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Nome, Alaska, Monday, July 18. 1949
WORLD ASSEMBLY FOR MORAL RE-ARMAMENT
(Congressional Record—House of Representatives)
Mr. PRESTON. Mr. Speaker, as'
chairman of a special committee
appointed pursuant to House Res
olution 232, I was privileged to at
tend the World Assembly for
Moral Rearmament as observer at
Caux, Switzerland, along with the
gentleman from New York (Mr.
O’Toole*, the gentleman from
Michigan <Mr. Flood), the gentle
man from Michigan <Mr. Don
dero*, and the gentleman from In
diana <Mr. Wilson*.
My comments on what I observ
ed this meeting do not constitute a
committee report, nor do I pre
sume to speak for the other mem
bers of the committee for they
will no doubt wish to make their
own comments at the appropriate
time. I do not anticipate, however,
that their observations will be in
consistent with the general state
ment I wish trt make at this time.
The world center of moral re
armament is comfortably estab
lished in a large hotel located high
up on the side of Rocher de Nave
and overlooks the north-eastern
end of Lake Geneva. In this Swiss i
Alpine setting, blessed with a tem
perate summer climate, people
from all over the world assemble !
for conference* during the sum- !
mer months. Although this center j
is located in a vacation utopia, vis
itors to the conference displayed j
no holiday spirit, but remained in j
constant attendance upon the ses
sions of the assembly held morn
ing afternoon and night. Some
1,200 people filled every chair in
the assembly hall at all meetings
and an unusual enthusiasm mark
ed each conference. A very satis
factory translation system was
employed to the end that all pres- J
ent were able to fully compre- j
hend. Many of the assemblage [
from 35 countries represented
wore native costumes or dress,
presenting a most colorful picture
and among them could be found
people from all walks of life and
many religions, wealthy capital
ists, union leaders, cabinet mem
bers, members of Parliaments.
Minister Presidents of the various
subdivisions of Western Germany,
coal miners, priests, bishops, edi
tors, public officials, general and
admirals, and many others. Time
will not permit me to enumerate
by name and title the many well
known personages present, but
suffice it to say the list is impres
sive. The committee noted with
interest the presence of a delega
tion of 18 from Japan headed by
former Prime Minister Katayama,
who was the first postwar Pre
mier of Japan and the first Chris
tian to hold that post. We were in- (
formed this group made the 14,- i
000-mile trip via the United States
of America with the special per
mission of Gen. Douglas MacAr
thur.
The presence of a committee ol j
observers from the United States
House of Representatives seemed
to arouse a grateful and enthusi
astic reaction among all present j
and I think the official notice tak
en of this movement will stimulate f
»
its already genuine effort in the
field of human relations.
Whatever skepticism I had en
tertained as to whether this move
ment clashed with organized chur
ches of the world was dissipated
by the abundant evidence that
faith in God was the very bedrock
upon which this movement rested.
One Episcopal vestryman said,
“This movement enables me to
put my religion to work in the
fullest sense.” Men of the Catho
lic clergy have embraced it as a
powerful adjunct of organized re
ligion.
The highly dramatic plays shown
during the conference emphasized
the absolute necessity for includ
ing me forgotten factor—"God” in
the labor-management field when
solving bitter disputes. On the spa
cious grounds of the hotel stands
a Catholic church which was well
attended by those at the confer
ence. In talking with some of those
who have dedicated their lives to
the movement, I found not one
who tried to minimize the organ
ized church nor one who felt that i
moral rearmament had any ambi
tion to proseylte sectarianism.
They held the movement to be a
layman’s movement buoyed and
propelled by people from all chur
ches. Dr. Frank Buchman, the
founder, is a Lutheran minister in
good standing and his personality
and devotion seemed to be the
moving force which has attracted
people to the movement through
out the world.
