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If there ever were an example of how one man can make a difference, that man is Dr. Fred C. Schwarz. An Australian, he came to the United States in the mid-1950s and spent 50 years in our country teaching Americans to understand Communism. His knowledge of the theory, strategy, tactics, objectives, and successes of Communism was profound and total. Dr. Schwarz was a compelling orator who could hold the attention of crowds of many thousands and also a debater who could never be tripped up on the subject of his expertise. To many, he is best known for his five-day "schools," which he started in 1958, to teach about Communism in depth to willing listeners.
The essence of Dr. Schwarz's message was published in his 1960 book, You Can Trust the Communists . . . To Be Communists. When he completed his 50-year mission in the United States and returned to Australia, he bequeathed his organization, the Christian Anti-Communism Crusade, and its publications to a worthy successor, David A. Noebel of Summit Ministries. David Noebel has re-published this book, adding several chapters of his own to update us on the continued Communist assault on capitalism and Christianity and adding a very useful bibliography. Communism did not die when the Soviet Empire collapsed. It still exists in Cuba, Venezuela, China, and, unfortunately, on the campuses of many U.S. colleges and universities. David Noebel changed almost nothing in Dr. Schwarz's original writing -- we can still trust the Communists to be as evil as they always were. Since Dr. Schwarz was by training a medical physician, he was particularly good at using medical metaphors to explain the disease of Communism, to diagnose how it germinates and spreads, and how it can be cured. He was brilliant in dissecting the philosophy of Communism based on atheism, economic determinism, and dialectical materialism, and their relevance to Communist tactics. This book is an excellent primer for anyone who seeks to know what Communism really is. Dr. Schwarz explains how Communists are recruited and how they are molded to become willing servants of an un-American ideology. He describes Communist techniques for seizing power and how they set up deceptive Communist fronts and captive organizations. He explains the techniques of brainwashing at which the Communists are so successful. Dr. Schwarz warned us in the 1960s that Communists are not born; they are constantly made on the college campuses of the world. Unfortunately, that is still true. His wisdom in this book would be an excellent vaccine to give to any young person heading off to college. (Christian Anti-Communism Crusade, 2010, 370 pp., $17.95) |
Dr. Schwarz trained two generations of grassroots Americans to recognize the danger of Communism at home and abroad. He was a major force in building the conservative anti-Communist movement and supporting Ronald Reagan's goal of defeating the "evil empire."
