AT WORK ON THIS FIRST CHANCE OF OUR NEW BOARD TO PROVE ITS METTLE. KATHARINE LUDINGTON 825 AM OLD LYME, CONNECTICUT TEL. LYME 60 November 5, 1935 Dear Mrs. Stantial: Thank you very much for your full letter and for the good news which it brings about the Blackwell Fund. I was delighted to hear of the contributions from Miss Wald and the others which are credited to Connecticut. We have just started a final round-up of people written to earlier in the summer, who have not yet replied, with one or two new names added. This is the last effort which our Sub-Committee will make officially although, of course, we will always seize any opportunity which appears to add to the Fund. I have sent Dr. William Lyon Phelps' name to Miss Whitney in New Haven, as she knows him personally. While our Sub-Committee took $1000 as a goal for Connecticut we did not feel that we could definitely pledge that amount. We are, however, as I said before, appealing to any new names which may come to us, although our last regular round of appeals has now gone out. We are returning the list to you checked as you wished. Faithfully yours, Katharine Ludington LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF THE UNITED STATES 1026 17TH STREET, N. W. WASHINGTON 6, D. C. MRS. JOHN G. LEE President July 27, 1953 Mrs. Maud Wood Park 21 Ashmont Street Melrose, Maine Dear Mrs. Park: I am writing you about a project the League of Women Voters would like to undertake in memory of Katharine Ludington. All of us who knew and loved her feel her loss immeasurably. I particularly miss her devotion and counsel at this time, for she was a constant help to me throughout these last years in guiding the League's work in relation to United States foreign policy. Her knowledge, dedication to the League, and great wisdom were a source of tremendous strength which she shared with the utmost generosity. It seems to me,-and the national Board is in complete agreement,-that to honor her and to carry on her greatest single interest, the League must redouble its efforts to build support for the whole concept of international cooperation in general, and for the United Nations in particular. We believe we should dedicate Miss Ludington's $2,000 bequest to the League to this end. But more than that, we believe the nature of the emergency is such that we should raise additional funds in her name and put on a special campaign throughout the country. We will have to add to our staff and we will need travel money in order to build leadership in our 917 Leagues to meet the growing anti-U.N. pressures. An additional $8,000 will be needed to do this. If we can have your support, we can think of nothing that would be more gratifying to Miss Ludington or more important to the future of the United States. I should make clear that we do not want in any way to jeopardize our normal local League support to which Miss Ludington devoted 12 years of her life as national Finance Chairman. But we hope additional gifts from a group of her friends, admirers and co-workers will enable us to undertake this extra work now while the need is so imperative. We would like to have the money in hand by August 15 so we can lay our plans to start work in early September. I should mention, also, that we are not requesting tax exemption for these gifts because we believe we should not risk delay. I know I do not have to emphasize how much I hope you will help us to undertake this task. I believe very deeply that the contribution the League can make to this cause at this time can be truly significant. I am sure Miss Ludington would think so, too, and I want nothing more for the League than to see it realize the potential she gave it and envisioned for it. Sincerely yours, Lucy [??] Lee Mrs. John G. Lee President March 18, 1954 Mrs. Maud Wood Park 21 Ashmont Street Melrose 76, Massachusetts Dear Mrs. Park: I am enclosing a report on the use of the Katharine Ludington Fund to which you so generously contributed. I hope it will make you feel this Fund has been expended to good advantage. It may interest you to know that $7,901 was contributed from 105 people in gifts ranging from $1 to $1,000. Miss Ludington's bequest of $1,800 was added to this, making a total of $9,701. The national Board of the League of Women Voters believes a truly significant contribution has been made to the development of better understanding and support of the principle of international cooperation. The "Guide" which is enclosed was produced by the League and was used in conjunction with the work done under the Fund. We are deeply grateful to you for making this work possible, and we believe nothing we could have done together would so well have honored Miss Ludington's memory. Sincerely, Percy Maxim Lee Mrs. John G. Lee President March 18, 1954 REPORT ON THE KATHARINE LUDINGTON FUND The Fund in memory of Katharine Ludington was raised to further those principles of international cooperation to which she had devoted so much of her life. In administering the Fund, the League of Women Voters of the United States directed the major effort toward the development of local leadership to build community understanding of these principles. Conferences for Training Leaders Members of the national Board and staff have conducted 28 conferences in 10 states: Wisconsin, Iowa, Nebraska, Utah (leaders from Nevada, Montana and Wyoming were also present), Colorado, Oklahoma, Missouri, Texas, Mississippi and Arkansas. Approximately 1500 local leaders were present at these conferences, about 500 at conferences held on a state-wide basis and the remainder attended special conferences held in their own or nearby communities. In addition there were League conferences in Oregon, Illinois and Minnesota in which discussion of foreign policy problems reached some 150 leaders. The discussion in these conferences was largely based on a League publication, "Working Together for International Cooperation, A Guide for Community Action," of which more than 6000 copies have been sold to date. Although there was opportunity for consideration of substantive questions so that members of the group could increase their background knowledge, the greatest amount of time was devoted to an analysis of community attitudes toward foreign affairs followed by consideration of techniques adapted to the most common difficulties these leaders encountered -- apathy, open hostility, press unfriendly to the U.N. Some of the most frequent questions on the part of citizens in these communities were: fear of the loss of sovereignty, the implications of the Bricker Amendment for the future, the weaknesses of the U.N., and the role of communists and communist countries in international organizations. Members of the group themselves were often resourceful in working out ways of coping with these problems and every attempt was made to get them to discover their own answers. The importance of community groups working together was stressed throughout the conferences. An important by-product of this period of travel by members of the Board and staff was the opportunity for local publicity. In nearly all of the towns visited there were appearances on radio or television or press interviews, at which questions about the U.N., the Bricker Amendment, foreign aid programs and international trade could be discussed. Evaluation It is, of course, too soon to be able to assess the results of this effort. Much of the achievement will be intangible, but encouraging signs are already evident. One important factor in any community undertaking of a controversial nature is the confidence of the leaders. There is apparent an increasing willingness, undoubtedly based on greater assurance, to tackle these problems regarding international cooperation. Reports indicate that many organizations of various types are meeting together to map out joint plans for conducting community projects in this field. Several Leagues have undertaken the difficult task of carrying out a local poll dealing with questions regarding the U.N., showing a new awareness of the importance of reaching beyond their own membership in order to determine community attitudes. An index of the amount of work being done is the use by local Leagues and other organizations of more than 1000 League recordings on the U.N. and related subjects. More difficult to evaluate but significant, we believe, is the effect of the discussion, in each conference, of the Bricker Amendment. In each case the issue was related to the means whereby the U.S. conducts foreign policy and the way in which the proposed Constitutional Amendment would affect the leadership of the U.S. in world affairs. Future Plans Arrangements have been completed for local conferences in six more states: North and South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky and West Virginia. These are in progress now. Meetings are planned for Idaho and South Dakota in the late spring. Further work will depend upon the funds available at the conclusion of these spring trips. WORKING TOGETHER FOR INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION A Guide For Community Action LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS 1026 17th Street, N. W. Washington, D. C. Publication No. 214 Price 20c August 1953 CONTENTS Page Purpose............3 Making Plans........4 Step I --Analyzing your community....4 Step II-- Planning a limited number of projects to realize your objectives 5 Step III--A training program for leaders..................6 Some factors underlying U.S. position in the world today.........7 Pros and cons of international cooperation..............9 Some arguments of the critics of international cooperation.....10 Step IV --Reaching the uninterested and meeting attacks on international cooperation.....10 Interesting and uninterested.......10 Taking a community poll.....11 Meeting attacks on international cooperation.....13 Case I--Appearing as a speaker where other speakers or audience is hostile.....13 Case II--Where pro-U.N. groups ask opposing groups to meet 14 Case III- An anti-U.N. campaign......14 Case IV--An unfriendly press.......15 Case V--A campaign to remove teaching of the U.N. and UNESCO from the schools.....16 Case VI--The display of the U.N. flag............16 Case VII--When controversial material is circulated in your community.....17 Evaluation................18 Senators Knowland and Martin's questions and answers on flag bill.....19 Statement of President Eisenhower on bill to amend U.S. Flag Code...........20 Names of groups sponsoring U.N. Day and those belonging to the U.S. Conference Group of National Organizations on the U.N...........21 How to obtain U.N. broadcasts and U.N. films.....22 Bibliography........23 WORKING TOGETHER FOR INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION A Guide for Community Action THE PURPOSE of this guide is to help you organize your community resources to reach people who do not yet understand that our security and survival depend on working with other nations. This job is tough, but challenging. The stakes are high--they involve peace, and people are wondering if it is possible to have peace. After having made the sacrifices to win World War II many people believed that peace would be automatic. But international affairs took an entirely different turn from what we expected. We did not get peace. Instead we found the developed countries undertaking huge rearmament programs because of the danger of war. In the underdeveloped countries a series of economic and social revolutions threaten world stability. Confronted with the failure to achieve peace, many people have become discouraged and wish to escape from international responsibility. However, there are leaders in every community who feel that something can and must be done to help restore the conditions that make peace possible -- but the job is too big for any one group. The purpose of this guide is to help you work in your community to gain acceptance of the following points of view: 1) The U.S. cannot survive unless it follows a course of international cooperation 2) As the inevitable leader of the free world, the U.S. must assume major responsibility for fostering international cooperation. 