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    "label": "Ford Press Releases - Birch Society/Extremism, 1965",
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    "title": "Ford Press Releases - Birch Society/Extremism, 1965",
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    "ocrText": "The original documents are located in Box D6, folder \"Ford Press Releases - Birch\nSociety/Extremism, 1965\" of the Ford Congressional Papers: Press Secretary and Speech\nFile at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.\nCopyright Notice\nThe copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of\nphotocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. The Council donated to the United\nStates of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections.\nWorks prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public\ndomain. The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to\nremain with them. If you think any of the information displayed in the PDF is subject to a valid\ncopyright claim, please contact the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.\nDigitized from Box D6 of The Ford Congressional Papers: Press Secretary and Speech File at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library\nPress Conference: September 30, 1965\nTHE JOINT SENATE-HOUSE LEADERSHIP\nTranscript of comments on John Birch Society\nQUESTION: (Not clear)\nDIRKSEN: Well, Bill, let me give you my estimate of the situation.\nFirst, and let me emphasize this with as much vigor as I can -- that the\nJohn Birch Society is NOT a part of the Republican Party. It never was and\nI don't suppose it even pretends to be.\nSecondly, let me say that in the American political scheme I do not\nbelieve there is any place or any room for any organization which operates\non a secret basis to achieve political goals. Way back in Lincoln's day, as\nyou remember, they had the \"Know Nothings\" and if you asked them a question,\nasked them what they stood for, the answer was: \"I know nothing.\"\nThird, let me say that it's rather curious that General Walker, who\nsupposedly is a member of this group, ran for office in Texas -- not on the\nRepublican ticket -- but on the Democrat ticket -- and got 100,000 votes.\nFourth, we have never been encumbered with any group like the Americans\nfor Democratic Action. Now, if-spu want to talk about extremism, well, you\ncan put your teeth into that. We do not believe in extremism, we got out a\nmoderate platform in 1964, and we stand by it.\nAnd finally, let me say, that insofar as I'm familiar with what the John\nBirch Society is seeking to do and frankly not a single piece of their\nliterature has ever gone across my desk. So I don't know exactly what they\ndo stand for. But I read in the press they're against the United Nations\nthe Republican Party isn't; they have demeaned some of the Republican leaders\nlike the late John Foster Dulles, like President Eisenhower and others, and\ntried to put on them an ideological tag that is at complete variance with a\nwhole tradition of the Republican Party. We EMPHATICALLY reject that sort of\nthing and we stand on our platform, but I make it abundantly clear that they\nare NOT a part of the Republican Party. They never have been -- and in my\njudgment they never will be\nQUESTION: (Not clear)\nFORD: I would subscribe wholeheartedly to the observations and comments\nof Senator Dirksen. I would like to point out in addition, however, that the\nRepublican record in the House and in the Senate on such issues as the Civil\nRights Act of 1964 -- the Voting Rights Act of 1965 -- the Republican Party\nsupported those two legislative proposals very substantially. And if I\nunderstand correctly, the John Birch Society is opposed to BOTH of those laws\nthat are now on the statute books. The legislative record of the Republican\nParty in the House and in the Senate is in substantial conflict with the views\nof the John Birch Society, a monolithic organization that takes its orders\nfrom the top and therefore there is no place for that organization in the\nRepublican Party.\nGERALD FORD LIBRARY\nPress Conference: September 30, 1965\nTHE JOINT SENATE-HOUSE LEADERSHIP\nTranscript of comments on John Birch Society\nQUESTION: (Not clear)\nDIRKSEN: Well, Bill, let me give you my estimate of the situation.\nFirst, and let me emphasize this with as much vigor as I can -- that the\nJohn Birch Society is NOT a part of the Republican Party. It never was and\nI don't suppose it even pretends to be.\nSecondly, let me say that in the American political scheme I do not\nbelieve there is any place or any room for any organization which operates\non a secret basis to achieve political goals. Way back in Lincoln's day, as\nyou remember, they had the \"Know Nothings\" and if you asked them a question,\nasked them what they stood for, the answer was: \"I know nothing.\"\nThird, let me say that it's rather curious that General Walker, who\nsupposedly is a member of this group, ran for office in Texas -- not on the\nRepublican ticket -- but on the Democrat ticket -- and got 100,000 votes.