World Affairs Council Perturbed

[Authorised at a Committee meeting of World Affairs Council held at Victoria University of Wellington on May 10, 1961]

We notice with deep regret Mr Phipps's article in Salient 6. His type of smear argument seems peculiar to both Communists and the late Senator McCarthy, and we only hope that this type of reasoning and argument are not going to be adopted generally at Vic. as it is a cheap and nasty way of arguing that neither clarifies nor resolves differences of opinion.

None of us are sympathizers with Moscow's aims, and we repudiate any desire to prepare the way for a Communist take-over.

Does Mr Phipps seriously believe that any evil should be passively tolerated in case by protesting we prepare for the revolt of the proletariat and the overthrow of the West? A policy of passive acquiescence in the existence of abuses would be far more likely to bring this about.

There is, we admit, a serious danger of becoming demonstration minded, but we fully realize the limited value of demonstrations and hope to avoid this. We wish to emphasize that our primary aim is "to foster a responsible awareness towards world problems."

(1) To run a series of lunchtime film showings dealing with current affairs and world problems.

(2) To produce a magazine "World Affairs Forum" early in the second term with articles on Cuba, Laos and a symposium on war.

(3) To hold a seminar on coexistence at which we hope to have speakers from the American, Indian and Russian Embassies give their point of view.

(4) There is a group currently studying the topic "Prospects of Neutralism," which is open for anyone to join. (Please contact Miss B. Einhorn, 78-509, or Mr G. Butterworth, 78-579).

We list these projects to prove that any demonstration in which we participate is only supported after serious consideration, and that our activities are orientated towards a serious study of world problems rather than pointless demonstrations.