3) The U.S. will not follow such a course unless our government leaders are convinced that a large majority of people strongly advocate international cooperation. Americans can and should have different opinions on how crises should be met, but we should all start with a common set of principles. We cannot do an effective job in increasing the number of people who accept the validity of these principles if we just: 1) Review the U.N. for our membership 2) Hold meetings for like-minded groups Taking our ideas to such an audience may strengthen their convictions, but it will not extend the range of the understanding of or support for international cooperation. Situations in local communities vary and the following four steps will have to be adapted to your local needs. Step 1--Analyzing your community. Step II--Planning a limited number of projects to realize your objectives. Step III--Training leaders to talk, discuss and write about the need for and the elements of international cooperation. Step IV--Reaching the uninterested and meeting attacks designed to weaken public confidence in international cooperation and the United Nations. 3 MAKING PLANS 1. Timing This guide can be used at any time of the year and take any length of time. U.N. Week (October 18-24) and U.N. Day (October 24), however, might be used as your starting point. In this way you can capitalize on the interest of other groups. 2. Who is involved? It is the job of the Chairman of International Relations and her Committee to decide how to carry out the steps involved. Your plans should be discussed and approved by the local Board. An important consideration is the stage at which other groups should be invited to participate. If other groups are invited at the beginning, they may help to analyze your community. An analysis of attitudes in your community can probably be more accurately made and more readily accepted if done by a cooperating group. This early participation will enlarge the effort and insure later cooperation. 3. Scope of activity This guide does not have to involve your group in an all-out campaign. You can provide some of the leadership, can suggest procedures and provide materials, and above all can take the initiative to set the plan in motion. Some groups may believe that a campaign is necessary now and may wish to undertake plans on a large scale; if so, the various steps outlined here could be used to the fullest extent. 4. How to begin Once you have Board approval of your plans, and you have an interested and dedicated committee to undertake this effort get together a few individual leaders and some representatives of groups in your community who are known to support the principles of international cooperation. Discuss with them your concern about the lack of understanding of and support for international cooperation, the attacks on the United Nations and suggest to them the possibilities of community action to counteract these. Note: At the end of this guide there is an elaborate bibliography to help you with your work. It is arranged according to subjects and you will find it particularly helpful as supplements to Steps III and IV. STEP I. ANALYZING YOUR COMMUNITY 1. Find out the groups in your community that: a. Support the principle of international cooperation. b. Are not concerned about it. c. Are hostile to international cooperation. 2. Make a card file of leading organizations which should contain: a. Name of organization. b. President or program chairman or person to contact. c. Major interest of the group. d. Attitude toward international cooperation. Try to determine the political, economic, or social reasons why these groups think as they do about international cooperation. 3. This information can be obtained from the following sources: a. A list of organizations can often be obtained from the Council of Social Agencies, Council of Community Agencies, or Community Council. The Council of Churches and the Chamber of Commerce frequently have lists also. b. The attached list of organizations which help sponsor U.N. Day and those which belong to the U.S. Conference Group of National Organizations on the U.N. (See page 21). The organizations listed do not necessarily have strong stands in support of the U.N. and in some cases where the national organization has a strong stand the local group does not share such a conviction. The lists, however, will give you a place to start. c. See part D in the bibliography for a list of some groups opposed to or highly critical of international cooperation and the U.N. in particular. d. Accounts of meetings and statements of leaders in the local press. 4. When the information is collected and compiled, the card file should be divided into the following three categories: a. Groups which support international cooperation and the U.N. b. Groups which are indifferent. c. Groups which are opposed. 5. Make a card file of your community resources. The file should be divided into the following categories with specific information on each card: a. Newspapers Editor--publisher--deadlines Editorial policy on international cooperation, if any. News coverage of local programs. Extent of coverage of international events. Availability of a Letter-to-the-Editor column. b. Radio and TV stations Important local programs--hours--station--type. Availability of time for public service programs. Names of liaison persons such as program director. Are U.N. broadcasts used? See attached list of U.N. broadcasts, page 22. c. Movie houses Manager Policy on showing educational films. Where educational films can be obtained. U.N. film distributors, page 22. d. Schools and colleges Attitude of Board of Education and Superintendent toward teaching about the U.N. and international subjects. Special school programs and studies. What schools have done in the past on international cooperation, the U.N. and study of foreign countries. Who to contact--Board of Education, Superintendent, Local Teachers' Association. Existence of a citizens committee on the public schools--name of chairman. e. Speakers who can be called upon from: Organizations, newspapers, radio and TV stations. Colleges and schools. Churches. Specialists in health, agriculture, education, and so forth who know something of the technical work being done by U.N. agencies. People in your community who have been members of U.S. and U.N. special missions. Business, farm and labor groups. f. Library facilities Do they carry U.N. publications, government documents, and other books and pamphlets of private organizations concerned with international affairs? Do they sponsor discussion groups? g. Foreign students and exchange scholars in your community h. Government branch offices, i.e. local Department of Commerce Do they have research facilities, send out speakers, have films and other useful material? i. Existence of adult education programs. STEP II. PLANNING A LIMITED NUMBER OF PROJECTS THAT WILL HELP YOU TO REACH INTO THE COMMUNITY WITH THE AID OF OTHER ORGANIZATIONS 1. Determine Plans Best Suited to the Needs of Your Community. With the analysis of your community and its available resources completed, the group should come together to discuss the nature of your local situation. What has your analysis revealed? What are people saying about international affairs and the U.N.? Is there apathy toward international problems? What are the attitudes you hope to influence and perhaps change? How extensive an educational job is it practical to undertake? Is the community thinking being greatly influenced by anti-international cooperation forces? Is the work of the U.N. clearly understood? With the needs of your community in mind, and the resources at your disposal, map out your goals. 2. Set Specific Goals Working for continued and increased support for international cooperation is a long-term goal. The entire population cannot be interested and informed at once. Some of us carry out only one project in this field and think we have done our bit. Others of us are so overwhelmed at the immensity of the task that we decide to work on problems more limited in scope and less controversial. Neither of these approaches is an answer. Nor is the answer an all-out campaign where everything else is put aside. Few communities and few organizations are in a position to do this. The answer lies in setting specific goals after you know something of community attitudes. Each group should map out its own community goals. For example, one goal could be to persuade a definite number of organizations that previously had shown no interest in world affairs to devote a meeting to the subject of international cooperation or the U.N. or a similar topic. In another community the cooperating organizations might conduct a public opinion poll (see page 11). The results would help determine the kind of information needed for further work and in what areas and for what groups. Evaluate for yourselves whether it is better to concentrate on combatting the hostile groups or in awakening an interest in those who are apathetic. In many cases you may decide you need to do some of both. 3. Use of United Nations Day--October 24. The theme for U.N. Day is KNOW YOUR UNITED NATIONS. The Leader's Guide issued by the U.S. Committee for U.N. Day gives several suggestions for U.N. programs. As in past years the Committee for U.N. Day recommends that local U.N. Day committees be established consisting of representatives of several organizations. The existence of a local committee can be an aid to groups which want to promote greater information on and understanding of the values of international cooperation. Many of the groups belonging to local committees can be a nucleus for action in the face of particular problems concerning the U.N. and public attitudes and understanding toward it. (The U.S. Committee for U.N. Day is located at 816 21st Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.) STEP III. TRAINING LEADERS Any plan which you adopt for the purpose of helping to formulate public opinion in your community will require some trained leadership. This does not mean that you need experts--although a few experts would be helpful--but those who are going to reach the public, whether as leaders of discussion groups, or by speaking, or on the radio, or by writing for papers, must be well equipped with facts, and able to interpret the facts in the light of present day problems. In other words they must know what they are talking