Communist Propaganda

[Music] gentlemen as you know mr. Allen has been in the thick of the Cold War since it's very beginning you're familiar with these very distinguished record as a career diplomat and troubleshooter adjust for the leopard let me recall a few of its high spots four times in critical periods he was assigned to frontline ambassadora posts in Iran Yugoslavia India and Greece he has been Assistant Secretary of State for the Near East South Asia and Africa in 1948 when Congress decided we ought to have an overseas information program on a more or less permanent basis mr. Allen was put in charge last fall the president decided that this important activity needed mr. Allen again he brought him home from overseas and made him director of the United States Information Agency mr. Allen attends the meetings of the cabinet and the National Security Council mr. Allen why is it that everything the other side says is propaganda or we call what we say information lend me the word propaganda is taken on a very bad connotation it was originally a perfectly good word but it brings to people's minds now the idea of twisting or distorting the truth or even manufacturing complete falsehoods whereas we try in our service our output too and give as straight the factual presentation as we can we feel that that is information and should be labeled that not called propaganda one of you could give us an example of Soviet propaganda particularly is applied to the arms services which these gentlemen represent well I had today with me on a book that the Soviet government puts out in its forex training course of the armed services of the Soviet Union the book is called Marxist linen is 'm on war and the army I'll just read you one description of the way it talks about American army officers it said you ice us on service officers or corrupt week run by Wall Street and hope professional robbers in book well I call that propaganda well mr. Allen that applies to all officers of the Armed Forces do you have a comparable piece of the Soviet propaganda that applies specifically to the army well I'd like to show you on that a film of the meeting of the American and the Soviet armed forces at the Elbe the river Elbe during they at the end of the last war and you will see how the Soviet government layer information service presents this meeting of the two armies could we have the film let's see what really happened at the album before we view scenes from the Soviet film we are outside of torgul Germany on the 26th of April 1945 at the first official meeting of the American and Russian army the film you are seeing was made by Signal Corps photographers of the United States Army you will see a glimpse of the Elbe River bridge in the background the meeting took place to arrange a meeting of core commanders on the following day prior to this time only patrols of the two armies had contacted each other [Music] here are a major general email F Reinhardt commanding general of the 69th division fifth Corps United States Army and Major General Russakoff commanding the 58th guard division Red Army General Reinhardt said and I quote I crossed the river and waited for a short time as the Russians thought the meeting was later than 1600 hours rusik off and I discussed the details for meeting of the two corps commanders the next day I was impressed most with the cordial attitude of the Russians unquote now to the Soviet version complete with Korean dialogue can you believe - ah no good moves on during that time and think about it here also Tatum who the forget in eat too much candy winding bar [Music] Oh oh really Oh [Music] Oh [Music] [Music] you [Music] [Applause] others binge money Oh made in Germany true this 33 mile enjoyment remote for you under also they degrade in Russia cut even more gap here won't agree - for me - OH JP rule now for the Soviet proof that our army officers are corrupt taking your commandos we see our play-acting gentleman Dali on the doorstep of decadence oh you lovely ladies Briley yes I'm stock ticker in his office think I mention it pretty good this is a literal translation of what they're saying generally yeah what's this what's this girlfriend yeah what's the market doing general look my stocks are going up girlfriend Oh sell for the profit you'll get in magenta to level get me my broker yes Wall Street I'm making money like crazy yeah uh-huh you're cat yeah boo give a demo got you to get on our lava through that or not mr. Alan what did the Communists have to say concerning our air force I'd like you to listen to a broadcast from Moscow on that subject which talks about the psychoneurotic American pilots did we have that sound right you are tuned to Radio Moscow broadcasting the 16 19 and 25 meter bands in the shortwave and in the medium on two hundred sixteen point six meters an Associated Press dispatch tells us that an American Sibyl jet accidentally dropped some Rockets over Florida the population has been alerted and warned of the serious danger this brought to mind a secret report of dr. Frank berry medical assistant to the Secretary of Defense which made me doubt that the rocket fall was the result of an accident this report gives us every ground for questioning possibility of accidents in general since it claims that approximately 70 percent of the officers and enlisted men of the Air Force are psychoneurotic what is more checks have shown that the state of affairs is especially critical among the airmen doing steady nuclear patrol what are they saying about the United States Navy and the Marine Corps I've got a copy here of the Soviet newspaper this published for their Navy called the Soviet ski float Soviet fleet may 18th of this year speaks about what's going on in the Mediterranean says referring to the United States over Lebanon hangs the real threat of military intervention by the imperialist States led by the United States he says the American command has doubled the landing forces attached to the sixth fleet that's the Marine complement with the ships the imperialists are openly brandishing weapons threatening Lebanon but no matter how much the colonizers try they cannot intimidate the people of the near and Middle East and in particular