Bu; why has this movement at
tracted the attention of at least
100 members of both bodies of |
Congress? Why did the House send
a committee to observe this recent ;
conference? The American press!
has asked these questions also. I i
think the answer lies in the fact ^
that this movement has launched a 1
very vigorous campaign to answer
communism in Europe. Commun
ism in its naked, anti-God, mate
rialistic form is the perfect oppo
site to Christian religion and is a
malignant cancer in the realm of
human relations.
The dominant theme of the con
ference was the necessity for
spreading a democratic ideology
supported on moral concepts and
to make the ideology work in ev
eryday life, as an answer to the
question being asked by many in
war-torn countries—the question
of whether to turn to promises of
the East or the democracy of the
West. This is the question which
brought forth the Marshall plan
—the Bonn constitution—the Voice
of America and the new constitu
tion for Japan. All of these efforts
rest squarely on a faith in God
just as does the great Constitution
of the United States of America. Is
‘.here not a kindred purpose in
what we as a nation are doing of
ficially and what this movement is
doing unofficially? I gained the
definite impression from my ob
servations in Caux, Switzerland,
that this is true.
That this movement is succeed
BRUSH SALESMAN
ing in its localized efforts is not
disputed. Your committee heard
testimonials from labor union
presidents, national president’s and
factory owners in which it was
admitted that strife and bitter dis
sension had ocen replaced by har
mony and friendship as a result
of the influence of moral rearma
ment.
Coal mine operators from the
Ruhr Valley and union bosses out
if their mines gave testimony to
the effectiveness of the plays The
Good Road and The Forgotten
Factor and acknowledged they
had changed their attitude toward
the other as a result of the impact j
of these dramas.
The success of the movement in (
industrial disputes lead Dr. John
R. Steelman, former director of 1
the United States Conciliation
Service f om 1937 to 1944, to say: i
“it is the most effective single
force for industrial conciliation in
the country.” !
Many world figures have prais
ed the efforts of this altruistic
group and it is interesting to note
the comments fo the Department
of Justice in a memorandum dated
April 1, 1949, and I quote from it
the following language:
“Moral rearmament is a world
force having as its principal ob
jective adequate ideological pre
paredness of free nations for the
ideological conflicts in which the
world is now engaged, and its ob
jectives are recognized by the De
partment as worthy and helpful in
the strengthening of democratic
forces throughout the world.”
This forthright statement from
the Justic Department c ancides
with a Nazi Gestapo statement
contained in a secret documen*
discovered by American troops
during the last war in which the
Nazis ordered the movement to be
stamped out and charged specific
ally that ‘‘moral rearmament was
the Christian garment cloaking
world democratic aims.”
During the conference -and since-1
then I have assembled a large
amount of data on this movement
and I have questioned closely
those who have expressed any
doubt about its aims and in fair
ness I must admit that oil evidence
points toward complete vindication
of the charges sometimes made by
narrow-minded clerics and by
well-meaning but ill-informed
persons. It seems to me that all
too often the heavy hand of ob
struction is laid upon movements
originating outside established in
stitutions. We are inclined to sus
peel new orders when they enter
the field of international relations
and it has too long been thought
that diplomats -and statesme n alone
can handle economic and political
affairs of an international nature.
No force this side of Heaven can
be felt like the force of inspired
humanity marching in unison,
moving in harmony with the cross
of Christ as its breastplate and a
burning love for freedom urging
it on toward a goal—a goal which
all of us surely agree must be
reached if nations and peoples are
to embrace each other and banish j
war as a means of settling dis- j
putes.
Peace is more sought after to
day than ever before. A more lit- ;
erate world populace is feverishly
seeking the answer to the age-old
question of how can nations merge
themselves into a world family
and become brothers without be
trayal. Idealistic as it may seem,
it is nonetheless true that honor '
and integrity must precede all uni
fying efforts and these can be at
tained only when morality and re- 1
ligious influence are permitted to
assume their proper roles in the
formation of policies and are made 1
a part of the formulas to be ap- !