about. The purpose of this training program is to explore some of the current misunderstandings and to lay a firm, realistic foundation for thinking about international problems. Through discussion and study and wide use of the attached bibliography a group of interested citizens can become well informed. People should not attempt to influence the public who are not sure of their basic facts. They should be able to say with the French jurist and philosopher, Montesquieu, "I have not drawn my principles from my prejudices but from the nature of things." The training session will help the members clarify their own thinking and agree on a common point of departure. It should be stressed that the real purpose of this undertaking is to build a better understanding of the great problems this country faces and our vital need for working with other nations. The approach should be based on the belief that the vast majority of American citizens will act wisely and generously if they understand the issues at stake. The number of sessions which the group will need will depend on the background and preparation of those attending and how rapidly they can absorb new material. Who should attend the training sessions? The training sessions are planned for interested persons from organizations which are cooperating to promote greater understanding of the need for international cooperation. Some individuals--not members of these groups--such as teachers both men and women, may wish to join also. The trainees must be willing and able to give time for serious effort both for study and accepting some assignments in the community as your plans develop. They should be interested in the subject and have some facility in public speaking, leading a discussion, or writing. Someone well informed and able to direct study and discussion should lead the group. What should the training program consider? The group should examine the analysis of community attitudes and resources which has been made. The members should have a clear understanding of the objectives of the plan and of their part in carrying it out. 6 The training program should include a study and discussion of various aspects of international cooperation. As ground work for such a study the following is suggested: Basic to the whole approach must be an understanding of why it is essential to the security and survival of the U.S. that we cooperate with other nations. It is folly to expect people to support such measures as the U.N., international trade, foreign aid, and other policies and programs, unless they understand the underlying reasons why such cooperation is vital to our well being. In most cases of apathy or opposition it appears that many people are clinging to a concept of a world which no longer exists. The pictures they carry in their heads do not correspond to the factual world with which we must deal. Truth is hard to accept and it is easier to oppose changes that force us to alter our thinking and our habits than it is to accept reality. For example, it is essential that the training program start with an understanding of the kind of world we live in and that we discard some of the "dear dead beliefs" that no longer serve us. The following are exercises that the training program might include: Exercise No. 1 Some Factors Underlying U.S. Position in The World Today The following questions should be discussed. The answers constitute basic reasons why international cooperation is essential. Answers are not intended to be comprehensive but to be used as an aid to discussion. The participants should try to enlarge on the answers and add points they feel have been omitted. 1. How has the advance of science changed our world environment? A review of the mid-20th century presents startling changes that have taken place in the last fifty years. These are due to the advances of science, technology and engineering which have changed the whole nature of our world. We hear such statements quite often but it is necessary to grasp the full significance of scientific advancement if we are to understand the implications of it in modern life. To mention four changes that have been revolutionary: a. Development of all kinds of transportation --this has eliminated the problems and the safeguards of distance. It has made isolation impossible. b. The means of modern warfare--weapons from jet planes to hydrogen bombs. c. The specialization and division of labor, resulting in a higher standard of living, greater interdependence of individuals, and vast need for raw materials from all over the world. d. The advancement of communications by which we are informed in a few minutes or hours of events occurring thousands of miles away. 2. How has history changed our position in the world? Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries the British Navy and the British Empire policed areas of the world and maintained law and order. The power and action of the British relieved the U.S. of the responsibility for helping to fashion and maintain world peace. The British are no longer able to police troubled areas of the world. We are now exposed to serious threats of aggression which the British once suppressed. For a century, from the Congress of Vienna in 1815 to the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, the Concert of Powers--the balance of power--of Europe played a major role in preventing local wars from spreading. The political, economic and military strength of the Great Powers of Europe determined to a large extent the conditions which prevailed in Europe and most of Asia. The breakdown of the Great Power system as a result of World War I left the world without leadership and controls which the Great Power system had provided. This was the realistic, factual situation which left no alternative but the creation of the League of Nations. This was not an idealistic, impractical dream but a realistic approach to a disorganized world that demanded some type of collective effort and effective leadership. The breakdown of the League of Nations engulfed the world in a second world war. All nations recognized the need for a world organization at the close of World War II. This resulted in the United Nations. In the U.N. we now have a second opportunity to avoid another destructive world war. 3. Are two oceans adequate for our protection? For years Americans could rest comfortably with the thought that two great oceans could insulate and protect us from the problems and conflicts existing in Europe and Asia. Many people emigrated to the United States to 7 escape from the wars in Europe and other parts of the world. With the emergence of the U.S. as a great power, with the advancement of communications, and transportation, and with the inventions of modern weapons of war it is no longer possible for the U.S. to remain isolated from the ills that afflict the world around us. Our foreign policy must recognize that while it took Lindbergh 33 1/2 hours to fly the ocean in 1927, a jet bomber made a trans-Atlantic flight in 4 3/4 hours in 1953. Today, unfortunately, many people still believe two oceans can protect us. Being wrapped in this belief makes it possible for some to be uninterested in world problems and others to be opposed to any foreign policy which involves us with the rest of the world. 4. Do we produce all we need? The U.S. has never been a completely self- sufficient nation. Before the invention of modern armaments and modern machines, however, the U.S. had most of the raw materials for its industry. If supplies of raw materials from abroad had been cut off, we would not have needed to worry about how we could produce airplanes, turbines and diesel engines. We were not so mechanized then and therefore we didn't need so many raw materials. What we did need in our early days was investment by European nations to enable our industry to grow. Many U.S. citizens still believe we can get along without raw materials from the far distant parts of the world. This belief also leads to the conclusion that we need not concern ourselves with the problems existing in such places as Iran, India, and Malaya; some do not realize that what happens in these countries affects our supply of strategic materials. Today there are some 75 different materials on a U.S. stockpiling list.* The existence of this list means that there are 75 materials that would be in short supply in this country in time of war. People want security and they are proud of their standard of living. If they can be shown the relationship between their security and standard of living and our dependence on other nations for raw materials, they might then realize that U.S. self-sufficiency is a myth. 5. Can we use all we produce? All of us are gratified to go to the department, grocery, furniture, or hardware store *This list is available at the League of Women Voters of the U.S. and find a wide assortment of goods for sale. When buying a loaf of bread or a cotton dress or shirt we seldom ask ourselves whether all the wheat and cotton grown in the U.S. find their way into our stores. If we read the financial pages of some of our newspapers we would realize that of 981 million bushels of wheat produced in the U.S. in 1951, 474 million bushels or 48.3 per cent were not consumed at home but sent to many countries all over the world. Of over 15 million running bales of cotton picked in the 1951-52 crop, 5 1/2 million or 36.6 per cent were sold abroad. The same is true of many other things such as tobacco and soybeans. The reason for selling so much abroad is because we can't use it all here at home. If our farmers and our businessmen did not sell their surplus products abroad, there would be a serious threat of a depression in this country. If we don't see the connection between our production at home and what we sell abroad, we are not apt to be interested in the ability of other nations to sell some of their goods to us which they must do if they buy from us. 6. Must all nations be alike in order to cooperate? Some people believe that a democracy that does not base its functioning on a free enterprise economic system is not a democracy at all and should not be treated as belonging to "the free world." They seem to think that such a country does not deserve the cooperation of the United States because the only "true democracy" existing is the United States of America. Those who hold to this do not think we should be of any assistance to other governments, nor should we rely on such governments for aid in time of war or associate ourselves with them in international organizations. One of the advantages of living in a free country is that we learn it is not necessary that everyone think alike, act alike, and be alike in order to get along. This is just as true in the family of nations as it is at home. Not all nations have our high standard of living; no other nation has exactly our form of government; most nations have different laws regarding individual rights and liberties; few nations have the same degree of free enterprise in their economic systems. It is possible, however, to distinguish between nations having a totalitarian system of government and nations which grant varying degrees of freedom to their citizens. 