No Will to Fight
Our people seemingly no longer have the will to fight an enemy that is determined to overthrow us.
This fact was again brought home by statements made by Anatoly Kuznetsov, a popular Soviet writer who recently defected while visiting Great Britain.
The 39-year-old author had a close contact with Soviet leaders for several years. As a member of the editorial board of the Soviet magazine Yunost, which has a circulation of more than two million, Kuznetsov attended high-level meetings of Kremlin foreign-policy planners.
"The long objective of the foreign policy of the present Soviet leaders is to dominate the world," Kuznetsov told British intelligence officials during one debriefing session. "And they all agree that the U.S. is the only nation that can keep them from achieving this goal in their lifetime."
In high-level discussions of the war in Vietnam, Kuznetsov said Soviet officials stress that it is in the interest of the Soviet Union for the U.S. to become dispirited in Vietnam. They are intent upon breaking the will of the American people to oppose Communist insurgencies elsewhere in the future. The Soviets hope we will retreat from Vietnam — snatching defeat from the jaws of certain victory — and never dare oppose Communist takeover anywhere again.
This is why the growing anti-war sentiment in the U.S. so interests Kremlin leaders. The Soviet news agency Tass praised the October 15 "War Moratorium" as the "greatest peace manifestation" in U.S. history.
Kuznetzov further confirmed what many U.S. military officers have long contended: that Russia, as the major military supplier of North Vietnam, could end the war tomorrow, if she wanted to, by cutting off supplies to Hanoi. The Soviets recently concluded additional military and economic aid agreements with North Vietnam.
Despite this evidence, a growing number of Americans seemingly dismiss the threat of Communism. Even the documented evidence of Communist influence in certain radical youth organizations causes virtually no alarm or is dismissed as mere propaganda.
PLAIN TRUTH correspondents present at a long "Moratorium Day" rally in Los Angeles were struck with one thing: Despite the impassioned pleas for peace, there was a virtual absence of national consciousness among those who attended the rally. The speeches were all inward directed — "Stop the war, bring the boys home NOW — pull out immediately, regardless of the cost" — the "party line" of Communist infiltrators.
What the cost — the enormous cost — of retreating in the face of the enemy would mean in human lives and to America's image and power in the world was overlooked or considered to be of no importance.
Americans have lost the spirit of a winner. And in a world of competing powers and superpowers, you are either a winner — or a loser.
It remains to be seen whether President Nixon's major policy speech of November 3 will alter the trend of America's national will. The spontaneous, enthusiastic response of the "Silent Majority" was encouraging to Administration officials. But some network newsmen's disgusting attempt to pick the President's address to pieces was surely very encouraging to Communists.
President Nixon warned that if the U.S. pulled out, the world would see a repeat of the blood bath in which 50,000 were cruelly murdered when America's policy of containment allowed Ho Chi Minh to take over in North Vietnam.
"Softness and Self-Indulgence"
Loyalty and dedication and sacrifice will eventually make a nation more stable and stronger than all the billions upon billions of dollars in foreign aid and government handouts ever given to nations throughout all of history, because true national strength is developed in the character of its people.
Did you ever hear the words of the late President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who has long since gone the way of all old soldiers along with General Douglas MacArthur?
In his State of the Union message in January, 1960, former President Eisenhower said:
"A rich nation can for a time without noticeable damage to itself pursue a course of self-indulgence, making its single goal the material ease and comfort of its own citizens. But the enmities it will incur, the isolation into which it will descend, and the internal, moral, and physical softness that will be engendered will in the long term bring it to disaster.
"America did not become great through softness and self-indulgence," he continued. "Her miraculous progress and achievements flow from other qualities far more worthy and substantial. And those were," as he said, "adherence to principles and methods constant with our religious philosophy, of satisfaction in hard work, the readiness to sacrifice for worthwhile causes, the courage to meet every challenge to our progress, the intellectual honesty and capacity to recognize the true path of our own best interests."
President Eisenhower was looked upon as a man of true substance — a man of certain good character. People could sense it, whether they voted for him or not. And when he died the nation honored him.
