John Birch Society 231378 move=:edit= 225723835 2008-07-15T02:28:32Z Operation Spooner 4835874 /* Core values */ {{POV|date=June 2008}} {{Cleanup|date=October 2007}} The '''John Birch Society''' is a political education and action organization founded by [[Robert W. Welch Jr.]] in [[Indianapolis, Indiana]] in 1958. Although the society does not endorse specific political candidates, it is frequently associated with traditionally [[conservative]] causes such as [[anti-communism]], as well as support for [[individual rights]] and the ownership of [[private property]].<ref>http://www.jbs.org/index.php/aboutjbs1/core-principles</ref> It promotes U.S. independence and sovereignty and opposes globalism, especially international regional groups such as the [[European Union]] or what the JBS claims is a proposed [[North American Union]]. <ref>http://www.jbs.org/index.php/issues/independence-a-sovereignty</ref> The Society is generally considered to be well on the right of the American political spectrum<ref>Chip Berlet and Matthew N. Lyons, 2000, ''Right–Wing Populism in America: Too Close for Comfort'', New York: Guilford Press, pp. 175-185</ref><ref>Mintz, Frank P. 1985. ''The Liberty Lobby and the American Right: Race, Conspiracy, and Culture''. Westport, CT: Greenwood.</ref> and has been described as "[[ultraconservative|ultraconservative]]" on its own website.<ref>Behreandt, Dennis. "Racism and the John Birch Society" JBS Online. 29 May 2008 http://www.jbs.org/index.php/jbs-news-feed/7-jbs-news-feed/1717-racism-and-the-john-birch-society Acessed: 08-2008-07</ref> However, due to various changes in the personalities, tactics, and ideologies within the [[conservative]] movement, the Society has been greatly marginalized since the 1960s among mainstream conservatives.<ref>{{cite book | last = Barkun | first = Michael | year = 2003 | title = A Culture of Conspiracy: Apocalyptic Visions in Contemporary America | page = 178 et al | publisher = University of California Press | id = ISBN 0520238052 }}</ref> The JBS was named after [[John Birch (missionary)|John Birch]], a [[United States]] [[military intelligence]] officer and [[Baptist]] [[missionary]] in [[World War II]] who was killed in 1945 by armed supporters of the [[Communist Party of China]], and whom the JBS describes as "a patriotic exemplar."<ref>[http://www.jbs.org/node/4829 John Birch: A Patriotic Exemplar | The John Birch Society - Truth, Leadership, Freedom<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> His parents joined the society as life members. Based in [[Appleton, Wisconsin]], the society says that members come from all walks of life and are active in all 50 states via local chapters. Its mission is to achieve "Less Government, More Responsibility, and &mdash; With God's Help &mdash; a Better World."<ref>[http://www.jbs.org/node/1622 FAQs About The John Birch Society | The John Birch Society - Truth, Leadership, Freedom<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> The society's publishing arm, under which it has issued books on numerous topics, is known as American Opinion Book Service and JBS members have been active in other publishing concerns including [[Western Islands (publisher)|Western Islands Publishing]]. ==Core values== The John Birch Society claims to be anti-totalitarian, particularly anti-[[Socialism|Socialist]] and [[anti-Communism|anti-Communist]], and to lean [[libertarian]]. It generally seeks to limit the powers of government and defends what it sees as the original intention of the U.S. Constitution, rooted in [[Judeo-Christian]] principles. It idealizes the Founding Fathers as patriotic anti-Communists.{{Fact|date=July 2008}} The John Birch Society opposes [[collectivism]], including [[wealth redistribution]], [[economic interventionism]], [[Socialism]], [[Communism]], and [[Fascism]]. In a 1983 edition of [[Crossfire (TV series)|Crossfire]], Congressman [[Larry McDonald]], then its newly appointed chairman, characterized the group as most appropriately belonging to the [[Old Right (United States)|Old Right]], rather than the [[new right]].<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PAJJ5eRvQw&NR=1 YouTube - Larry McDonald on the NWO May 1983PT1<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> During the 1960s, The John Birch Society opposed aspects of the [[Civil Rights Movement]] because of concerns that the movement had a number of [[Communists]] in important positions and because they suspected that it was backed and supported by the [[American Communist Party]].