79-02-B4
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Peace Corps[edit]
Transcript[edit]For some years now we've had a "Peace Corps" operating throughout the world. Starting out as an idealistic effort to benefit people in the underdeveloped countries particularly, it has generally been accepted as something akin to those unselfish good Samaritans, our American missionaries. Young people were recruited mainly from our colleges. They were trained in a variety of ways. Then, they journeyed to far away places where they lived in native villages, teaching the people about sanitation, better ways to farm, health care , and helping in any way they could. But what Congress will face is the the possibility that the one time idealism of the Peace Corps volunteer has given way to pure political activism somewhat out of line with the Corps' original purpose. The Peace Corps is a branch of an agency called "Action". Action under this administration is headed up by a young man named Sam Brown. A number of congressmen of both parties have been concerned for more than a year that Director Brown has packed his agency with "New Left" activists, veterans of the Anti-Vietnam war, radicals and others, and that Action dollars are being used to finance the programs of the New Left. Sam Brown was an organizer in 1969 of the so called moratorium demonstration. Well , after his appointment to "ACTION", he attended the rally in New York to welcome the North Vietnamese conquerors to the U.N. He listened to the denunciation of our country as "imperialists" who had fought a bloody colonial war, and openly expressed his joy at seeing a 15 year dream come true -- namely a communist victory over the U.S. Brown has surrounded himself with veterans of the riotous '60's -- Marge Tabankin to run the Vista program, Associate Director John Lewis, formerly of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee -- some of whose spokesmen were Rap Brown and Stockley Carmichael, Berkeley City councilwoman, who gained attention by refusing to stand for the pledge to the flag. What Congress will be looking at is the recent ousting of the Peace Corps' Director, Carolyn Payton. Dr. Payton, a 53 year old black psychologist, had confronted her superior Sam Brown , protesting that the Peace Corps had been enmeshed in politics. She said it was "pursuing objectives which have nothing to do with promoting world peace and friendship." Dr. Payton made it clear that Peace Corps volunteers were being used to export a particular ideology and were being encouraged to engage in political activism. Their superiors would be pleased to see them demonstrate overseas against corporations which engage in practices with which they disagree. I believe Sam Brown has a budget of about $200 million. You can stir up a lot of trouble with that kind of money. I hope Congress listens to Dr. Carolyn Payton -- we all should. This is Ronald Reagan. Thanks for listening. |
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