8 7. Should our defense program rest solely on strong armies and armaments at home? Americans who believe that strong defense at home is adequate to make the U.S. secure will be skeptical of any program which aims to build the defenses of other nations. At a time when our national debt is the largest of any peaceful period, Americans who advocate only strong home defense think aid to other nations is a waste of the taxpayers' money. Such Americans do not calculate what would be the position of the U.S. if all of the industries of Western Europe and all of Asia's raw materials and the combined manpower and military bases of both fell under Soviet control. Men, materials and bases are crucial factors in forestalling and in winning a war. When we look at the odds posed in these terms, the importance of having a strong defense on the home front only loses some of its potency. 8. Do we lose some of our sovereignty and our national independence every time we cooperate? In the past we had only ourselves to consider. Today we must deal with other nations because our life depends on such cooperation. Our reluctance to give authority to a group of nations comes from the fact that for so long we didn't have to consult others. Some of us don't really trust our partners nor treat them as equals. It is extremely difficult for a nation with our wealth and education to feel that people with a lower standard of living are in any sense our equals and have anything much to offer in the way of advice. Our material superiority breeds contempt. Yet if we are to work with others, they must have some voice in decisions so that all move forward on a mutual basis. Cooperation in community life, for example, does not mean the loss of rights of the family, or of corporations, or of professional position. It is the means by which we achieve stability which affords everyone a chance to progress. By cooperating with other nations we surrender only such rights as increase our own security and make for progress by helping to create social and economic stability throughout the world. To summarize, international cooperation is essential to our survival. This is so because of the fundamental changes that have taken place in very recent years in scientific and industrial advancement. It isn't only a crusade for a better world or because we believe it's good to cooperate--it is our life--it means the life of every nation in the kind of world we live in. This may seem simple. It's been said before time and again, but until people get it into their thinking they will never move forward to a real grasp of world problems-- whether in trade, in the U.N., in N.A.T.O. or in economic development, and the real reason why we have to cooperate is that we can no longer survive unless we do. Exercise No. 2 Pros and Cons of International Cooperation The above questions and answers dealt with the principles of international cooperation. The training program may want to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of international cooperation as a method of conducting U.S. foreign policy. Advantages of international cooperation: 1. Decisions when mutually arrived at are always stronger than when they are enforced by a single powerful nation. If we wish to enforce our decisions then we must be prepared to do so by force and methods of totalitarian states--large army and police force. 2. International decisions jointly arrived at lessen the charge that any one nation is imperialist. 3. Those who meet together at international meetings get tremendous education. They see problems from the point of view of other nations and modify their own views accordingly. 4. In implementing decisions and setting up projects it is important to be able to call on the personnel of the world. 5. Nations working together, through international cooperation, can gather vital facts concerning conditions and needs which no one country could ever learn alone. Disadvantages of international cooperation: 1. It takes longer to reach agreement. 2. It requires compromise; one nation can't control the show. 3. The country which pays the most money doesn't always have the most control and advantage. 4. When several countries cooperate on projects, no one country gets the credit. 9 Exercise No. 3 Some Arguments of the Critics of International Cooperation Most of those who are opposed to international cooperation focus their criticisms on the U.N. In the training program, some time should be devoted to examining the arguments of the critics. If you are going to speak up in favor of the U.N., you must be prepared to deal with the following arguments. Those in the training program should discuss the validity of these and other arguments and how they might be answered. The Critics Say 1. Korea proves collective security won't work. 2. We can't work with other nations because they think differently than we do. 3. We shouldn't rely on other nations for raw materials, the supply of which may be cut off during a war. 4. The General Assembly of the U.N. is acting more and more like a legislative body. It all points to world government. 5. The U.N. is forcing the U.S. to condone socialistic concepts and practices, because most of the nations have less free enterprise than we do and therefore U.N. resolutions and recommendations reflect socialist thinking. 6. The U.N. interferes more and more with the domestic problems of member nations. This will lead to increased centralization and world government. 7. The U.N. has failed as a body to preserve world peace because the U.N. cannot force member states to abide by U.N. decisions. For example, some nations traded with Red China during the Korean war; India and Pakistan won't settle their dispute over Kashmir; Israel repudiated a U.N. decision by moving its capital to Jerusalem; Iran refuses to let the International Court of Justice help in arbitrating the oil controversy with Great Britain. 8. Most of the nations of the world are more concerned with their individual wellbeing than with the threat of communist aggression; therefore, being in the U.N. doesn't help the U.S. in winning the cold war. 9. The U.N. shouldn't try to reach agreement on questions of human rights, freedom of information, and freedom of religion, because 1) these are domestic rather than international questions and 2) nations are too far apart in their thinking to come to any agreement which would raise world standards. 10. Being in the U.N. only embarrasses the U.S. because we are such a minority that we often get out-voted. 11. If Red China is admitted to the U.N. the U.S. should get out. 12. International cooperation is too costly. If the U.S. is ever going to have a balanced budget and decrease its national debt, we must reduce the amount we pay to international organizations and international programs. Besides, most nations belonging to the U.N. and N.A.T.O. when asked to provide money and men for their common defense refuse because they say they can't afford it or because they don't want to take sides in the cold war. 13. We should quit the U.N. if its Charter is not revised soon to prohibit the U.N. from all domestic questions and to strengthen the organization by forcing all nations to abide by U.N. decisions, re. collective security and in the settlement of international disputes. STEP IV. REACHING THE UNINTERESTED AND MEETING ATTACKS DESIGNED TO WEAKEN PUBLIC CONFIDENCE IN INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION AND THE U.N. Interesting the Uninterested From your community analysis you have determined what groups in your community are relatively uninterested in international cooperation. You know the names of their leaders and you know their major interests. You have also determined whether you are going to concentrate on combatting attacks already begun or whether you are going to arouse more people to the importance of international cooperation. If you have decided on the latter you have determined the groups with which your efforts ought to be most effective. Here are some points to consider. Basic to every point is the importance of a positive not negative approach; (have facts in hand and be able to interpret them in the light of present day needs). 10 1. Making a community analysis will itself arouse the interest of some groups. When you call to find whether the group has shown any interest in the U.N. and international cooperation, you can then suggest a later meeting to arrange a program. 2. Start with the leaders of the groups you hope to reach. Through a phone call or informal meeting with the leader of the group, try to find out what approach, or topic of interest, would have the greatest appeal. Discuss with him or her whether the group would like to have a speaker, panel, film, or discussion on some phase of international cooperation. You might suggest a speech related to the group's major interest. 3. Start where people are. Recently a member of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization went to Kansas to speak to a group of farmers. She didn't go to talk about the U.N. or even the F.A.O. but rather about wheat marketing. The farmers were interested in avoiding a further decline in wheat sales abroad. One thing led to another --why other nations could not always buy our wheat, the problems, of earning dollars through trade to buy wheat, the role of the F.A.O. in aiding the distribution of wheat, the F.A.O. and U.N.'s technical assistance program to aid in raising world agricultural production. Four hours later the F.A.O. speaker finished and a great part of the time had been spent on the U.N. and the importance of U.S. membership in it. The above is an example for all of us. We can find out the major interest of the groups we are trying to reach and show how their interests are related to the work of the U.N., to international trade, to defense, to foreign aid, and so forth. 4. Go to the audience; don't make it come to you. Frequently hours of time, effort, and considerable money are spent in holding a large public meeting on some international problem or organization. Often those who attend the meeting are already convinced and informed. It is far better to go after the groups which are indifferent than to waste effort trying to make them come to you; they usually will not come. 5. The value of gimmicks People like to "do" things. If some people aren't interested in listening to or joining in a discussion of the U.N. or some phase of international cooperation, they might come to a U.N. party or send U.N. greetings to people in other nations, or provide a CARE package. If your group decides to embark on one or more of these projects, there is one factor to be kept in mind. When successful these projects may stimulate interest in the U.N. and in other nations but they do not necessarily result in support for the U.N. or a conviction about the importance of international cooperation. They should be followed up with programs of content, showing of a film, a panel, a discussion. 