Leading America to Victory.

G. Vance Smith

William F. Jasper

With sound leadership, effective plans, and God's help, The John Birch Society offers concerned citizens the means to preserve America and her heritage of freedom.

G. Vance Smith is Chief Executive Officer of The John Birch Society (JBS), a position he has held for 10 years. Prior to being selected as CEO in 1991, Mr. Smith served as a JBS Field Coordinator and Director of Field Activities. On his watch as CEO, the Society has embarked on numerous successful campaigns, including the drive to impeach Bill Clinton (which the JBS began in 1997, long before the Monica Lewinsky scandal broke) and the effort to defeat the nomination of ultra-leftist Anthony Lake to head the CIA. The John Birch Society is also moving forward with a reinvigorated campaign to "Get US Out!" of the United Nations.

Mr. Smith was interviewed by William F. Jasper, a Senior Editor of THE NEW AMERICAN.

THE NEW AMERICAN: What makes The John Birch Society unique among "conservative" organizations?

G. Vance Smith: While there's nothing wrong with the term "conservative," it's more accurate to refer to The John Birch Society as a patriotic organization offering education and action in defense of our liberties. The best summary of our beliefs and principles is found in our motto: "Less government, more responsibility, and -- with God's help -- a better world." We uphold and defend the United States Constitution and seek to restore our national independence by extricating our nation from the United Nations and all of its affiliates.

At the time of the Society's founding in 1958, there were many conservative organizations -- hundreds, perhaps even thousands -- that espoused views that were similar to ours. However, none of them enjoyed the unique blessing represented by our founder, Robert Welch. Mr. Welch was an outstanding student of history, economics, and philosophy, but just as importantly he was a remarkably successful businessman who had a singular gift for organization.

From his studies of history and contemporary affairs, Mr. Welch came to understand that the destruction of our liberties and national independence was the work of concerted effort -- a conspiracy -- and that it could only be arrested and then reversed through organized, principle-centered effort. Accordingly, in December 1958, at the age of 59 -- when he could have been retired and enjoying the well-earned fruits of a successful career -- Mr. Welch created The John Birch Society as a "voluntary group of individualists." In this way, he said at the time, "not all the advantages of organization and continuity will be left on the side of the forces of evil."

TNA: What are some of the "advantages of organization" enjoyed by The John Birch Society?

GVS: The Society is a national organization with chapters in all 50 states that are led by volunteers who receive guidance and assistance from a full-time field staff. Our approach is to help concerned Americans use their freedoms to save freedom for themselves and their children.

There are many conservative organizations who send out sophisticated direct mail appeals urging people to send them money so that they can fight the battle for them inside the Washington, D.C., beltway. Some of these same organizations now boast of having official "non-governmental organization" status at the United Nations as well -- as if we could win the battle by conferring legitimacy upon the UN as a global legislature. The JBS has never embraced the first approach, and we will have absolutely nothing to do with the second approach. What the JBS can do is give concerned Americans the tools to win, and provide them with the leadership and concerted national effort necessary to help them win.

In my contacts with our members and staff, I've often explained that there are four levels at which people can participate in the freedom fight. First, they can become informed; second, they can inform others; third, they can speak out in public forums; and fourth, they can organize to take the offensive -- take the battle to the enemy, rather than merely fighting a defensive battle.

Most conservative organizations offer either a means of "getting out a message," or inside-the-Beltway proxy "leadership" in fighting a defensive battle. We believe that The John Birch Society is the only existing organization that offers both the educational tools and the strategic leadership necessary to help Americans expose and rout the enemies of our freedom.

TNA: Where does the JBS focus its efforts?

GVS: We focus our efforts specifically upon the House of Representatives, for two reasons. First, because the House was designed by the Founding Fathers to be immediately accountable to the people; and second, because the House has the "power of the purse," since all revenue bills must begin there. So any serious effort to de-fund unconstitutional federal policies must focus upon the House of Representatives. While we don't minimize the importance of the presidency or the Senate, we agree with the late Congressman Larry McDonald that a House of Representatives controlled by constitutionalists "could restore constitutional government, even if the Senate, the President, and the Supreme Court fought it all the way."