{{Fact|date=July 2008}} The John Birch Society opposed the [[1964 Civil Rights Act]] in the belief that it was in violation of the [[10th amendment|10th Amendment]] to the United States Constitution and overstepped the rights of individual states to make laws regarding Civil Rights. The John Birch Society is against a unified "one world government", and has an [[illegal immigration]] reduction view on [[immigration reform]]. It has opposed the [[United Nations]], [[NAFTA]], [[CAFTA]], and the [[FTAA]], and other [[free-trade]] agreements with other nations, believing them to be destructive to American principles, the economy, freedom and national sovereignty. It also opposes the theory of [[evolution]].<ref>http://www.jbs.org/node/2535</ref> The Society claims there is a devaluing of the US Constitution in favor of international government, and that this is not an accident. They cite [[David Rockefeller]]’s 2002 autobiography “Memoirs” In which Rockefeller states: “For more than a century ideological extremists at either end of the political spectrum have seized upon well-publicized incidents such as my encounter with Castro to attack the Rockefeller family for the inordinate influence they claim we wield over American political and economic institutions. Some even believe we are part of a secret cabal working against the best interests of the United States, characterizing my family and me as "internationalists" and of conspiring with others around the world to build a more integrated global political and economic structure - one world, if you will. If that's the charge, I stand [[guilty]], and I am proud of it."<ref>http://thenewamerican.com/node/5524</ref> ==Origins== The John Birch Society was established in [[Indianapolis, Indiana]] on [[December 9]], [[1958]] by a group of twelve "patriotic and public-spirited" men led by [[Robert Welch, Jr.]], a retired candy manufacturer from [[Belmont, Massachusetts]]. A noted founding member was [[Fred Koch]], founder of [[Koch Industries]], one of the largest private corporations in America. Another was [[Revilo Pendleton Oliver]], a [[University of Illinois]] professor who would later co-found the racist [[National Alliance (United States)|National Alliance]]. A transcript of Welch's two-day presentation at the founding meeting was published as ''The Blue Book of the John Birch Society'' and became a cornerstone of its beliefs, with each new JBS member receiving a copy. <ref>Congressman Larry McDonald tells [[Pat Buchanan]] how to become a member while a guest on Crossfire around May of 1983, http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=326_1203084840</ref> "According to Welch," writes the watchdog group [[Political Research Associates]], "both the U.S. and Soviet governments are controlled by the same furtive conspiratorial cabal of internationalists, greedy bankers, and corrupt politicians. If left unexposed, the traitors inside the U.S. government would betray the country's sovereignty to the United Nations for a collectivist [[New World Order (conspiracy)|New World Order]] managed by a 'one-world socialist government.'"{{citequote}} Welch saw "[[collectivism]]" as the main threat to [[Western Civilization]], and far-left liberals as "secret Communist traitors" who provide the cover for the gradual process of collectivism, with the ultimate goal of replacing the nations of western civilization with one-world socialist government. "There are many stages of [[welfarism]], socialism, and collectivism in general," he wrote, "but Communism is the ultimate state of them all, and they all lead inevitably in that direction." <ref>[http://www.publiceye.org/tooclose/jbs.html PublicEye.org - John Birch Society<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> The John Birch Society's objective has been to fight Communism and totalitarianism using some of Communism's own techniques--organization of front groups, infiltration of other groups, and letter-writing campaigns. They have organized grassroots chapters in every state and are the only Americanist organization to have full-time paid field staff assisting those chapters. Their activities include distribution of literature, pamphlets, magazines, videos and other educational material while sponsoring a [[Speaker's Bureau]] and encouraging members to conduct letter-writing campaigns especially to elected officials. One of the first public activities of the JBS was a "Get US Out!" (of membership in the UN) campaign, which claimed in 1959 that the "Real nature of [the] [[United Nations|UN]] is to build a One World Government." In 1960, Welch advised JBS members to "join your local [[Parent-Teacher Association|PTA]] at the beginning of the school year, get your conservative friends to do likewise, and go to work to take it over."