the Lebanese people who have said on the road of the freedom and independence of their country that's typical of the type of statements that the Soviets are making about the United States Navy and the Marine Corps tools of imperialists colonizers Wall Street so forth mr. Allen don't the Soviets in their propaganda attempt to show also that Americans are opposed to all the colored races yes I do they I've seen that particularly when I was serving in the Far East and in India they try to make it appear that the Americans are the most race conscious people in the world actually the experience of people in that part of the world dealing with Americans is the best way to counteract that when our naval ships or our armed services units are stationed in those parts of the world the integration that takes place in our armed services is the most useful way to combat that type of Soviet propaganda also last fall we had a magnificent experience when we Marion Anderson went out through the Far East and India making her appearances as an American and speaking to the people about the racial questions in the United States as an American immigrant was a excellent counter weight to that Soviet propaganda I believe that Soviet film meeting on the Elbe as a sequence charging us with racial discrimination and fierce racial hatred it might be interesting to take a look at that [Music] this sign in German and Korean says this is your home away from home Oh [Applause] Oh this scene from the Soviet film the partisan depicts another army activity for the oriental theater goer it is the fate of this Korean girl to be taken up the hill for a dawn execution [Music] [Music] here is a literal translation of their conversation the officer says if you surrender even now your life can be saved and the girl says the daughter of the partisan even though captured by the Americans is certain that you will pay it pains me not to live to see you pay understand the communist propaganda system its organization it appears to me this must involve quite an elaborate chain of command if I may use that term I'll draw your attention to this chart here the Soviet government has gone all-out for propaganda that is very recently we've seen now they've written several letters Khrushchev Abul gone in to President Eisenhower the letters are addressed on the envelope to president of the to the president of the United States but what they are really intended to other all the world just for propaganda purposes not says a Salah a serious document from one government to another now the Soviet government is headed by the party Presidium that's just a small group of people in Moscow who run the two hundred million people of the Soviet Union in their hands there are two elements the government and the party machine those are quite separate the government is merely a bureaucracy the party machine really has the power they use all the means of communications and contacts with foreign people to spread their propaganda just take for example radio the Soviet government every week and some 50 foreign languages sends out 2300 hours of broadcasts beamed towards foreign countries in foreign languages you say how can you do 2300 hours in one week it means in each language they do so many hours and if you multiply that the number of hours by the number of languages 2300 a week in broadcasts they have mass books and publications which they send abroad in various foreign languages interestingly enough many of those books and publications that they use in the near East and the Far East and South Asia India in those countries are in English because that's the best language to reach the intelligent public in those countries they use films they use exchanges that is exchange of visits they bring large numbers of of Indians or Egyptians or Chinese Greeks anybody else they can get to the Soviet Union give them tours around the Soviet Union send them to universities in the Soviet Union great party congresses of the communist parties and all the countries they call together and have big meetings in in Moscow going back here just for a minute for exchanges the Soviet Union put on one stunt last for a summer in which they spent more money than the entire United States government does all all of its information and cultural relations worked for a whole year for one month in Moscow the Soviet Union had 50,000 students from all over the world brought to the Soviet Union for the great youth festival that we hear about the 50,000 delegates for the youth festival are gathered in the Moscow stadium to hear about the Soviet version of feet the delegation parade around a huge stadium waving gaily through the capacity crowd [Music] the national flags of participating delegations passing in review [Music] followed by groups displaying their national dance [Applause] [Music] [Applause] the word Mir is Russian for people and their sous chef here's the delegation reported to be from the United States [Applause] [Music] in keeping with the festival's theme Russian hosts release hundreds of white dog age-old symbol of peace and the daytime entertainment climaxes with a spectacular display of precision formation [Applause] [Music] delegates also sightseeing the Kremlin during some of the daylight hours and this is the kissing ceremony as the boys selects a girl by throwing a scarf around a sort of a Soviet version of drop the anchor [Music] [Applause] [Music] some are entertained at the Bolshoi Ballet [Music] outside in the streets and parks of the city there is entertainment of all kinds old everything it's undulating you'll alley curvaceous QT from charred Zoo which is near Samarkand we carry but it back to the stadium for the grand propaganda so now here is the symbol of destruction the tail of a bomb looks like an American Eagle [Music] both must be eliminated and Aviva [Music] card say beep [Music] eat English and peace in France mr. Allen what percentage of the people who attend these festivals that you mentioned are communists well we don't have any exact figures on that but the best we can calculate of the 50,000 that went to the Soviet youth festival last summer we estimate that about half of them were non-communist that is perhaps 25,000 