The JBS seeks to create sufficient influence within a majority of congressional districts nationwide to re-conquer the House on behalf of the Constitution. Now, we've always followed the admonition, "Put not your faith in politicians." We're under no illusions that we can find, in any significant number, statesmen of the caliber of our Founding Fathers. What we do believe, however, is that we can educate and mobilize citizens who understand and cherish the principles of our Founders, and that they can exert sufficient pressure upon our representatives to induce them to vote the right way, not just at election time but all the time. Congressmen may not understand or respect the Constitution, but they certainly understand the concept of job security -- and that's leverage that Americans can and must use to reclaim our country. And that's where the principle-centered leadership of The John Birch Society has a unique role to play.

TNA: You've referred repeatedly to "principle-centered leadership." What are the beliefs and principles of The John Birch Society?

GVS: We believe in that fundamental truth which was once commonly understood but is now largely forgotten: that we were created by God and that our rights and responsibilities come from Him. Modern "liberal" man, tragically, has rejected God and instead worships the collectivist State in all of its hideous varieties -- Communism, National Socialism, Fascism, Socialism, the Welfare State.

In totalitarian Communist regimes, the government declares open war upon religion and biblical morality; witness the suffering of the underground Christian church in Red China, or Communist Cuba's war upon believers, or the persecution, enslavement, and martyrdom of Christians in Sudan. We've been spared horrors of this magnitude in the United States, but our ruling Establishment has been waging a cleverly disguised war against religion and morality in the name of "separation of Church and state" and other deceptive slogans. The result has been the eviction of biblical morality from our public institutions and the steady disintegration of both public and private morality.

The Founding Fathers understood that a free society cannot exist without a moral population that understands and respects God's law. In our present, increasingly degenerate society, it's seen as an act of "extremism" -- or outstanding moral courage, depending upon one's point of view - when a judge honors and recognizes God's Ten Commandments as the source of both our moral and political laws.

Once again, we're dealing with an organized effort to destroy our moral foundations, and this requires an organized resistance and an organized counter-offensive. Our enemies control the Establishment media; they dominate the prestigious academic institutions; they have the entertainment media under their control. They have succeeded in bullying many decent Americans into silence by depicting those who stand for moral principle as "intolerant," or "bigoted." So untold numbers of Americans who could use their influence in the freedom fight have retreated into their homes and church pews, thereby abandoning the battlefield to the enemy.

While our situation is grave, and our nation's departure from its founding ideals is tragic, there are still millions of decent, God-fearing Americans who love our heritage of liberty. The only way that our enemies are going to win is if we allow them to win. We believe that it is the responsibility of every American to oppose the evil forces aligned against us and to restore our freedoms, revive our republican institutions, and to re-build our Christian-style civilization.

And again, this is where organization and leadership are essential. These tasks are daunting to those who have been led to believe that their love for our country and Constitution makes them "extremists." But The John Birch Society gives patriots the means to multiply their individual efforts by working with kindred souls across our land.

TNA: What are some of the tools that the Society makes available to its members?

GVS: Mr. Welch envisioned the Society to be a real educational army, rather than a sterile "debating society." Thus the literature and other educational tools we offer are intended to be intellectual weapons in an activist's arsenal. Our "troops" are supplied with a range of effective, up-to-date, accurate weapons, such as books, video and audio tapes, articles, pamphlets, petitions, websites, and live speaking engagements on vital subjects. These weapons are produced or selected by the Society to use in specific campaigns within our overall mission to preserve freedom and reverse our descent into collectivist tyranny. As Robert Welch so insightfully pointed out, "simply publishing good books, articles, and pamphlets, and even getting them distributed, is not, by itself, enough to win this battle. This literature must be read, it must be put to use, and it must be a part of an overall, concerted plan of action. And this is exactly what The John Birch Society has been doing, and must continue to do in the futu re."

It's important to point out that The John Birch Society is an educational army, not a political organization. We do not run candidates for office, nor do we endorse candidates. We focus, once again, on educating and mobilizing the citizenry to defend sound principles, and keep them active in this effort every year -- not just election year.

TNA: We have just begun a new century and a new millennium, and some commentators believe that the principles you've discussed are "outdated." How do you respond to this criticism?

GVS: Sound principles don't have expiration dates. Lord Acton's warning "power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely" is just as relevant today as it was in the 19th century, as are the Founding Fathers' insights about the danger of entrusting fallen man with power over others.