,-lied in the effort. If moral re
armament is a force in this direr- ;
tinn, then i; needs a dignified nod j
of approval from this Government J
—‘he leader of the crusade for1
peace. This movement is not a
church movement, and in noticing
its efforts by send.ng a commit- ;
tee to observe its activities the'
House has in no way violated the
letter or the spirit of the first
amendment of the Constitution.1
the opinion of the Washington !
I o t to ti e contrary notwithstand- '
. i
■no
* ®* I
If this movement is to iraplc- j
ment the Marshall plan and the i
Atlantia Pact a- lMv. Robert Schu- ;
man* Foreign Minister for France,;
says it will by estabashing an ide
ology of democracy resting on the
premise that the individual is r !
person of dignity in God’s sight.1
thin it is a handy tool which.can
be used constructively and well.
Time forbids the lengthy dis
cussion of this subject it deserves
but before closing my remarks I •
wish to commend the fearles and
able majority leader, the gentle
man f om Massachusetts (Mr. Mc
Cormack*, for his timely action
and alertness in offering the reso
lution which sent your committee
to this important meeting. I gladiv
share any criticism directed at the
action taken by thn House. His ac- (
tion in this instance is typical of
the many contributions he has
made during his service here tow
ard better humun relations through
out the world. He is a man of
great intellect with a deep insight
to world problems, and I predict
that legislative historians will
place his name well up toward the
top of the page and that his
achievements will occupy more
than a mere footnote in the book
of time. . . ,
Mr. BURLESON. I understand
that originally this movement
started out as a bridge between
labor and industry or that it has
devoted its activities to that pur
pose more recently.
Mr. PRESTON. That is true.
Mr. BURLESON. Does the gen
tleman also believe that it might
be as a spiritual contribution to
Western Europe in the thing vve
are trying to do there with dollars
and cents? Does he feel that this
may be also something to go along
with that dollars and cents and
that unless we do it the chances
are we may still fail in Western
Europe?
Mr. PRESTON. Yes. We have a
great investment in Europe. We
have it in blood nod we have it in
dollars: This movement can
help insure our investment in Eu
rope and it is well enough for us
to take note of it and to encourage
it. . . .
Mr. DONDERO. I think the
gentleman ought to point out to
the House that we were also able
to see men of a number of nations,
who were bitter and deadly ene
mies 4 yea’ s ago, stand shoulder to
shoulder on the same platform, in
good will and harmony, :n an ef
fort to bring about in this world
peace, and to avoid war.
Mr. PRESTON. Yes. I recall
very vividly seeing Mr. George
Villiers, president of the National
Association of Manuacturers of
France, stand on the platform with
Mr. Hans Boeckler, leader of all
the coal miners in the Ruhr Val
ley. A German on one side and a
Frenchman on the other. The
Frenchman said, “I have every
reason in the world to hate your
people. Your people tortured me
almost unto death, but under the
influence of moral rearmament I
have forgotten completely the acts
of the German people and I reach
out and extend to you the hand of
brotherhood, to assure you I have
wiped out from my mind all these
unpleasant events. I hope to see
Germany restored as a nation, and
I want to see our people cooperate
with your people.” . . .
Mr. DONDERO. I think the gen
tleman should point out also that
that same Frenchman said that 15
members of his family died in the
gas chamber as the result of the
efforts of the German who stood
along by his side.
Mr. PRESTON. Yes, he did; he
made that startling statement. It
is really remarkable that a person
could change in just the short
number of years since that hap
pened. There are many instances
similar to that which conviced me,
and I am sure the other Members
of the Committee, that this move
ment does have great force behind
it and has accomplished much
gO 'd. . . .
Mr. ROGERS of Florida. I wish
to congraulote and commend the
distinguished gentleman from
Georgia for this fine report; and I
would like to ask his opinion and
h s thought as to whether this
movement is proving more potent
ih3n the dollars that we send to
Europe to rehabilitate those peo
ple at this time.
Mr. PRESTON. It is difficult, of
course, to evaluate the effect; but
it is :: very powerful adjunct to