The Campaign Against Anti-Communism Herbert Romerstein

In a small town near Prague toward the end of May 1962, Communist activists from more than twenty countries met to plan the international campaign against anti-Communism. Among those present were A. M. Rumyantsev, a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union; Henry Winston, member of the National Committee of the Communist Party U.S.A, who served a jail sentence under the Smith Act but was released by President Kennedy as “too ill” to serve his full sentence; William Kashtan, member of the Central Committee of the Canadian Communist Party; and Peter Kerrigan, member of the Executive Committee of the Communist Party of Great Britain.

Each of the Communist delegates presented a report to the conference on his own Party’s work in combatting anti-Communism. The French delegate, Comrade Cogniot, explained that in his country the Catholic Church was one of the main enemies. He revealed that “the anti-Communist publications put out by the Catholic Church are too numerous to list. The Church in France has assigned whole squads of priests and monks to the task of making a special study of Communism, the USSR and the Russian language.” Cogniot claimed that the French Secret Army Organization had the support of “the German neo-Nazis and the American McCarthyites.” He said, “The most rabid anti-Communist American circles are busy trying to find disciples in France. The weekly national review is known to be the mouthpiece of these particular circles. Its contributors include the former ‘Leftist,’ James Burnham, and the fascist Thomas Molnar.”

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Herbert Romerstein

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In a small town near Prague toward the end of May 1962, Communist activists from more than twenty countries met to plan the international campaign against anti-Communism. Among those present were A. M. Rumyantsev, a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union; Henry Winston, member of the National Committee of the Communist Party U.S.A, who served a jail sentence under the Smith Act but was released by President Kennedy as “too ill” to serve his full sentence; William Kashtan, member of the Central Committee of the Canadian Communist Party; and Peter Kerrigan, member of the Executive Committee of the Communist Party of Great Britain.

Each of the Communist delegates presented a report to the conference on his own Party’s work in combatting anti-Communism. The French delegate, Comrade Cogniot, explained that in his country the Catholic Church was one of the main enemies. He revealed that “the anti-Communist publications put out by the Catholic Church are too numerous to list. The Church in France has assigned whole squads of priests and monks to the task of making a special study of Communism, the USSR and the Russian language.” Cogniot claimed that the French Secret Army Organization had the support of “the German neo-Nazis and the American McCarthyites.” He said, “The most rabid anti-Communist American circles are busy trying to find disciples in France. The weekly national review is known to be the mouthpiece of these particular circles. Its contributors include the former ‘Leftist,’ James Burnham, and the fascist Thomas Molnar.”