6. Take a community poll Up to now most of the previous discussion has been about reaching the community mainly in terms of organized groups. We must also realize that in every town or city at least 20 to 40 per cent of the population belongs to no organized group. Yet many of these people have a real concern about what is happening around them help to form "public opinion" in this country. How do these people form their opinions? How can they be reached by those who wish to build a better understanding of the concept of international cooperation? Researchers in various fields have tried to determine how these "unorganized" citizens form their opinions. Some studies reveal that radio and newspapers have a decided influence on them. Other studies, more numerous, disclose that these people are influenced by direct contact with their friends, especially those friends and acquaintances they regard as leaders. People congregate at a bridge party, a tavern, in the neighborhood drug store, at a community dance and at work. Invariably the conversation centers for a time on some political, economic, or social question. Usually one or more persons emerge as the respected authorities. If one opinion goes unchallenged, the group may tend to accept the argument. How can we hope to reach and influence those who do not belong to any formal opinion- making organization? A community poll provides information about the unorganized as well as organized public. A poll can be wide in scope and include many people. But it can also be valuable if narrowed. Suppose you wish to know what attitudes people have toward U.S. cooperation with other nations and toward the U.N. Suppose we also wish to learn who are some of the "natural" leaders forming public opinion. Here is a procedure to follow. 11 A. Take a sample of the area you wish to poll. 1). If you wish to poll your entire town, you can take the city directory as your starting point. Find out how many names are listed. Take a certain per cent of the total, depending on the size of the directory and the number of volunteer interviewers you have to help you. For example, suppose you have a directory of 50,000 names and you have about ten or fifteen interviewers. You want to get a "random" sample of opinion in your community. If each volunteer will interview ten persons, you can expect to reach 100 to 150 persons. A sample of 125 is 1/4 of one per cent of the 50,000 or one out of every 400. To determine which 125 to interview you would have to start from the beginning and take every 400th name and interview that person. The individual should be interviewed in person, not over the telephone. Face to face contact is important. The above formula serves only as an example. If you have more volunteers, or if your interviewers want to poll more people or if you have a smaller number of names you can enlarge your percentage. If you have a larger community you can decrease the size of your sample. You do not necessarily have to take the city directory. Instead you might take a percentage of the registered voters or a percentage of those who have automobile licenses or a percentage of the telephone directory. In a county you may be able to obtain from the county courthouse a map of all the dwelling units. Then you could easily divide the area into sections for the interviewers to cover. 2). You may not want to poll your entire community but only one geographic area. For example, suppose you want to have a sample of opinion from your North Side. First define by streets the limits of your North Side--say from 15th Street to 42nd Street, 26 blocks and A Avenue to K Avenue, 10 blocks. Suppose you have 20 volunteers. Have ten start on the corner of 15th and each avenue from A to K, and ten start on the corner of 28th and each avenue from A to K. From this point each interviewer would plan to interview one adult member of every fifth family, for example. This means that you don't count houses or the number of houses on a block to determine every five, but you take each family in sequence, whether there are only two houses or six apartment houses on a block. 3). Suppose you want to learn the opinions of one type of person, say the doctors in your community. In a community of 50,000 there may be, for example, 50 doctors and 10 interviewers, each of whom should interview five doctors. In this way you are interviewing the complete list rather than a sample. The above serves to illustrate something about polling public opinion so that each interviewer himself does not choose whom he shall interview. If he had to choose, he might pick those people who live in the best houses, or who have opinions most like his, or whom he can reach most easily. B. What shall you ask? There are many things you can determine in an opinion poll. For example, you might want to learn one or more of the following: 1.) How much knowledge does the person have on the subject in question, i.e. the U.N.? 2). What are his opinions on the issue? 3). How strongly does he hold these opinions? 4). What are the sources of the opinions? In polling it is important that the interviewer not annoy the person interviewed by taking too much time and asking too many questions. It is also important that the questions be free from bias. The person interviewed does not want to feel he is being trapped. He is also more likely to respond if he thinks his answers and the poll will serve some purpose. Here are some sample questions: Do you think that the U.S. should cooperate with other nations in international bodies to solve world problems? Yes_ No_ Qualified_ Do you think the U.N. is the best means of promoting international cooperation? If yes--why? If no--what is a better way? Can you list any accomplishments of the U.N.? Yes_ No_ If yes--what one or two things would you list? If no--would you want the U.S. to withdraw from the U.N.? 12 Have you heard any criticism of the U.N.? If yes--what are some? Where do you hear of them? Do you think they are justified? *Name two of your friends and acquaintances whose opinions on public affairs you most respect? *Name two sources, other than friends and acquaintances, where you get most of your information on international problems? C. How can the results of the poll be made useful? 1). Once the results of the poll are tabulated, they can be used to determine how to reach the "unorganized." For example, visit the leaders who were listed and find out whether they can be interested in international affairs. 2). Invite the leaders to a meeting to discuss some current problem in U.S. foreign policy. Since they are opinion formers they should want to talk about the problem and they should be delighted to know their opinions are highly esteemed by their friends. 3). Go to your newspaper with a provocative summary and suggest they reprint the results of the poll. Arrange a radio program to discuss the answers to the questions. The newspaper might even be willing to ask its readers to fill out the questionnaire and send in their own answers. This creates more interest and gives you more information, although such replies are most likely to come from those who hold their opinions very strongly. Meeting Attacks on International Cooperation CASE I If you have to appear as a speaker on a panel or debate on the U.N. or on the U.S. in world affairs or on a similar subject where other speakers and perhaps the audience may be hostile. Point 1: Start with something positive that you hold in common, such as: desire for * These two questions should not be asked as the formal part of the poll but incidently. Tell the person interviewed that you want the names to determine whether these "natural" leaders may want to be invited to meetings on International subjects. U.S. security, prosperity, love of country, desire for well being of our children, something with which no one will disagree. You thus establish yourself with the group. Point 2: Don't plunge into a discussion of the U.N. itself but with the basic reasons why the U.S. must cooperate with other nations in order to survive. State the facts which show the U.S. is dependent and the world interdependent. Point 3: Emphasize where we get our raw materials. This places a burden on the opposition to try to show that the U.S. doesn't have to go beyond the Western Hemisphere for its raw materials and trade. Point 4: Don't try to out-argue the opposition. Pick out their two or three most distorted arguments and point out the fallacy, such as the fallacy that the U.N. is a world government; the fallacy that UNESCO teaches school children they should not be patriotic; the fallacy that the Genocide convention would require U.S. citizens accused of certain crimes to be tried by an international court without a jury. This can usually be done by quoting the original documents or by quoting responsible officials. Point 5: If there are sympathetic people in the audience, they will help answer some of the questions. If all questions are directed at you, the opposition's arguments may be unchallenged. The moderator may want to call on several in the audience for their opinions. The whole audience would benefit by having various types of questions directed at the speakers. Point 6: Stick to facts and principles. Indulging in personalities will not prove your point. Keep calm. Point 7: Use popular phrases. Often the severe critics of the U.N. win converts by arousing deep feelings in Americans with such false comments as: The U.N. is un-American; your liberties will be taken away; Unesco is teaching contempt for patriotism; international cooperation will result in a loss of your standard of living; U.N. agencies are fostering socialism; the Communists are running the U.N. Many of these groups exist by promoting racial hatred and hatred of anything new and foreign. Sometimes it is necessary to use 13 phrases that will win popular support for your side. Ask your opponents: Isn't it un-American as well as dangerous for their future to refuse to allow your children to know what is happening in the rest of the world? Isn't it against all religious principles not to consider the problems of others and try to understand them? Are they not refusing to face facts to argue that the U.S. can get along in the world without cooperation and trade with other nations? Isn't it undemocratic not to help spread the seeds of liberty and democracy to parts of the world that have only known oppression and dictatorship? Point 8: No matter how much you may know about trade, the U.N., and the issues of international cooperation, someone in the audience, often just to embarrass you, may ask you a question to which you don't know the answer. What can you reply? a) Ask for the source of the statement which led to the question. Try to determine whether the statement is based on fact. Is the source reliable? b) Say you don't know the answer but you can get it and give it to the person later. c) If the question is aimed to discredit the U.N., go back to basic principles--use the analogy of our own government. We support our government but that doesn't mean we like everything it does nor all the people in it. We know we have an opportunity to change it and improve it. We can do the same thing in the U.N. U.S. policy has great influence in every U.N. operation and we as citizens can influence U.S. policy. CASE II Where pro-U.N. groups take the initiative in asking opposing groups to meet. There are at least three approaches to this situation. Point 1: Suggest a discussion on a subject of mutual concern. Groups opposed to the U.N. will probably not invite you to be a speaker and a speech will not usually sway an already prejudiced audience. The best way to tackle such a group is to get them to meet with you jointly in an informal