I was in Greece at the time myself and I know that I think there about 200 Creek young people went to the Soviet Union for that festival and many of them are just going for the ride I wanted to get the trip it was a chance to go and see the Soviet Union as long as the Soviet government will pay all expenses actually in that case the Soviet government took a young man from Greece took him to the Soviet Union kept him there for a month in good hotels accommodations food all expenses traveling around the Soviet Union took them to the very finest theatrical performances the ballet and the Symphony Orchestra the Opera and so forth and back to Greece all for the equivalent of $50 also they act through international fronts that is youth organizations to college students around the world or labor organizations that don't admit that they are communist but are infiltrated and run by the hardcore of Communists in those organizations and through those means they throw out their propaganda to the non-communist world as an example of the way they do and a totalitarian state such as the Soviet Union they have complete control of all their means of communications and they can say one thing in the Soviet Union and entirely a different thing outside the Soviet Union or even two different countries outside the Soviet in the language of those countries as an example take recently when there was a threat of an attack on Syria the Syrians claimed that there was an a3 from an attack by Turkey the Soviet Union was saying to the Syrians you are being threatened by the Turks they were saying that in broadcast in the Syrian language to the Syrians to the Turks though in the turkeys language they were saying to the Turkish people the Americans are in there forcing you and using you as tools to attack the Syrians can tell entirely different story in different countries without any hesitation I've got a chart here that shows the way the Soviet Union Apostles I would hits radio broadcasting in these many languages in order to gather as much of a varied effect as they can for example in the law part of the chart it shows how much broadcasting the Soviet Union does overseas to foreign countries that's $900 a week this incidentally is the voice of America broadcasters 730 hours a week altogether for the world this is the Soviet broadcast just to foreign countries not in the Russian language but in foreign languages these are the broadcasts by the European satellite states that is Czechoslovakia Hungary Bulgaria Romania and so forth they do about the same amount altogether as the Soviet Union does these 317 hours are done by Communist China then 125 hours each week are done by the Far East orbit that means to say North Korea and North Vietnam and then there's 108 hours now being done by various clandestine radio stations broadcasters who are situated in one place or another claiming that they are for example the South Korean broadcasts they actually broadcasting from North Korea but announcing that they are Korean broadcast that's why the clandestine comes in so you see that the Soviet Union uses all the satellite countries to do broadcasting outside the communes Tophet as well as the Soviet broadcast themselves mr. Alan I wonder if you can amplify what you said about the Soviet distribution of magazines and books abroad I've seen some very sternly figures on that you have to have them in mind well I absolutely is about the publication of the magazines they are putting out 85 periodicals in 30 different languages that periodical means magazines and quarterly reviews and things of that sort boys books are concerned last year they Accord 100 million books into the free world they usually sell at very low prices yes usually all they give a boy sterling I wonder if you would discuss first the main propaganda themes of the Communist today's I'm a chart here which I'll show you on that these are just taken five sample propaganda themes of the Soviet Union one of them is that it's the United States that puts up the iron curtains while the Soviet Union seeks closer relations with everybody but we are the people who have the real Iron Curtain and they just want to embrace the world secondly they are constantly saying that it's that the United States is a war mongering country that we want to bring about a world war whereas the Soviet Union peace seeks peace and disarmament they say that United States capitalism can no longer compete with progress under Soviet socialism that they're going ahead of us in production they also say that the communist countries will surpass the United States and its allies in growth and strength and also that the United States is fighting a losing battle to maintain its colonialist hold on the new countries of Asia and Africa that we are the Imperial and we are trying to dominate those countries but their national spiritual survive mr. Allen these are all examples of communist propaganda successes aren't there some things which they can't cover up even with their highly touted propaganda yes lots of them for example this very recently we've seen the the very bad effect on the Soviet public relations posture in all countries particularly in Europe in the United States by the execution of the former prime minister of Hungary knowledge they've been tremendous demonstrations now in Paris and London and Bonn other places by socialist and left-wing fellow-traveller people who are terribly annoyed against the Soviet Union because of the execution and large and there's nothing that their propaganda line can do about it they've just lost a great deal of support starand aren't the communists using film a lot in this propaganda feel yes they are both documentary type of films and entertainment films and in the entertainment film feel they have recently been very active as a matter of fact very recently they won an international award at Khan in France the film was called the 41st oh yes I've heard about that film I believe it's about the girl who's a Red Army sniper and the boy who's a White Russian officer they're shipwrecked and fall in love but they have a quarrel over communism and that proves fatal let's see what happens in this communist love story saved from the shipwreck