{{citequote}} For over 40 years The John Birch Society has supported the often unsung and heroic efforts of America’s local police. ''One Man's Opinion'', a magazine launched by Welch in 1956, was renamed ''American Opinion'' and became the Birch Society's official publication. It has since been replaced by the bi-weekly magazine, ''[[New American|The New American]].'' ==1960s== {{Primarysources|section|date=November 2007}} By March 1961, the Society had an estimated 60,000 to 100,000 members and, according to Welch, "a staff of 28 people in the Home Office; about 30 Coordinators (or Major Coordinators) in the field, who are fully paid as to salary and expenses; and about 100 Coordinators (or Section Leaders as they are called in some areas), who work on a volunteer basis as to all or part of their salary, or expenses, or both." According to its profile by the left wing group Political Research Associates, an organization that tracks conspiracists on the Right, JBS "pioneered grassroots lobbying, combining educational meetings, petition drives and letter-writing campaigns. One early campaign against the second summit between the United States and the [[Soviet Union]] generated over 600,000 postcards and letters, according to the Society. A June 1964 Birch campaign to oppose [[Xerox]] corporate sponsorship of TV programs favorable to the UN produced 51,279 letters from 12,785 individuals." <ref>[http://www.publiceye.org/tooclose/jbs.html PublicEye.org - John Birch Society<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> The Birchers' ad-hoc special issues committees have been effective in creating awareness about issues which they believe to be affecting the American way of life. Much of the Society's early views, according to Political Research Associates, "reflects an ultra-conservative business nationalist critique of business internationalists networked through groups such as the [[Council on Foreign Relations]] (CFR)." Birchers elaborated on an earlier [[Illuminati]]/[[Freemason]] conspiracy theory, imagining "an unbroken ideologically driven conspiracy linking the Illuminati, the [[French Revolution]], the rise of [[Marxism]] and [[Communism]], the Council on Foreign Relations, and the United Nations". <ref>[http://www.publiceye.org/tooclose/jbs.html PublicEye.org - John Birch Society<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Unlike most advocates of the Illuminati-Freemason conspiracy theory, however, the Birch Society strenuously denies harboring any [[anti-Semitic]] or anti-masonic ideas, and indeed claims many [[Jew]]s among its membership. At one point a key leader in the JBS, [[Revilo P. Oliver]], resigned after a dispute over his veering off into [[Antisemitism|antisemitic]] [[Conspiracy theory|conspiracy theories]] in public.{{Fact|date=September 2007}} Anti-Jewish, racist, [[anti-Mormon]], anti-Masonic, and religious groups criticized the group's acceptance of Jews, nonwhites, Masons, the large number of Mormons in the Society ([[Ezra Taft Benson]], a leader in [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]], encouraged people to join it), and Welch's alleged feminist, ecumenical, and evolutionary ideas. <ref>http://wwww.ihr.org/jhr/v17/v17n6p26_JBS.html, http://www.thebirdman.org/Index/NetLoss/NetLoss-Oliver.html, http://www.mormoninquiry.typepad.com/mormon_inquiry/2006/06/a_spectre_was_h.html, http://www.watch.pair.com/belmont.html, http://www.anti-Communistanalyst.com/jbsociety.html</ref> [[Ayn Rand]] said in a [[Playboy]] interview that "I consider the Birch Society futile, because they are not for Capitalism but merely against Communism." <ref>[http://www.ellensplace.net/ar_pboy.html who was Ayn Rand? - a biography, Playboy interview, 1964<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> In October 1964, the ''Idaho Statesman'' newspaper expressed concern about what it called an "ominous" increase in JBS-led "ultra-right" [[radio]] and [[television]] broadcasts, which it said then numbered 7,000 weekly and cost an estimated $10 million annually. "By virtue of saturation tactics used, radical, reactionary [[propaganda]] is producing an impact even on large numbers of people who, themselves, are in no sense [[extremism|extremists]] or sympathetic to extremist views," declared a ''Statesman'' editorial. "When day after day they hear distortions of fact and sinister charges against persons or groups, often emanating from organizations with conspicuously respectable sounding names, it is no wonder that the result is confusion on some important public issues; stimulation of latent prejudices; creation of suspicion, fear and mistrust in relation not only to their representatives in government, but even in relation to their neighbors." In their early days, the JBS shared a common ideology and some overlapping membership with [[Fred Schwarz]] and his California-based [[Christian Anti-Communism Crusade]]. John Birch Society influence on U.S. politics hit its high point in the years around the failed [[U.S. presidential election, 1964|1964 presidential campaign]] of Republican candidate [[Barry Goldwater]], who lost to incumbent President [[Lyndon Baines Johnson]]. Welch had supported Goldwater over [[Richard Nixon]] for the Republican nomination, but the membership split, with two-thirds supporting Goldwater and one-third supporting Nixon. A number of Birch members and their allies were Goldwater supporters in 1964{{Fact|date=September 2007}} and some were delegates at the [[1964 Republican National Convention]]. The Goldwater campaign in turn brought together the nucleus of what later became known as the [[New Right]], many of whom had been groomed by the Birch Society but whose more pragmatic members realized that the group's views were an impediment to electoral success.{{Fact|date=September 2007}} John Birch Society members and other opponents of Communism also authored several widely-distributed books that promoted conspiracy theories and mobilized support for the Goldwater campaign: *''A Choice, Not an Echo'' by [[Phyllis Schlafly]], which suggested that the Republican Party was secretly controlled by elitist intellectuals dominated by members of the [[Bilderberger]] banking conference, and whose policies were designed to usher in global Communist conquest. "A Choice, Not an Echo" became one of Goldwater's campaign slogans. *''The Gravediggers'', co-authored by Schlafly and retired Rear Admiral [[Chester Ward]] of the [[Foreign Policy Research Institute]], claimed that U.S. military strategy and tactics were actually designed to pave the way for global Communist conquest. *''None Dare Call It Treason'', by [[John A. Stormer]], sold over seven million copies, making it one of the largest-selling paperback books of the day. It decried "the concurrent decay in America's schools, churches, and press which has conditioned the American people to accept 20 years of retreat in the face of the Communist enemy." Mr. Stormer also added, in his 1998 preface to the paperback edition: "Communism, which some believe (or hope) died in the Soviet Union, is alive and on the march in Asia, the Middle East, Central and Southern Africa and through guerrilla groups in Central and South America." *''A Texan Looks at Lyndon'' by [[J. Evetts Haley]], a book containing a number of allegations of political [[Political corruption|corruption]] throughout the career of Lyndon Johnson. In April 1966, a ''[[New York Times]]'' article opined about "the increasing tempo of radical right attacks on local government, libraries, school boards, parent-teacher associations, mental health programs, the [[United States Republican Party|Republican Party]] and, most recently, the ecumenical movement."{{Fact|date=September 2007}} It went on to characterize the Society as, "by far the most successful and 'respectable' radical right organization in the country. It operates alone or in support of other extremist organizations whose major preoccupation, like that of the Birchers, is the internal Communist conspiracy in the United States." By then, a committee called the Movement to Restore Decency (MOTOREDE) was established to promote opinions about child-rearing; in particular, MOTOREDE pushed for a ban on [[sex education]].