way such as a discussion group. At this type of meeting there is an opportunity to explore their views and ask questions. Don't harangue the group by trying to impose your opinions. Start out by discussing something of mutual concern to each of you, such as the security of the United States. Does our security demand armed strength, alliances with other countries, military bases outside the U.S., raw materials from abroad, a trade policy to encourage stability in other countries...? If it does, can the U.S. dictate these policies to other nations or must we work them out jointly? If jointly, is it better to have international organizations for these purposes, or should we call meetings to cope with each problem as it arises? The best way is to start out with a concept which the group has in common. Then face up to the alternatives which confront us in a go-it-alone or a cooperative basis. Ask questions; don't argue. Know your facts on strength of the U.S., strength of Communist world, and strength of the free world in terms of territory, population, armed forces, use and location of strategic raw materials. These facts will be your eloquent friends. Point 2: The recording issued by the League of Women Voters of the U.S. called: "Points of View--the U.N." with Mrs. John G. Lee as moderator and Senator Cooper (R.Ky.), Senator Sparkman (D.Ala.) and James Reston, correspondent of The New York Times can be used as stimulant to discussion about the U.N. and related subjects. A discussion leader could play the 25 minute recording, and then get the group to discuss the points raised. Point 3: If the group is too large to have a discussion and they are uninterested in the subjects you propose, then suggest a panel or debate on the importance of the U.N. Show that you are willing to speak on the side that is unpopular with the group. If the group accepts your recommendation, then follow the points given in Case I. CASE III An anti-U.N. campaign. This usually manifests itself with one or more organizations holding meetings where the U.N. is condemned, writing articles for or letters to the editor of your newspaper, or demanding that the schools stop teaching about the U.N. and its affiliated agencies. Point 1: If such groups are holding public meetings, urge members of cooperating groups to attend to ask questions, challenge 14 their facts, state an opinion which refutes their position. Point 2: Invite the leaders of these groups campaigning against the U.N. to meet with U.N. supporters in a public panel or discussion. Point 3: Arrange your own public meeting designed to discuss the specific criticisms made. Be sure you don't have in the audience only those who are already convinced of the U.N. Try to get all possible publicity for your meeting both before and afterwards. Point 4: Ask the audience if any of them would like to have small discussion groups arranged so that all may have an opportunity to go further into this problem. Point 5: If meetings do not seem to be effective or feasible, a radio or TV program might be arranged. Point 6: See if the radio stations will encourage citizens to send in questions on the U.N., and allow radio time to answer them. Point 7: Get the "heroes" of your community to speak up. Often the anti-U.N. groups say that only "left-wingers" and "pro-Communists" support the U.N. This, of course, is not true. You can answer with quotes from such national leaders as President Eisenhower, Ambassador Lodge, Senator Wiley, Senator Sparkman, and Paul Hoffman. Sometimes it may be better to have leaders in your own community speak up -- a bank president, a leading athlete, a businessman, your mayor or governor, and your church officials. A great many of the pillars of your community support international cooperation, but may not have spoken up because no one has asked them to. Point 8: The Silent Treatment Some people who try to discredit the U.N. as well as other institutions and policies in our local and national life are mainly publicity seekers. They keep on attacking as long as they receive publicity. If they don't get publicity by airing their views in one field, they go on to another. In such cases, and they are hard to detect, it is better not to answer the attacks or take notice of the attacker. Such a policy, however, must be coordinated with other groups. If all of you refuse to keep a controversy alive it is possible that the attacker will either remain silent for a time or endeavor to find another field of activity. CAUTION. Before you use the "silent treatment" be sure you're not dealing with a widespread and concerted campaign; because if you are, you may wake up one day to find half the town convinced the U.S. must pursue a "go-it-alone" policy in international affairs. CASE IV An unfriendly Press The term "unfriendly press" here refers to a press whose editors and editorial policy are opposed to the concept of international cooperation and who are highly critical of the U.N. Point 1: If the press is giving relatively little news of international events and the work of international agencies, or is giving slanted coverage, a select group representing several organizations might meet with the editors to determine if it would be possible to increase the space allotted to straight news -- uneditorialized -- relating to international affairs. The group might also request that a particular news columnist with an international attitude be carried by the paper. Ask your newspaper to subscribe to U.N. News Features which may be obtained free on a bi-weekly basis by writing to Press Section, U.N., N. Y. Point 2: Get in the news by making news. If the paper appears to be uninterested in international events, you can obtain some news coverage by sponsoring meetings and projects related to international problems which are worthy of press notices. Sometimes the woman's editor carries stories on those subjects when the news desk will not. Point 3: Use the letter-to-the-editor section. Writing short but thoughtful letters to an editor is a good way to get points of view before the public. These can be answers to an editorial. Call attention to a particular local event regarding the U.N., or supply information on an international problem. It is always surprising to learn how many read this section, even members of Congress. Sometimes local citizens believe the letter-to-the-editor section is used only by "crack-pots" but if enough serious-minded citizens use the column it may turn into a respected and popular part of the newspaper. Point 4: Give the news a local angle 15 Often the press will not print news and feature stories about the U.N. because the editors feel such things have no local interest. It is then the job of those who support the U.N. to think up local angles such as: Our school lunch program and the U.N. Children's Fund; F.A.O. and Kansas wheat; Mr. Smith from our town goes to Iran on a Point 4 Mission; Results of a poll of our citizen-thinking on the U.N.; Our (name of your town or state) industries and world trade. CASE V A campaign to remove teaching of the U.N. and UNESCO from the schools. In some communities where the public schools teach about the U.N. and international understanding, local groups which regard such activity as subversive start a campaign to force the school board to withdraw certain text books and pamphlets and to outlaw any teaching on UNESCO and the U.N. Point 1: If your community doesn't already have one, you might encourage the organization of a local citizens' committee on the schools. These committees, interested in all aspects of public education, represent citizen interests and the members would inform themselves on what is being taught; the committees also act as sounding boards for public opinion. Such committees can help to protect the school board from the abuse of anti-U.N. groups. The citizens' committee also can evaluate material on the U.N. to determine whether it is biased or authoritative. In stimulating the organization of such a committee be sure that all leading groups and points of view in the community are included -- veteran, business, labor, civic, minorities, local teachers' association, and so forth. Often citizens' committees are not made up of representation from groups but citizens are asked to serve as individuals. Point 2: Find out what is being taught in the schools and what pamphlets are being criticized. Point 3: Obtain copies of the controversial material and decide whether the criticism is justified. In some cases it might be necessary to hold a public meeting, radio program, or have a newspaper article to give the facts of the situation to the parents. Point 4: If the citizens' committee, the school board, or another official group is holding hearings on the issue, the League of Women Voters and other groups should testify. In its testimony, the League should not pretend to be an authority on school curricula as such, but it can and should argue for the right to have children learn about the U.N., its work, and its affiliated agencies and make sure that the material in question is fair and accurate. Point 5: The League and other groups should make an effort to call to the attention of teachers in social studies, League material and material of other reliable organizations on international questions. CASE VI The Display of the U.N. Flag Ever since the U.N. amended its code on the display of the U.N. flag so that the flag could be flown publicly and not just at official meetings of the U.N., there has been misunderstanding about flying the U.N. flag. When you are holding public meetings on international issues or the U.N. or holding U.N. observances and you plan to display the U.N. flag, there may be some individuals and groups in your community who will object. Many of them will say that this is violating the U.S. Flag Code which governs the way in which our own flag is displayed. If this situation occurs or if you are not sure of the proper display of both flags, the following points should be of assistance. Point 1: The U.S. flag should always have the place of honor at the right of the platform and to the left of the audience. The U.S. flag must not be flown below the flag of the U.N. or the flag of any country. In a procession the U.S. flag is always the first flag on the right and is carried slightly forward of the other flags. Point 2: The U.N. flag, according to its code should be flown at the left of the particular national flag--to the right of the audience. The U.N. flag should not be flown at a height lower than a national flag. Point 3: The U.S. and the U.N. flag codes, therefore, are not incompatible. A bill which recently passed Congress and was signed by the President, however, might give the impression 16 that the U.N. flag cannot be displayed. This bill, S. 694, prohibits the display of any flag in a position equal, superior to or in place of the U.S. flag. (Equal to evidently does not mean equal in height.) President Eisenhower, in signing this bill, the language of which is very vague, issued a statement saying the bill in no way interfered with international customs of displaying the U.N. flag or the flag of other nations. The complete text of the President's letter is attached, page 20. Also attached is a series of three questions asked by Senator Knowland and answered by Senator Martin