out of the scene across the ice comes the girl a Red Army sniper and her prison a White Russian officer she has killed 40 men with her Rife's got lots of fat yes but will it burn on the vulgar we often use it burns better than wood I couldn't the other the gumshoe as well might be better the class worn by the wind there is another communist identification into the enemy all right go ahead then forget I'm here you first I'll wait outside did you already don't be an idiot the winds still raging you're liable to catch your death out there I was certainly trying to save you embarrassment you and your high and mighty ways make me sick this is the front line not a drawing room go on what are you waiting for anybody think you were shy the communist girl not eager to fight it now finds her prisoners sick and discouraged the neverending tide of hatred and death it's all just a gory nightmare no one likes it but it's the price of progress yes and you can have it as I'm concerned all I want is peace my books in other words you don't care if my enemy's scheme to destroy us so long as you can read your book others can go hang I feel it huh damn it why should I take the world on my shoulders right what is the word done for me such as a man of what poses communism it's right our hero becomes confused there are so many truth the German the Russian the muzhik the ruling classes the Bolshevik I say to hell with a lot I don't care what happens leave me alone I'm out of it all and I won't saw my hands again what you're saying is other should poking a month for your honor that's their own affair I don't care I'm no longer interested I see Mario's got don't be angry wait I don't mean to hurt you don't you understand I'm sick at heart exhausted let's get away from here go to the Caucasus I've got a summer house in Sakuni if only you'll go with me I'll help you to study Ida got you I promise you you're asking me to turn my back on my conscience cast aside my obligations Lola round on cushions munching candy bought for the blood of my comrades don't be so melodramatic oh yes I forgot your class like to hide idleness by pretending it doesn't exist is that all I wonder you can blow yourself up it's so much hot air but get that you're a woman it's been cast on me by people like you how dare you think I could so far forget myself it's desert my cause and lie around your house in idleness like any [ __ ] you blasted some aristocrats that's about all I can stand stick to a damn dump come to chop [Music] it's lucky for you that there's such a thing as chivalry toward your face I hate you [Music] [Music] I have to run in love with you you don't mean join my face at night like take a pic I thought you would understand you were clever than I'm sorry I dared you my darling don't cry the work out all right again let's begin you love me too [Music] oh I'm thinking waiting to be rescue her love emotional embrace I'm not in the next three days I'll commit suicide hey where's all that courage I credited you with huh sure is what Adam oh I didn't actually have on me I should have had more since ha ha ha you and your wishful thinking only hope is a bit come on oh you have so you admit you were wrong yeah it's all care of date me now thanks to you I've stopped fumbling at last that it's wrong to think I could go back to my books there's work to be done but life to be lived and Gami I live it I've warned you are no longer meek and mild dawn I'm a man with a pebble oh you might leave tell me what that is alright as I see it my country needs me now more than ever idealism must give way to realism for it's plain that if her desk needs to be left in your hands I dread to think what unless you'd make of it viola tuning name [Applause] [Music] yeah [Music] we've got the indolently know what Paul they're coming anyway nothing buddy in the brain [Music] with it Bobby I'm not sure they're fishermen at all you'd better fire another shot come up the gun [Music] come on [Music] again [Music] 41st victim of her rifle and the title of the picture mr. Allen how can we compete with this communist propaganda and view the fact that the Communists can resort to any deceit whereas we have to stick to the truth I think first and foremost that we should do more of what we've just been doing this afternoon that is we should recognize Soviet propaganda when we see it or hear it sometimes it's very subtle and sometimes it's in the disguised form but most Americans don't realize how much of it is being put out or what it is when they see it now secondly we must do more ourselves that is more counter propaganda and more presenting the story of the United States and the American Way of life and the democratic principles that we stand for we are doing a great deal this afternoon we've only considered what the Soviets are doing in this video but I haven't talked about what we are doing and don't think we've been holding our hands and doing it we haven't done as much as we should because we Americans are not inclined very much in the propaganda for you but we've realized that it now has to be done and we are doing all right but thirdly and perhaps more important we should do everything we can to deprive the Communists of fertile ground in which to plant their propaganda now that means as far as the government is concerned that government should follow policies which make the United States admired and respected and liked as much as we can know that there are many cases in which we can't please everybody quite true but our policy should have a public relations aspect to them and should win friends but more than that each of us individual Americans should behave act when we are dealing with foreigners in a way that makes foreigners like us as individual Americans and respect us and then these signs like Yankee go home then we'll have they've continued but they won't have fertile ground they won't catch on if all of us Americans civilian and military behave in the way that we should thank you very much mr. Allen for this very interesting discussion [Music] you

Channel: US National Archives

Views: 181,175

Keywords: US National Archives, NARA

Id: J2F5fHt4WFs

Length: 42min 21sec (2541 seconds)

Published: Thu Jan 05 2017