<ref>[http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,901130,00.html?iid=chix-sphere Sex in the Classroom], Time Magazine Friday, Jul. 25, 1969 </ref> ==Robert Welch and ''The Politician''== [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] mainstream unhappiness with the Birch Society intensified after Welch circulated a letter calling President [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]] a possible "conscious, dedicated agent of the Communist Conspiracy." Welch went further in a book titled ''The Politician'', written in 1956 and published by the JBS in 1963. He said also that President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] [[Pearl Harbor advance-knowledge debate|knew about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in advance]], but said nothing because he wanted to get his country in the war. The book spawned much debate in the 1960s over whether the author really intended to call Eisenhower a Communist. G. Edward Griffin, one of his friends, thinks that he meant [[collectivist]]. The charge's sensationalism led many conservatives and Republicans to shy away from the group. The book was slightly toned down in the published version compared to the unpublished version. Welch later tried to distance himself from the work by saying that it was not originally meant to be published because it was just a confidential letter among friends.{{Fact|date=September 2007}} In the published edition that excises the allegations mentioned above, there is a footnote on page 278 (footnote 2) and its text appears on pages cxxxviii–cxxxix at the back of the book.<ref>[http://ernie1241.googlepages.com/jbs-1 ernie1241 - JBS-1<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> That text is as follows: *"At this point in the original manuscript, there was one paragraph in which I expressed my own personal belief as to the most likely explanation of the events and actions with this document had tried to bring into focus. In a confidential letter, neither published nor offered for sale and restricted to friends who were expected to respect the confidence but offer me in exchange their own points of view, this seemed entirely permissible and proper. It does not seem so for an edition of the letter that is now to be published and given, probably, fairly wide distribution. So that paragraph, and two explanatory paragraphs, connected with it, have been omitted here. And the reader is left entirely free to draw his own conclusions." <ref>[http://birchers.blogspot.com/ John Birch Society's Endless Enemies<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> *On page 278 of ''The Politician'', Welch summarized, from his perspective, the only two possible interpretations of President Eisenhower's motives: "The role he has played, as described in all the pages above, would fit just as well into one theory as the other; that he is a mere stooge or that he is a Communist assigned the specific job of being a political front man." *On page 279, Welch discusses the 3 stages by which Communists came to control the U.S. Presidency. In stages 1 and 2, FDR and Truman were "used" by Communists. In Truman's case, according to Welch, he was used "with his knowledge and acquiescence as the price he consciously paid for their making him President." *Then, with respect to Eisenhower, from page 279 of the 1963 published edition of ''The Politician'': "In the third stage the Communists have installed in the Presidency a man who, for whatever reasons, appears intentionally to be carrying forward Communist aims... With regard to this third man, Eisenhower, it is difficult to avoid raising the question of deliberate treason." The original formulation of this comment from the 1958 unpublished version of ''The Politician'' is as follows: *"In the third stage, in my own firm opinion, the Communists have one of their own actually in the Presidency. For this third man, Eisenhower, there is only one possible word to describe his purposes and his actions. That word is treason." <ref>''The Politician'', unpublished version, page 268.</ref> There are many other passages in both the 1963 published edition and the 1958 unpublished version of ''The Politician'' wherein Welch makes clear that he considered Eisenhower to be a Communist and a traitor. Conservative writer [[William F. Buckley, Jr.]], an early friend and admirer of Welch, regarded his accusations against Eisenhower as "paranoid and idiotic libels" and attempted unsuccessfully to purge Welch from the JBS. Welch responded by attempting to take over [[Young Americans for Freedom]], a conservative youth organization founded with assistance from Buckley. The JBS now maintains summer camps which operate across the country and teach youth the ideas of its members. <ref> William F. Buckley Jr was a member of the Council of Foreign Relations[http://youthmeetstruth.com/ Freedom Generation<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> ==1970s== The Society wound up at the center of an important [[freedom of expression|free-speech]] law case in the 1970s, after ''American Opinion'' accused a [[Chicago]] lawyer representing the family of a young man killed by a police officer of being part of a Communist conspiracy to merge all police agencies in the country into one large force. The resulting [[slander and libel|libel]] suit, ''[[Gertz v. Robert Welch, Inc.]]'', reached the [[United States Supreme Court]], which held that "Under the [[First Amendment to the United States Constitution|First Amendment]] there is no such thing as a false idea"<ref>[http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/comm/free_speech/gertz.html Gertz v. Robert Welch, Inc. (1974)<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> (while nevertheless finding for the plaintiff, who prevailed upon retrial). Key Birch Society causes of the 1970s included opposition to [[OSHA]] and to the establishment of diplomatic ties with the [[People's Republic of China]]. The organization claimed in 1973 that the regime of [[Mao Zedong]] had murdered 64 million Chinese as of that year and that it was the primary supplier of illicit [[heroin]] into the [[United States]]. This led to bumper stickers showing a pair of scissors cutting a hypodermic needle in half accompanied by the slogan "Cut The Red China Connection." According to the Voice of America, the society also was opposed to transferring control of the [[Panama Canal]] from American to Panamanian sovereignty.<ref>[http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/library/news/china/1999/991124-prc1.htm Is Panama Canal Falling Under Chinese Control?<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> The John Birch Society was organized into local chapters. Ernest Brosang, a New Jersey regional coordinator, contended that it was virtually impossible for opponents of the society to penetrate its policy-making levels, thereby protecting it from anti-Americanist takeover attempts. Its activities included distribution of literature critical of civil rights legislation, warning of the influence of the United Nations, and distributing petitions to impeach U.S. Supreme Court Justice Earl Warren. To spread their message, members held showings of documentary films and operated initiatives such as "Let Freedom Ring", a nation-wide network of recorded telephone messages. Some members also helped organize the "Minutemen", a paramilitary group training to lead guerrilla warfare in case of a Communist takeover. ==After Welch== By the time of Welch's death in 1985, the Birch Society's membership and influence had dramatically declined, but the UN's role in the [[Gulf War]] and [[President of the United States|President]] [[George H. W. Bush|George H. W. Bush's]] call for a '[[New World Order (political)|New World Order]]' appeared to many JBS members to validate their claims about a [[New World Order (conspiracy)|"One World Government"]] conspiracy. Growing right-wing populism in the United States helped The John Birch Society position itself for a comeback, and by 1995, its membership had grown somewhat to more than 55,000, {{Who|date=August 2007}} though that number is unofficial as the Society does not disclose its membership statistics.{{Fact|date=September 2007}} In the late 1990s, the John Birch Society started a campaign to [[impeach]] [[President of the United States|President]] [[Bill Clinton]] for alleged connections with Chinese interests and on charges of treason and bribery<ref>http://www.thenewamerican.com/tna/1999/02-15-99/rstar.htm, http://www.thenewamerican.com/tna/1998/vo14no26/vo14no26_rat.htm, http://www.thenewamerican.com/tna/1998/vo14no14/vo14no14_tradeoff.htm</ref>. Within months of the Society's call for impeachment, news of the [[Monica Lewinsky]] affair broke, and the Society's charges were overshadowed by media coverage of Lewinsky and Clinton. The President was eventually [[Impeachment of Bill Clinton|indicted on impeachment charges]], but the charges were different from those the Society had hoped to bring. Nevertheless, the impeachment campaign's relative success bolstered the Society and its public knowledge, membership, publication circulation, and finances.