Shortly before organizing The John Birch Society, Robert Welch observed: "The increasing quantity of government, in all nations, has constituted the greatest tragedy of the twentieth century." It wasn't until the publication of political scientist R.J. Rummel's monumental study Death By Government in 1994 -- nearly 40 years later -- that the academic world, or some limited part of it, came to the same recognition.

Professor Rummel is a liberal anti-war activist who came to recognize, as a result of his studies, that total government is much deadlier than war. His studies documented that between 1900 and 1987, the governments of the world killed 170 million of their own subjects -- most of them in time of "peace." Professor Rummel coined the term "democide" to describe this mass murder of populations by governments, and he concluded that the only way to avert this horrendous carnage is to put strict limits on government power. In other words: Less government and more responsibility.

These are timeless principles; they do not change just because we've turned the page on a calendar. During the 20th century we received many blessings in terms of technological advancement and improvements in living standards. But it was also the century of the total state and total war. And now we see humanity living under the specter of the total state on a global scale through the United Nations. If we allow that evil vision to take material form, the 21st century will be an era of unprecedented tyranny and suffering.

TNA: For four decades the Society has been warning about the dangers posed by the United Nations and campaigning to "Get US Out!" of the United Nations. Why?

GVS: [Laughter] I should be asking you that question; you're the one who's written two books and many, many articles on this subject -- but I'll do my best. To put it bluntly: If we remain in the UN we will soon lose our national independence and the individual freedoms protected by the Constitution.

After World War I, there was a big push by the Internationalists -- that is, promoters of world government both here and abroad -- to create a global government body. With President Woodrow Wilson acting as their front man, the Internationalists created the League of Nations and tried to sell it to the American public as a means of putting an end to war. But the American people weren't buying, because they were educated about the dangers of the League of Nations covenant -- that it would lead to the loss of our national sovereignty, and involve us in endless wars abroad. So the Senate, under pressure from an informed electorate, wisely rejected the League of Nations covenant. But the one-world elite didn't give up. Even before our nation was maneuvered into World War II, the same forces began planning a new world government body -- the United Nations Organization, or UNO.

After our founding in 1958, the Birch Society pointed out what other intelligent observers had noticed, that the UNO and its founding Charter had been crafted by Communists and their one-world allies for an ulterior purpose. Who was the acting secretary-general at the UN's founding conference in San Francisco? Alger Hiss, a Soviet spy and traitor to our nation within the State Department. His Communist collaborators in founding the UN included Harry Dexter White, Frank Coe, Victor Perlo, Irving Kaplan, and Noel Field. Hiss was also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), the principal front for the one-world Establishment, and the UN was the hideous offspring of this essentially incestuous union.

Through UN "peacekeeping" missions and treaties on trade, human rights, the environment, and other issues, the United States is being trapped and bound down, just as Gulliver was trapped by the Lilliputians. The UN just completed a global conference on "gun control" that identified American gun owners as the source of a "global scourge" of "illicit" firearms; this sets the stage for future UN efforts to disarm Americans. Last January 1st, the U.S. signed the UN's International Criminal Court treaty, under which Americans may someday find themselves abducted from this country and arraigned in foreign courts for supposed offenses against "international law." In those courts they would enjoy none of the protections afforded by our Bill of Rights -- no trial by jury, no presumption of innocence, no habeas corpus guarantee.

This past summer we've been reminded of how important it is for our nation to have access to energy. Few Americans realize, however, that the UN's environmental treaties, such as Agenda 21, the Biodiversity Treaty, and the Kyoto Protocol on global warming, are aimed at killing our access to energy, as well as destroying our private property rights, which are the very foundation of our liberty. We've seen farmers in Oregon being driven off their land by federal policies that deny them desperately needed irrigation water, which is instead being diverted to protect "endangered" suckerfish. How many Americans are aware that this is an outgrowth of the UN-mandated "Wildlands Project," which seeks to uproot industrial civilization from one-half of the continental United States, and turn that territory into a UN-administered "wildlife preserve"?

