It is also true, however, that educational systems can be subverted and used to produce those who endanger the lives, and the ways of life, of their fellow citizens. Although the international communist conspiracy evokes images of downtrodden impoverished workers rebelling against an allegedly exploitative economic system, historian John Stormer points out that self-styled revolutionaries and radicals come from elite and wealthy social groups:
The membership of the first Communist spy ring uncovered in the U.S. Government was not spawned in the sweatshops of New York’s lower east side or the tenant farms of the South. Alger Hiss, Nathan Witt, Harry Dexter White, Lee Pressman, John Abt, Lauchlin Currie and their comrades came to high government posts from Harvard law School.
During the Cold War — roughly 1946 to 1990 — the Soviet espionage network inside the United States promoted the notion that communism and socialism were fervently desired by those in the working classes. It is clear, however, that the energy behind the international communist conspiracy came from well-educated and affluent people. They could use their influence and social networks to recruit spies and gain access to policy makers and opinion makers, as well as access to confidential military and political information.
A report produced by the U.S. Senate explains:
A trite explanation offered by the ill-informed is that communism is a product of inequalities under our social system. Hence, these people argue, if we will alleviate these conditions, we will never have to worry about communism. Since it is manifestly impossible to devise a social system in which everybody will be satisfied, this would mean that we should meekly fold our arms and accept communism in our midst as a necessary evil for which we ourselves are chiefly to blame. In the second place, this approach overlooks the fact that millions of dollars spent on cleverly devised Communist propaganda is bound to have some effect in any society, no matter how relatively contented, especially when supplemented by the activities of thousands of ardent zealots.
Socialism and communism, political ideologies allegedly designed to benefit the lower classes, are most popular among the upper classes. There might be several reasons for this: some wealthy people might sincerely if mistakenly believe that these ideologies would help the poor; others might cynically see an opportunity to gain political power for themselves while pretending to have altruistic motives.
In any case, there is a clear statistical correlation between affluence and an affection for communism and socialism. The Senate report states:
The misery theory of communism runs contrary to actual fact in our country. New York State, for example, has approximately 50% of the total Communist Party membership. Yet it is second in terms of per capita income as well as per capita school expenditures. California is second with approximately 16 percent of the total party membership and yet it is fourth in terms of per capita income and seventh in terms of per capita school expenditures. Similarly, Illinois is third in membership standing with approximately 5 percent and yet it is sixth in per capita income and third in terms of money spent for schools.
While the wealthy may be inclined to promote socialism and communism, the working class, allegedly the beneficiaries of these ideologies, oppose them, seeing better chances for advancement in a system of free enterprise, free markets, and property rights. Those who’ve actually experienced poverty, rather than those who’ve merely read about it, resist the encroachment of communism and socialism. The Senate report continues:
Conversely, Mississippi is lowest in the scale of Communist Party membership but is also lowest in per capita income. The misery theory of communism does not jibe with these figures nor with the fact that such wealthy persons as Frederick Vanderbilt Field, and prominent members of the Hollywood film colony, have been found to be members of the Communist Party. Indeed the misery theory of communism is exactly what the Communists would have us believe, in order to mislead us.
The most vocal and militant proponents of communism and socialism, as well as the disguised versions of those ideologies presented under a veneer of more acceptable domestic political wordings, come almost exclusively from a class of people whose wealth is significant enough to allow them expansive leisure time.
Various celebrities from the movies, TV, and popular music industries routinely promote communism and socialism, while enjoying a lifestyle of chauffeur-driven limousines, lavish travel, and the costliest jewelry and wardrobes. They routinely own several large homes, scattered around the country if not around the world, each of which is worth many times the humble houses of the workers whom they claim to represent.
The ideologies which claim to help the poor are, in reality, the toys of the rich.