on the Senate floor the day the bill was passed. If any person questions your right to display the U.N. flag, you can refer to these two documents. (Pages 19 and 20.) CASE VII When controversial material is circulated in your community. When people ask: "How do I know what is true?" In many communities people are flooded with printed material which comes to them unsolicited. It is handed out at meetings -- on street corners -- dropped at their door. People are often influenced by what they read. If material is written which pretends to be based on facts, but which distorts the facts or is written in half-truths, or deliberately taken out of context, what can you do? Point 1: Evaluate the material a) Compare the statements made with facts reported in various source material. Source materials are such documents as: reports of international or government agencies; minutes and proceedings of meetings; policy statements; Congressional reports, particularly their factual content; studies by reliable research institutions if based on authentic reports. Much source material is available in your libraries. b) Evaluate what is written in terms of bias or expressed point of view. Is it written for a "special interest"? Is it against something so bitterly that it distorts the facts to prove its case? Is it slanted? c) Have the authors or group publishing the material earned public respect for reliability? Who financed it? What are the aims of the group? d) Does it inspire hatred for a "group" or "class" or "race"? Does it feed prejudices? e) Does what you read tend to destroy concepts which you believe to be basic? In other words, if you believe that international cooperation is essential, is that very belief a guide to you in evaluating what you read and what you hear? Point 2: Many times it is better to tear up the material and throw it in a waste basket. Sometimes, however, it must be answered. Your group will have to determine if and how a correction should be made. A printed statement might be helpful, letter to the editor of your newspaper, a radio program, a special pamphlet, or positive and accurate statements ready for distribution at a public meeting to counteract what had been circulated. One has to be careful that the corrections reach the same group that received the original misstatements. Always quote your sources, not your opinions. Point 3: If the statements are matters of opinion, give the individual or the organization credit for his opinion, then give positive statements based on fact to support your position. Many people need and want help on how to evaluate what they read at home, and what they hear on the radio--conflicting commentators, for example. This point should be brought out in your training program for leaders. 17 EVALUATION When your community action is completed, it would be well for the members of your group to have a brief session to judge its effectiveness. Such an evaluation could consider: 1. Whether your analysis of what needed to be done in your community was thorough and adequate. 2. Whether you felt the community action helped furnish you with the arguments and information to promote greater understanding of the principles of international cooperation. 3. Whether the goals you set for action in the community were realized, not met, or more than realized. 4. Whether you were able to elicit the support of a number of other organizations. 5. Whether you feel certain segments of the community have greater understanding and interest in the problems facing the U.S. in today's world. 6. What you think is needed in the near future. 7. Please make a written report of your efforts and send it to your national office. It is useful to make reports to the U.N., to the U.S. Citizen's Committee on U.N. Day, to use as a basis for magazine articles, and for future work. 18 Congressional Record -- Senate June 25, 1953 -- Page 7505 PROHIBITION OF DISPLAY OF FLAGS OF INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS OR OTHER NATIONS The PRESIDING OFFICER laid before the Senate the amendment of the House of Representatives to the bill (S. 694) to prohibit the display of flags of international organizations or other nations in equal or superior prominence or honor to the flag of the United States except under specified circumstances, and for other purposes, which was to strike out all after the enacting clause and insert: That section 3(c) of the joint resolution entitled "Joint resolution to codify and emphasize existing rules and customs pertaining to the display and use of the flag of the United States of America," approved June 22, 1942, as amended (36 U.S.C., sec. 175(c)), is amended by adding at the end thereof the following new sentence: "No person shall display the flag of the United Nations or any other national or international flag equal, above, or in a position of superior prominence or honor to, or in place of, the flag of the United States at any place within the United States or any Territory or possession thereof: Provided, That nothing in this section shall make unlawful the continuance of the practice heretofore followed of displaying the flag of the United Nations in a position of superior prominence or honor, and other national flags in positions of equal prominence or honor, with that of the flag of the United States at the headquarters of the United Nations." MR. KNOWLAND. Mr. President, I have some questions which I should like to ask of the distinguished Senator from Pennsylvania (Mr. Martin). Would this bill require that the American flag be flown at a higher elevation or be of a larger size than any foreign or international flag? MR. MARTIN. No. Senate bill 694 would not require that the American flag be flown higher or be of a larger size. It simply requires that no foreign flag shall be flown in a position of equal or superior prominence or honor to the American flag. MR. KNOWLAND. The existing law, the act of June 22, 1942, title 36 of the United States Code, section 175(c), specifies that "international usage forbids the display of the flag of one nation above that of another nation in time of peace." Would this bill be in conflict with that section? MR. MARTIN. No. This bill adds a section to that act which reinforces the provisions of that act by requiring that the American flag be given the customary place of prominence and honor when flown with foreign or international flags on United States soil. MR. KNOWLAND. Would this bill require that the American flag be flown in the place of prominence and honor at the United Nations headquarters? MR. MARTIN. This bill has a specific provision which authorizes "the continuance of the practice heretofore followed of displaying the flag of the United Nations in a position of superior prominence or honor at the headquarters of the United Nations." This is because of the special agreement we have with the United Nations under the Headquarters Agreement. I move that the Senate concur in the House amendment. The motion was agreed to. 19 STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT I have today (July 9, 1953) approved S. 694, "To prohibit the display of flags of international organizations or other nations in equal or superior prominence or honor to the flag of the United States except under specified circumstances, and for other purposes." This measure is intended to prescribe rules of guidance for the display of the flag of the United States when flown with the flag of the United Nations or with any other national or international flag. Unfortunately, the wording of the bill is so arranged that it is susceptible of interpretations which are not intended and which would breach international usage. Only after reading the debate upon this bill does it become clear that the intent of the Congress is simply and correctly to assure that within the United States and its possessions the American flag is to be given its traditional place of honor and prominence when flown with other flags. Legislative history cannot be incorporated in the statute books. Even if it could be, the other nations of the world could well question why the language of these rules of guidance for the display of the flag is not direct, distinct, and free of ambiguity. At this time, I can do no more than to assure the people of the United States and the governments of other nations that this bill is not intended to conflict with international usage or with the flag codes of any nation or international organization, particularly as they affect display of the flag of the United Nations. I am requesting that the Department of State take whatever steps are necessary to convey this assurance to other governments and to international organizations. At the same time, I want to express the hope that the Congress will clarify the language of this bill. I believe that such action is essential in the interest of international goodwill and comity. I believe that it is also essential in the interest of maintaining the clearest possible understanding of the importance which the people of the United States attach to the American flag as their national emblem. DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER 20 Council of Member Organizations for the U.S. Committee for U.N. Day for 1953 Altrusa International American Academy of Political and Social Science *American Association for the United Nations *American Association of University Women American Automobile Association American Book Publishers Council American Booksellers Association *American Civil Liberties Union American Council on Education American Farm Bureau Federation *American Federation of Labor American Federation of Teachers *American Friends Service Committee American Home Economics Association *American Jewish Committee *American Jewish Congress American Legion American Library Association American Nurses Association American Public Relations Association American Textbook Publishers Institute American Unitarian Association American Veterans Committee American Women in Radio and Television, Inc. *American Women's Voluntary Services Amvets Associated Women of the American Farm Bureau Association of American Colleges Association of International Relations Clubs Association of Junior Leagues of America, Inc. Association of Land-Grant Colleges and Universities Baptist Joint Committee on Public Affairs Big Brothers of American, Inc. *B'nai B'rith B'nai B'rith Women's Supreme Council *Boy Scouts of America Boys' Club of America Camp Fire Girls *Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Catholic Association for International Peace Central Conference of American Rabbis *Church Peace Union Civitan International *Committee for Economic Development *Common Council for American Unity *Congress of Industrial Organizations Cooperative League of the United States Council for Social Action of the Congregational Christian Churches Council of State Governments *Foreign Policy Association Future Farmers of America Future Homemakers of America *General Federation of Women's Clubs *Girl Scouts of the United States of America *Hadassah Institute of International Education International Association of Machinists International Social Service, American Branch *Jewish War Veterans of USA *League of Women Voters *Lions International Magazine Publishers Association, Inc. Motion Picture Association