Or take the UN treaty on Persistent Organic Pollutants (or POPs), which was signed by George W. Bush this spring. That treaty, which would outlaw the use of DDT and other important pesticides, is the equivalent of a death warrant for millions of people around the world who desperately need those chemicals to combat malaria and other deadly diseases. Literally tens of millions of people may die as a result of the POPs treaty -- but this is entirely in line with the population "stabilization" guidelines that the UN introduced in yet another international agreement that was worked out in its Cairo population control conference in 1994.

This is the diabolical work that is being done through the UN, behind its facade of "peace-making" and humanitarian outreach.

TNA: The UN and its promoters obviously have stepped up their activities on all fronts to "empower" the UN. What is the Society doing to counter this effort?

GVS: We're not fighting a rear-guard defensive battle -- we're stepping up our attack. We have launched a new multi-pronged national campaign, of which your new book The United Nations Exposed, and your speaking tours, are part. We have other important new books in development, as well as a new UN video, billboards, petitions, a new series of hard-hitting pamphlets, radio commercials, and a new "getusout.org" website. We are offering leadership that goes to the root of the problem.

Thoreau once said, "There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root." General Curtis LeMay offered a slightly homier version of the same wise insight: "Stop swatting at the flies and get rid of the manure pile." There are a lot of conservative organizations hacking away at branches, or energetically shooing away the flies -- but we're striking the evil of the UN at its root, we're going to get rid of the UN manure pile.

Earlier I mentioned conservative groups that seek accredited non-governmental status at the UN as a way of getting a "place at the table" and working to "reform" the UN. This is a perfect example of "hacking at the branches." This route misleads good people into thinking that the UN can be reformed -- in other words, that there's gold buried somewhere in that manure pile. But such groups lend the UN a false legitimacy, and as a condition of their NGO status they have to promise to "support the work of the United Nations."

Another example of misguided leadership is the movement to get cities and counties to pass "UN-free Zone" ordinances that actually violate fundamental rights. There's nothing wrong with passing resolutions opposing the UN and its agenda, of course. But no city or county will be able to get out of the UN by itself; we must liberate our entire nation, and the only way to do this is by having Congress cut off funding to the body and repeal our existing agreements with it.

That is why we are calling on all Americans to contact their Representatives and urge them to support H.R. 1146, the "American Sovereignty Restoration Act." This measure would terminate all U.S. funding of the UN and its programs, get the United States completely out of the United Nations, and withdraw diplomatic immunity for the deadbeats who infest the UN Headquarters building in New York City.

TNA: In addition to the reinvigorated "Get US out!" campaign, what are some of the things that The John Birch Society is doing now?

GVS: I'm very excited about the recent successes we've enjoyed in several states in our years-long and hard-fought battle to stop and repeal the calls for a constitutional convention. Several years ago this subversive effort took the guise of a "Conference of the States," and the JBS led the successful fight to beat back this camouflaged Con-Con call. A second constitutional convention would scuttle our charter of government completely -- and make no mistake about it: The conspiracy doesn't just want our Constitution to be ignored and denigrated -- it wants it destroyed.

I am also very excited about our vision and plans for moving ahead with Robert Welch University, to see it progress from a summer camp program and publishing arm into an actual, functioning liberal arts university. We have many significant plans underway for expanded Internet outreach. Our new "Get US out!" campaign will, I'm confident, have a major impact in furthering our efforts to expose and rout the conspiracy.

TNA: This brings us back to the notorious "C" word--conspiracy. The JBS has been attacked for many years -- by Democrats and Republicans, liberals and conservatives -- because of its insistence that the most pressing evils and dangers we are facing are the work of a conspiracy of international elites intent on global tyranny. Why is this a central tenet of the Birch Society's beliefs?

GVS: For the same reason that the law of gravity is a central tenet of science: Because it is so obviously true, and its effects are so readily apparent. Unlike gravity, however, the Conspiracy is not an impersonal, irresistible force of nature. It is the work of devious, capable, but by no means invincible human beings. Their work can be documented, exposed, resisted, and defeated. But those who fail or refuse to see and act upon this reality can never hope to offer real leadership in this life-and-death battle for freedom.

The John Birch Society is on the front lines of an historic global conflict. We are fighting for America's survival; it is that serious. We welcome -- and earnestly ask -- all men and women of good moral character to join us in this epic and noble undertaking.