{{Fact|date=December 2007}} In recent years, The John Birch Society has been just as critical of President [[George W. Bush]] as it had been of [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] presidents, accusing the Bush administration of advocating and carrying out acts of [[torture]] against suspected terrorist leaders during the [[War on Terror]]. In a 2005 online poll, the organization's membership voted for President Bush's impeachment<ref>[http://www.jbs.org/poll.php?vo=1]{{Dead link|date=March 2008}}</ref>, citing issues such as the [[USA PATRIOT Act]], the proposed sellout of U.S. Seaports to [[Dubai Ports World controversy|Dubai Ports World]]<ref>http://www.thenewamerican.com/artman/publish/article_3462.shtml</ref>, and recent allegations against the Bush administration concerning domestic telephone surveillance of suspected terrorists operating within the United States. These were cited as evidence of Bush's lack of regard for the [[U.S. Constitution|Constitution]].{{Fact|date=September 2007}} The JBS continues to press for an end to U.S. membership in the United Nations. As evidence of the effectiveness of JBS efforts, the Society points to the [[Utah State Legislature]]'s resolution calling for U.S. withdrawal, as well as the actions of several other states where the Society's membership has been active. The Birch Society repeatedly opposed overseas war-making, although it is strongly supportive of the American military. It has issued calls to "Bring Our Troops Home" in every conflict since its founding, including [[Vietnam]] (it wanted a quick win and exit after the conflict had already started rather than a simple losing pullout).{{Fact|date=November 2007}} The Society also has a national speakers' committee called American Opinion Speakers Bureau (AOSB) and an anti-tax committee called TRIM (Tax Reform IMmediately). <ref>http://www.jbs.org/index.php/action-agenda-programs/speakers-bureau</ref> ==In popular culture== {{Unreferencedsection|date=September 2007}} The JBS has sometimes been made a target of political satire. For example: *In 1964, notable [[jazz]] [[trumpet]] player [[Dizzy Gillespie]] made a semi-satirical run for President, and formed chapters of the "John Birks Society" (his real name was John Birks Gillespie) in 25 states. Gillespie's politics, such as they were, were incompatible with the views of the John Birch Society: among his campaign pledges were to provide free [[universal health care]] and appoint [[Malcolm X]] as [[United States Attorney General|Attorney General]]. *In his novel, ''[[The Crying of Lot 49]]'', [[Thomas Pynchon]] satirized the famously conservative society with his "Peter Pinguid Society", an organization that opposed Capitalism, in part because it led inevitably to Communism. *The [[Bob Dylan]] song, "Talkin' John Birch Paranoid Blues", from ''[[The Bootleg Series Volumes 1-3 (Rare & Unreleased) 1961-1991]]'', is a fictitious [[satire]] about a man joining the society. *The [[Chad Mitchell Trio]]'s 'break-out' song hit was their comic parody, "The John Birch Society," which contained the lyrics, "If Mommy is a commie then you've got to turn her in." *[[Robert Anton Wilson]] and [[Robert Shea]]'s novel, ''[[Illuminatus!]]'', contains several references to the John Birch Society in a subplot. it is satirized with the tag "john birch died for you" *[[Steve Jackson Games]] included a mythical "Fred Birch Society" as one of hundreds of groups in the [[collectible card game]], ''[[Illuminati: New World Order]]''. The F.B.S. is also mentioned in their ''[[GURPS]] Supers — International Super Teams'' universe. *In ''[[Girl, Interrupted]]'', [[Susanna Kaysen]] describes the John Birch Society building as a sort of counterpart to the mental asylum she lived in for two years, saying, "The John Birch Society lay as far to the east of Belmont as the hospital lay to the west. We saw the two institutes as variations on each other. Doubtless, the Birchers did not see it this way, but between us, we had Belmont surrounded." ==Leaders and notable members== ===Presidents=== * [[Robert W. Welch Jr.]] (1958–1983) * [[Larry McDonald]] (1983) *Charles R. Armour * John F. McManus (1991–2004, 2005–present) * G. Vance Smith (2004–2005) The second John Birch Society chairman, [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. Representative]] Dr. [[Larry McDonald]], was killed in the 1983 [[Korean Air Flight KAL-007|KAL-007 shootdown]] incident. ===CEOs=== * G. Allen Bubolz (1988–1991) * G. Vance Smith (1991–2005) * [[Arthur R. Thompson]] (2005-present) ==See also== * [[Anti-Communism]] * [[United States isolationism]] * [[Paleoconservatism]] * [[Christian Patriot movement]] * [[Chad Mitchell Trio]] * [[Withdrawal from the United Nations]] * [[William P. Hoar]] * [[Wise Use Movement]] * [[Separation of church and state]] * [[William Norman Grigg]] ==References== === Footnotes === <!