Arthur F. Burns, newly appointed chairman of the Federal Reserve Board, said recently: "Our problem is not the gross national product which now, incidentally is at an annual rate of over $900,000,000,000 a year."
But he said, "The quality of life in this country has been deteriorating. Most of us are still hard-working, but a sizeable minority — and I'm afraid a growing minority — has lost faith in our institutions!"
Then he cited the institution of the family — the high divorce and the growing illegitimacy rates. He mentioned loss of faith in churches, schools, colleges and government.
"We seem to have lost a sense of direction," he said. "We seem to have no sense of purpose. That is our problem."
Then he gave an interesting example, a down-to-earth and homespun way of looking at it. "Even in our rural areas you find that many people who could easily do so no longer even grow a vegetable garden"
A simple little observation. But it just shows a lack of pride, a lack of togetherness as a family, even a lack of a once-in-a-while goal for the kids and Mom and Dad — to take a peek every now and then to see how the carrots and rutabagas are doing! No, we don't have those things very much anymore.
Some will insist: "I don't need a garden. I can buy all the vegetables I need." But gardens produce more than vegetables — family togetherness, purpose, character. That is what Mr. Burns was stressing.
"The attitude towards work," he said, "has changed among a great deal of the population. A portion of Americans feel that they just no longer need to work. They feel society is sort of responsible for their conditions of living. It's not their fault. By virtue of their birth and where they are and the part of the city where they live — well, somebody else is guilty!"
No, it's never the fault of the guy who is doing the griping.
About a decade ago, a noted economist who is now dead, Roger Babson, wrote in his syndicated newspaper column, "The test of a nation is the growth of its people, physically, intellectually, and spiritually. Money and so-called prosperity are of very little account!"
"Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome, Spain, and France," he said, "all had their turn in being the richest in the world." And the very fact they had their turn is significant, because it was just their turn at being great. And then they — declined. "And instead of saving them," continued Babson, their so- called prosperity proved to be the ruin of them.
"Our nation is now the richest, but it could easily become a second-class nation and head downward. Money will not save us!"
Neither will moratoriums based on hostile, bitter dissent save us.
Babson concluded, and you'll have to take issue with him if you disagree, but he's dead now, "Only a sane, spiritual revival which changes the desires of our people will save us! We must be filled with the desire to render service, to seek strength rather than security, to put character ahead of profit!"
Not by Might
Mr. Babson could have added, that even the mightiest military force in the history of the world will not save us either. Vietnam shows this.
The United States has spent about one trillion dollars ($1,000,000,000,000) on armaments since the end of World War II.
And in an attempt to maintain its power and position in the world, the U.S. spends nearly $80,000,000,000 a year on defense. This expenditure represents 92 cents out of every $10 spent for all purposes, public and private.
Despite this awesome power potential, the U.S. lost the Pueblo and apologized in order to get the crew back — without the ship.
Despite America's mighty military machine, a tenth-rate power may push the United States out of Southeast Asia.
Why? How could such a paradoxical situation come about?
A few years back a Navy official, Commander P.N. Searls, spoke out against the declining moral standards of society and specifically the new recruits he had to deal with.
"We can have the best missiles and ships and planes in the world," he said, "but they are no better than the men who operate them."
Then he referred to Rome's fall.
"Effete and over civilized Rome lost its national will and national purpose and was overrun by the Vandals. Civilizations with a low standard of morality have been pushed to the grave throughout history by people with a low standard of dying."
Character is the important thing. That's where the strength of a nation comes from — the character of its people. Not only because there are moral laws which work and that are active and alive, but because there is also a God in heaven above who, after all, like any loving parent, blesses for obedience and punishes for disobedience!
And we have been living, lately, under some strange kind of a curse!
You need to know more about what made the United States and the British Commonwealth of nations strong.
You need to know where we got our wealth. How we came to be where we are. What are our true national origins? And why do we have all of the problems we do today? What are the solutions? What's the way out?
Our book on The United States and British Commonwealth in Prophecy will make it clear to you. It's hard-hitting; it tells you the truth about where we came from and what's ahead in the future.