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this ignorance to continue until it is
too late to remedy the situation? I
blow what your answer will be: a
pounding NO!
When we are sick, we go to a doctor. We know to whom to turn when
Our roof is leaking, when our plumbing is out of order, when a bridge- or
* home is to be built. We go to those
*ho know best their trade or their
Jrt. However, when someone got the
Bight idea of sending a delegation of
churchmen to Russia, they apparently
did not go to men of my background
to determine the advisability of the
Project. Upon reading in the press on
February 2, 1956, about the projected
■change, 1 wrote to Dr. Eugene Carton Rlake, who was to lead tbe mission:
You are not dealing in Russia with
'fee churchmen like yourselves. Those
■^ho invited you did not elo so of their
°wn free will. They have done- so by
fcder of the tyrannical, godless regime
"ut to destroy all religions, all men of
Wl, ancl all else that is dear to our
tearts in America. . . . Your very presence in Russia will be rendering aid
'"nl comfort to the bitterest enemy of
is'i'dom and religion. The Russian
Pburchmen will lie to you about
perything in Russia. They will have
fa> or face liquidation. The Soxiet re-
fcne is trying to use you and other
Wigious organizations to confuse our
fcople here, to enhance- their prestige,
to give the impression that religion is
■fee there but at thc same time plotting to destroy religious institutions
■erywhere.
* Warning Goes Unheeded
'If you really wish to render a serv-
* to the people of Russia and to the
j-ause of freedom, you should now
'old a meeting anel declare to the
J'hole world that you will come to
Rssia only when the Soviet regime
lils been destroyed by its own people,
pen there is the- same sort of freedom
P religion in Russia as we have in the
pited States. You will give the peo-
Me of Russia inspiration to carry on
pir struggle until freedom is won. If
Ws warning is not heeded. I am cer-
Ifa that some day you will regret it
*° the end of your days. You will be
pving the cause of Satan. . . ."
, I offered to sit down with him and
P associates and enlighten them fur-
IJter on the inaelxisability eif going to
Moscow. I received a brief reply.
Dr. Blake wrote: "Despite the facts
and allegations, it is the considered
r*< is Forum News, December, 1956
WIDE WORLD PHOTO
Dr. Eugene Carson Blaise (second from left! during his visit to Moscow with the group of American
clergymen, discusses theology with Russian Orthodox priests.
opinion of Christian churchmen that
xve- ought to have conversations with
others who profess to follow Jesus
Christ:"
If that was all Dr. Blake wanted,
there are plenty of Russian churchmen
right lie-re- in the United States. For
the good of America and all Christian
churches he would have been well
aelx ised to confer first with the Russian
Orthodox churchmen here. I can assure you that he would have heard
from them the- same sentiments expressed in mv letter of February 5,
19.56.
My counsel, given in good faith,
and on the basis of a life-long study
of the Soviet menace' xx ith many years
spent there in the service of leading
American industrial firms, xxas ignored, of course-. Well, the deputation
headed by Dr. Blake has returned
safely to the United States. They
called it "a distinct success." 1. too,
consider it a distinct success — but not
for America, and not for the Christian
church.
Bven Russian Churchmen
Endangered
It was a distinct success for the
clever Soxiet propaganda machine
which staged it, which now has recordings of the conversations held and
the answers given by the Russian
churchmen, to be held against them
some- day, to be used in calling them
"agents of the imperialist Americans,
spies and agents of Wall Street," as
they have done in innumerable instances in the recent past. The Soviet
regime eliel not invite American
churchmen to promote the welfare of
religion in Russia. They know what
they are doing, even if some of our
churchmen are naive enough to think
otherwise.
The nine churchmen's statement declared, "There is obviously a fundamental difference between the concept of the mission of the church as
we found it in the Soviet Union today
ancl that which we bold in our
churches." I say that the only difference lies iu the- fact that here no government can tell the Church xx-hat its
mission should be, whereas in tbe
Soviet Union it must toe the Communist line, bow to the wishes of the
Kremlin gangsters or face- liquidation
as did their colleagues by the thousands.
'Peace' Where There Is No Peace
In one instance the delegation, I am
happy to record, showed good common sense when they wrote: "However, the statements of the church
leaders were almost uniformly identical in making vague appeals for 'the
defense of jie-ac-c-' \\ ithout taking into
consideration the realities of the world
situation or the facts of history."
The reason, however, must be
sought in the atmosphere in which our
church members spoke to their colleagues in Russia. Those poor souls
were in a trap, under the threat of
death if thex failed to parrot the Party
line laid down for them by the regime.
The Russian churchmen know better than we who is threatening the
peace of the world, who is instigating
wars in all parts of the world. And
any time they come to xisit here they
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