\nFourth, we have never been encumbered with any group like the Americans\nfor Democratic Action. Now, if you want to talk about extremism, well, you\ncan put your teeth into that. We do not believe in extremism, we got out a\nmoderate platform in 1964, and we stand by it.\nAnd finally, let me say, that insofar as I'm familiar with what the John\nBirch Society is seeking to do -- and frankly not a single piece of their\nliterature has ever gone across my desk. So I don't know exactly what they\ndo stand for. But I read in the press they're against the United Nations\nthe Republican Party isn't; they have demeaned some of the Republican leaders\nlike the late John Foster Dulles, like President Eisenhower and others, and\ntried to put on them an ideological tag that is at complete variance with a\nwhole tradition of the Republican Party. We EMPHATICALLY reject that sort of\nthing and we stand on our platform, but I make it abundantly clear that they\nare NOT a part of the Republican Party. They never have been -- and in my\njudgment they never will be.\nQUESTION: (Not clear)\nFORD: I would subscribe wholeheartedly to the observations and comments\nof Senator Dirksen. I would like to point out in addition, however, that the\nRepublican record in the House and in the Senate on such issues as the Civil\nRights Act of 1964 -- the Voting Rights Act of 1965 -- the Republican Party\nsupported those two legislative proposals very substantially. And if I\nunderstand correctly, the John Birch Society is opposed to BOTH of those laws\nthat are now on the statute books. The legislative record of the Republican\nParty in the House and in the Senate is in substantial conflict with the views\nof the John Birch Society, a monolithic organization that takes its orders\nfrom the top and therefore there is no place for that organization in the\nRepublican Party.\nREpublican NATiONAL COMMiTTEE\n1625 EYE STREET, NORTHWEST, WASHINGTON, D. C. 20006\nNATIONAL 8-6800\nNEWS\nFRIDAY NOON E.S. T\nNovember 5, 1965\nRecepty FOR RELEASE\nSTATEMENT ON EXTREMISM BY REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CHAIRMAN\nRAY C. BLISS AT A NEWS CONFERENCE IN ALBUQUERQUE, NEW\nMEXICO, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 1965\nWhen we talk about extremism, we should look both to the radical\nleft and to the radical right.\nIt is quite obvious to me that the radical left is attempting to throw a\nsmoke-screen around its own activities by slanderously charging all conservatives\nwith extremist views.\nWhile the Republican Party has been exhorted to repudiate radicals who\ndo not speak for and who do not lead or influence the Party, the Democratic National\nCommittee has helped finance and promote the Group Research, Inc. smear list which\nincludes such noted Americans as former President Dwight D. Eisenhower.\nSome leftist-oriented Democratic groups in this country have urged unreal-\nistic disarmament, concessions to Moscow and Peiping, withdrawal from Vietnam\nand recognition of Red China. These groups on the radical left are guilty of\nextremism of the most dangerous variety extremism which challenges American\nforeign policy and may cost American lives by encouraging Communists to\ngreater aggression.\nOne of my major concerns in the matter of extremism of the radical right\nis that honest, patriotic and conscientious conservatives may be misjudged because\nof irresponsible radicals such as Robert Welch, who has accused General Eisenhower\nof being \" a dedicated, conscious agent of the Communist conspiracy.\"\nOn this point I am joined by our two most recent Republican Presidential\nnominees, Barry Goldwater and Richard Nixon, as well as Republican leaders in\nCongress and in Statehouses across the land.\n-more-\n-2-\nTherefore, I ask all Republicans to reject absolutely and without\nreservation any resort to slanderous irresponsibility.\nI ask all Republicans to reject membership in any radical organization\nwhich attempts to use the Republican Party for its own ends, or in any organization\nwhich seeks to undermine the basic principles of American freedom and\nconstitutional government.\nI also call upon all Republicans to reject absolutely and without\nreservation organizations which condone violence and violation of the law,\nwhatever their motives.\nOur country will be well served if the Democratic Party takes the\nsame position toward ALL extremists.\n- -30-\nRepublican NATiONAL COMMiTTEE\n1625 EYE STREET, NORTHWEST, WASHINGTON, D. C. 20006\nNATIONAL 8-6800\nNEWS\nFOR RELEASE\nFRIDAY NOON E.S. T.\nNovember 5, 1965\nSTATEMENT ON EXTREMISM BY REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CHAIRMAN\nRAY C. BLISS AT A NEWS CONFERENCE IN ALBUQUERQUE, NEW\nMEXICO, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 1965\nWhen we talk about extremism, we should look both to the radical\nleft and to the radical right.\nIt is quite obvious to me that the radical left is attempting to throw a\nsmoke-screen around its own activities by slanderously charging all conservatives\nwith extremist views.