of America National Association for the Advancement of Colored People National Association of Colored Women, Inc. *National Association of Manufacturers National Association of Radio and Television Broadcasters, Inc. National Association of Women Lawyers National Bar Association National Catholic Educational Association *National Catholic Welfare Conference *National Conference of Christians and Jews National Congress of Parents and Teachers National Council of American Importers, Inc. National Council of Catholic Men *National Council of Catholic Women *National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA *National Council of Jewish Women, Inc. National Council of Negro Women, Inc. *National Council of the Young Men's Christian Association *National Education Association National Farmer's Union *National Federation of Business and Professional Women's Clubs, Inc. National Federation of Settlements and Neighborhood Centers National Federation of Temple Brotherhoods *National Federation of Temple Sisterhoods National Fraternal Council of Churches, USA National Grange *National Jewish Welfare Board National Jewish Youth Conference National Lutheran Council National Newspaper Publishers Association National Planning Association National Recreation Association *National Social Welfare Assembly Optimist International Pilot Club International Public Affairs Committee Public Affairs Institute Quota Club International Railway Labor Executives' Association Society of Business Magazine Editors Soroptimist International Association Synagogue Council of America *United Church Women *United Commercial Travelers of America United States Junior Chamber of Commerce *United World Federalists, Inc. Veterans of Foreign Wars *Woman's National Farm & Garden Association, Inc *Women's International League for Peace and Freedom *Woodrow Wilson Foundation *World Alliance for International Friendship through Religion Young Adult Council *Young Women's Christian Association of the USA Zonta International *These organizations also belong to the Conference Group of U.S. National Organizations on the United Nations. The following groups belong to the Conference Group and are not among the sponsors for U.N. Day. Chamber of Commerce of the U.S.A. Citizens' Conference for International Economic Union Commission of Churches on International Affairs Farmers Educational and Cooperative Union of America League for Industrial Democracy, Inc. National Association of Negro Business & Professional Women's Clubs National Council of Women of the U.S.A. National Women's Conference of the American Ethical Union Save the Children Federation Town Hall, Inc. World Peace Foundation 21 U.N. BROADCASTS AND TELECASTS IN THE UNITED STATES Local stations can request the following broadcasts from the Radio Division, United Nations, New York City, New York. 1. U.N. Today--A comprehensive 15-minute summary of the latest U.N. news, featuring the recorded voices of delegates taking part in U.N. sessions and on-the-scene reports of U.N. activities around the world, is carried five times a week over some 250 stations of the Mutual Broadcasting System. 2. U.N. On The Record--A weekly 15-minute program featuring the voices of U.N. leaders in many parts of the world. In the U.S., the series is carried by the Columbia Broadcasting System on Saturdays. 3. U.N. Story -- A weekly 15-minute transcribed dramatic series is devoted to the humanitarian aspects of the U.N. Programs are carried over 660 stations in the U.S. 4. U.N. Is My Beat--Clark Eichelberger, executive director of the American Association for the U.N., comments on U.N. affairs and interviews delegates, National Broadcasting System. Television: U.N. General Assembly. With the cooperation of the U.N. Radio Division, meetings are televised by NBC, CBS, and ABC. Check your local newspaper for times of U.N. programs in your area. For help in preparing your own scripts, write Radio Division, U.N., New York, N.Y., for two free tools: 1. U.N. Guidebook, a series of 5-minute scripts which can be enlarged to make 15-minute programs. 2. U.N. News for Women Broadcasters, a monthly bulletin which includes sample interviews and spot news. OFFICIAL DISTRIBUTORS OF UNITED NATIONS FILMS For sale or Rent CALIFORNIA: William M. Dennis Film Libraries 2506 1/2 W. 7th St., Los Angeles 5 Association Films 351 Turk Street, San Francisco 2 DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: Roy G. Epperley & Co. Suite 632, Woodward Building Washington 5 GEORGIA: The Distributor's Group Inc. 756 W. Peachtree Street, N.W. Atlanta ILLINOIS: Association Films 70 East Adams Street Chicago 3 LOUISIANA: Delta Visual Service 815 Poydras Street, New Orleans MASSACHUSETTS: Stanley-Winthrop's Inc. 20 Shawmut Street, Boston 16 MICHIGAN: Engleman Visual Education Service 4754-56 Woodward Avenue Detroit 1 MISSOURI: Swank Motion Pictures Inc. 614 North Skinner Blvd. St. Louis 5 NEW YORK: Association Films 35 West 45th Street New York 19 OHIO: Cousino Visual Education Service Inc. 2325 Madison Avenue, Toledo TEXAS: Association Films 1915 Live Oak Street, Dallas 4 Southwest Soundfilms 423 South St. Paul Street, Dallas 1 22 BIBLIOGRAPHY A. Pro-International Cooperation Materials What the United Nations Means to the United States, statement of Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr., Representative of the U.S. to the United Nations, before members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, July 8, 1953, available from the League of Women Voters of the U.S., 6c. Points of View--The United Nations, a 25-minute recording of discussion by Senator Cooper (R. Ky.); Senator Sparkman (D. Ala.); James Reston, Diplo. correspondent for the Washington Bureau of the New York Times; and Mrs. John G. Lee, President of the League of Women Voters of the U.S. The 10-inch record plays on a 33 and 1/3 microgroove turntable, available from the League of Women Voters of the U.S., $1.00. Know Your United Nations, a leaders guide for individual and community action, U.S. Committee for U.N. Day, 816 - 21st Street, N. W., Washington 6, D. C. Includes ideas for popular U.N. programs and lists material available from the Committee, 1 to 10 copies free. The United Nations, Unesco and American Schools, Educational Policies Commission, National Education Association of the U.S. and the American Association of School Administrators, December 1952, available from the National Education Association, 1201 16th Street, N. W., Washington 6, D. C., free. The Free World and the United Nations, by Sir Gladwyn Jebb in Foreign Affairs, April 1953, available in most libraries. A good defense of the principle of collective security. Together We Are Strong, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington 25, D. C., Statement of the necessity for trade and combined material strength of free world. 20c. B. Analyzing the Attacks and the Arguments Against International Cooperation Currents and Cross-Currents, by Helen D. Bragdon, General Director, American Association of University Women, reprinted from the Journal of the A.A.U.W., October, 1952, 1634 Eye Street, N. W., Washington, D. C., 10c. The Assault on the U.N., by Alexander Uhl, Public Affairs Institute, 312 Pennsylvania Avenue, S. E., Washington 3, D. C. The pamphlet lists organizations critical of the U.N. and congressional proposals which would disparage the prestige or hamper the work of the U.N., 25c. The Hate Campaign Against the U.N., by Gordon D. Hall, Beacon Press, 25 Beacon Street, Boston 8, Mass. The pamphlet lists groups opposing the U.N. with some of the reasons they give for their position, 50c. Our Enlightened Self-Interest and the United Nations, by A. A. Berle, Jr., The Reporter Magazine, December 23, 1952; reprints available from The Conference Group of National Organizations on the U.N., 45 East 65th Street, New York 21, New York, single copies free. The Current Attacks on the United Nations and Unesco, American Friends Service Committee, Inc., Pacific Southwest Region, 825 Herkimer Street, Pasadena 4, California, free. Information on "Towards World Understanding", A Series of Pamphlets Published by Unesco, available from U.S. National Commission for Unesco, U.S. Department of State, Washington, D. C., free. C. Popular Materials on the U.N. and International Cooperation What's the U.N. to Us? by Beatrice Pitney Lamb, Carrie Chapman Catt Memorial Fund, Inc., 461 Fourth Avenue, New York 16, N. Y., 10c, quantity rates available. The United Nations, Facts and Fallacies, The Church Peace Union, 170 East 64th Street, New York 21, N. Y., single copies free, quantity lots at cost. Don't Be Fooled, Community Relations Service, American Jewish Committee, 386 Fourth Avenue, New York 16, N. Y., single copies, 5c, special prices for quantity orders. World Trade Affects You, League of Women Voters of the U.S., 100 for $2.75. D. Materials Critical of the U.N. and International Cooperation The Story of the United Nations, by former Representative John T. Wood (R. Idaho) before the United States Flag Committee, reprinted in the Congressional Record, October 15, 1951. Pamphlets issued by the National Economic Council, 350 Fifth Avenue, New York City, New York. Behind the Headlines, Broadcasts of John T. Flynn, America's Future, Inc., 210 East 43rd Street, New York 17, New York, 2c each. Committee for Constitutional Government, Inc., 205 East 42nd Street, New York 17, New York. See their newsletter, Spotlight. National Society, Daughters of the American Revolution, 1776 D Street, N. W., Washington, D. C. A Billion Dollar Boondoggle, Headlines, 342 Madison Avenue, New York 17, New York, issue of January 24, 1953, devoted to the U.N., 30c a copy. E. Explanatory Materials Dealing with International Cooperation Issues Facing the Eighth U.N. General Assembly, Columbia University Press, 2960 Broadway, New York 27, N. Y., 15c. Unesco in the Los Angeles City Schools, report of the Committee, Board of Education, City of Los Angeles, California. The U.S. and the Underdeveloped Countries, League of Women Voters of the U.S., 15c. Trade and Aid, by Beatrice Pitney Lamb, Public Affairs Committee, 22 East 38th Street, New York 16, New York, 25c. Making Foreign Policy--U.S.A., by Georgianna Mitchell and Anne H. Johnstone, issued by the Carrie Chapman Catt Memorial Fund, 461 Fourth Avenue, New York 16, N. Y., 25c. The Region of Isolationism, by Ralph H. Smuckler, The American Political Science Review, June 1953, available in most libraries or at the Association, 1785 Massachusetts Ave., N. W., Washington, D. C. U.S. Foreign Policy, by Walter Lippman; Little, Brown and Co., Boston, Mass., available in public libraries. Hearings on S.J. Res. 1 (The Bricker Resolution on Treaties and Executive Agreements), before the Senate Judiciary Committee, February, March, April, 1953, available from the Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C., $3.00. The U.N.: Its Record and Prospects, by A. M. Rosenthal, Manhattan Publishing Co., 225 Lafayette Street, New York 12, N. Y., 35c. F. Materials on Techniques Tips on Reaching the Public, League of Women Voters of the U.S., 25c. Measuring Public Attitudes, Journal of Social Issues, Vol. II, No. II, 1946, may be available in your public library. 23 Transcribed and reviewed by contributors participating in the By The People project at crowd.loc.gov.