--See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Footnotes for an explanation of how to generate footnotes using the <ref(erences/)> tags--> <div class="references-small" style="-moz-column-count:2; column-count:2;" > <references/> </div> ===Further reading=== <div class="references-small"> *{{Cite book | publisher = Anti Defamation League of Bnai | isbn = 0686950461 | last = Lipset | first = Seymour Martin | title = The Politics of Unreason: Right-Wing Extremism America | date= 1990-06 }} ====Supporting the John Birch Society==== * Welch, Robert. (1961). ''The Blue Book of the John Birch Society''. 21st printing. Boston: John Birch Society. * Welch, Robert. (1964).'' The Politician''. Revised, 5th printing, hardcover. Belmont MA: Belmont Publishing. * John Birch Society. (1964). ''The White Book of the John Birch Society for 1964''. Belmont, MA: John Birch Society. * Welch, Robert. (1966). The ''New Americanism and Other Speeches''. Boston: Western Islands. * [[Gary Allen|Allen, Gary]], with Larry Abraham. (1972 [1971]). ''None Dare Call It Conspiracy''. Rossmoor, CA; Seal Beach, CA: Concord Press. Self-published in 1971. * Griffin, G. Edward. (1975). ''The Life and Words of Robert Welch: Founder of the John Birch Society''. Thousand Oaks, CA: American Media. * McManus, John F. (1983). ''The Insiders''. Belmont, MA: John Birch Society. * McManus, John F. (1992). "Taking on the Giant: How Dare Pat Buchanan Defy the Establishment!" ''The New American'', April 20, p. 5. ====Criticizing the John Birch Society==== * "Birch Society Investigated," ''Idaho Statesman'', October 9, 1964. * Berlet, Chip. (1989). "Trashing the Birchers: Secrets of the Paranoid Right." ''Boston Phoenix'', July 20, pp. 10, 23. * Broyles, J. Allen. (1964). ''The John Birch Society: Anatomy of a Protest''. Boston: Beacon Press. * De Koster, Lester. (1967). ''The Citizen and the John Birch Society''. A Reformed Journal monograph. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans. * Epstein, Benjamin R., and Arnold Forster. (1966). ''The Radical Right: Report on the John Birch Society and Its Allies''. New York: Vintage Books. * Grove, Gene. (1961). ''Inside the John Birch Society''. Greenwich, CT: Fawcett. * Grupp, Fred W., Jr. (1969). "The Political Perspectives of Birch Society Members." In Robert A. Schoenberger (Ed.), ''The American Right'' * Hardisty, Jean V. (1999). ''Mobilizing Resentment: Conservative Resurgence from the John Birch Society to the Promise Keepers''. Boston: Beacon. *Janson, Donald & Eismann, Bernard. (1963). "The John Birch Society" pages 25–54 from ''The Far Right'', New York: McGraw-Hill. * Johnson, George. (1983). ''Architects of Fear: Conspiracy Theories and Paranoia in American Politics''. Los Angeles: Tarcher/Houghton Mifflin. * Kraft, Charles Jeffrey. (1992). ''A Preliminary Socio-Economic and State Demographic Profile of the John Birch Society''. Cambridge, MA: Political Research Associates. * Moore, William V. (1981). ''The John Birch Society: A Southern Profile''. Paper, annual meeting, Southern Political Science Association, Memphis, TN. * Ronald Sullivan, "Foes of Rising Birch Society Organize in Jersey,"'' New York Times'', April 20, 1966, pp. 1, 34. * FBI files and documents pertaining to Birch Society: ^ http://ernie1241.googlepages.com/jbs-1 ====Regarding heroin trade in Southeast Asia==== * McCoy, Alfred W. (2003). "The politics of heroin : CIA complicity in the global drug trade : Afghanistan, Southeast Asia, Central America, Colombia", Chicago : Lawrence Hill Books. </div> ==External links== * [http://www.jbs.org John Birch Society website] * [http://www.thenewamerican.com The New American], JBS biweekly publication * "[http://www.publiceye.org/tooclose/jbs.html John Birch Society]," Political Research Associates * [http://www.jbs.org/artman/uploads/careport.pdf Report of the California Senate Factfinding Subcommittee on Un-American Activities on the John Birch Society] * Short excerpt of a film, circa 1965, of [[Robert W. Welch Jr.]], entitled "[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dg6ixwmcMcc What is the John Birch Society?]" explaining why he founded the John Birch Society and its aims [[Category:John Birch Society|*]] [[Category:Conservative organizations in the United States]] [[Category:History of anti-communism in the United States]] [[Category:Anti-communism]] [[Category:Koch family]] [[Category:Organizations established in 1958]] [[Category:Appleton, Wisconsin]] [[Category:Conspiracy theorists]] [[de:John Birch Society]] [[es:John Birch Society]] [[fr:John Birch Society]] [[nl:John Birch Society]] [[fi:John Birch Society]] [[sv:John Birch Society]]