\nWhile the Republican Party has been exhorted to repudiate radicals who\ndo not speak for and who do not lead or influence the Party, the Democratic National\nCommittee has helped finance and promote the Group Research, Inc. smear list which\nincludes such noted Americans as former President Dwight D. Eisenhower.\nSome leftist-oriented Democratic groups in this country have urged unreal-\nistic disarmament, concessions to Moscow and Peiping, withdrawal from Vietnam\nand recognition of Red China. These groups on the radical left are guilty of\nextremism of the most dangerous variety extremism which challenges American\nforeign policy and may cost American lives by encouraging Communists to\ngreater aggression.\nOne of my major concerns in the matter of extremism of the radical right\nis that honest, patriotic and conscientious conservatives may be misjudged because\nof irresponsible radicals such as Robert Welch, who has accused General Eisenhower\nof being \" a dedicated, conscious agent of the Communist conspiracy.\"\nOn this point I am joined by our two most recent Republican Presidential\nnominees, Barry Goldwater and Richard Nixon, as well as Republican leaders in\nCongress and in Statehouses across the land.\n-more-\n-2-\nTherefore, I ask all Republicans to reject absolutely and without\nreservation any resort to slanderous irresponsibility.\nI ask all Republicans to reject membership in any radical organization\nwhich attempts to use the Republican Party for its own ends, or in any organization\nwhich seeks to undermine the basic principles of American freedom and\nconstitutional government.\nI also call upon all Republicans to reject absolutely and without\nreservation organizations which condone violence and violation of the law,\nwhatever their motives.\nOur country will be well served if the Democratic Party takes the\nsame position toward ALL extremists.\n-30-\nRepublican NATiONAL COMMiTTEE\n1625 EYE STREET, NORTHWEST, WASHINGTON, D. C. 20006\nNATIONAL 8-6800\nNEWS\nFOR RELEASE\nFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE\nThe following resolution on extremism, offered by Senate Minority\nLeader Everett M. Dirksen and House Minority Leader Gerald R. Ford, was\napproved unanimously by the Republican Coordinating Committee December\n13, 1965:\nThe Republica Coordinating Committee endorses the pos-\nition of Republican National Committee Chairman Ray C. Bliss\nthat all Republicans hould reject membership in any radical or\nextremist organization including any which attempts to use the\nRepublican Party for its own ends or any which seeks to under-\nmine the basic principles of American freedom and constitutional\ngovernment.\nAt a news conference following the action, Senator Dirksen, Representative\nFord and Governor Robert Smylie of Joho said it was the sense of the Coordin-\nating Committee that the resolution endorsed and approved the full statement on\nextremism issued by Republican National Chairman Ray C. Bliss at a news con-\nference in Albuquerque, New Mexico, November 5, 1965.\nA copy of the Bliss statement is attached.\n-30-\nRepublican NATiONAL COMMiTTEE\n1625 EYE STREET, NORTHWEST, WASHINGTON, D. C. 20006\nNATIONAL 8-6800\nNEWS\nFOR RELEASE\nFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE\nThe following resolution on extremism, offered by Senate Minority\nLeader Everett M. Dirksen and House Minority Leader Gerald R. Ford, was\napproved unanimously by the Republican Coordinating Committee December\n13, 1965:\nThe Republican Coordinating Committee endorses the pos-\nition of Republican National Committee Chairman Ray C. Bliss\nthat all Republicans should reject membership in any radical or\nextremist organization including any which attempts to use the\nRepublican Party for its own ends or any which seeks to under-\nmine the basic principles of American freedom and constitutional\ngovernment.\nAt a news conference following the action, Senator Dirksen, Representative\nFord and Governor Robert Smylie of Idaho said it was the sense of the Coordin-\nating Committee that the resolution endorsed and approved the full statement on\nextremism issued by Republican National Chairman Ray C. Bliss at a news con-\nference in Albuquerque, New Mexico, November 5, 1965.\nA copy of the Bliss statement is attached.\n-30-\nREpublican NATiONAL COMMiTTEE\n1625 EYE STREET, NORTHWEST, WASHINGTON, D. C. 20006\nNATIONAL 8-6800\nNEWS\nFOR RELEASE\nSenator Everett Dirksen, minority leader of the Senate, offered\nthe following Resolution on behalf of himself and House minority leader\nGerald Ford, and moved its adoption. The motion to adopt was seconded\nby Governor Robert Smylie of Idaho. The Resolution was unanimously adopted.\nThe Republican Coordinating Committee endorses the position\nof Republican National Committee Chairman Ray C. Bliss that all\nRepublicans should reject membership\n-- in any radical or extremist organization including\nany which attempts to use the Republican Party for its\nown ends or any which seeks to undermine the basic\nprinciples of American freedom and constitutional\ngovernment.\nDecember 13, 1965"
}