LETTER TO MR. HARVEY H. HEVENOR FROM ALLEN W. DULLES

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80B01676R003600070062-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: December 12, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 14, 2002
• Sequence Number: 62
• Publication Date: September 8, 1960
• Content Type: LETTER

I cannot accept your statement that our entry is being i y
a group of unconscious coznnt fists. I do not `believe that the k
word in my speech before the V erane of Foreign Wars was Def
I wonder if you have had a chanc"to read the full ta*t. In any event,
I any enclosing a copy which maybe of interest to you.
Many points which you raise are *new with policy issues.
it would not be appropriate for me to c.on these mar t
which lie outside my competence.
 HIRVEY H. HEVENOR
August 28, 1960
Mr. Allan Dulles
Central Intelligence Agency
United States Goverment,
Washington, D. 0.
Dear Sir :
I have been reading the talk that you gave
at the convention of the VFW. As the head of one of
the most powerful agencies of the Goverment, it was
interesting that the wording of your speech revealed
one of the reasons for our lack of success in compet-
ing with the Soviets.
The key word in the speech to the VFW was
DEFENSE. Defense is alright when the rest of the
world is in a more or less static condition. When,
as now, this is not true, and one is faced with a
dedicated foe it is the utmost in stupidity. I do
not believe that all history provides one example of
defense being the means of overcoming an enemy, or of
even checking them for a period.
Though the Goverment talks to all the world
about freedom, about liberation, not one country has
been liberated from Comunism since the end of World
,Tar Two. This is a pretty sad record for the might-
iest nation on earth. It is also a fact that not one
undeveloped country has been helped to the point that
we may point to it and say; " This is an example of
what democracy can do."
It would appear that all the west can do is
to repeat mistake after mistake. In the process of these
mistakes we are spending ourselves into eventual bank-
ruptcy. If these mistakes are allowed to continue, we
will soon not even be able to point to our own country
as an example. One would suppose that our nation were
being run by the enemy for we seem to do the very things
that they wish us to do.
America has a State Department, an Intelligence
Agency, both with all the money that they could wish for,
yet, it is a fact that neither are successful in what they
try to accomplish. Why ?
We cannot claim that the personnel at the head
of the various agencies are stupid ! Supposedly they
are far better educated and trained than most, including
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HARVEY H. HEVENOR
psychologically unable to realize the type of world in
which they try to operate. They seem to be unable to
fathom the thinking of the underdeveloped peoples of
the world. They also are apparently unable to get
through to even the Western World. The recent failures;
the summit donference, the U*2 incident, Cuba, Costa
Rica, Dominican Republic, Africa from the Cape to the
Meditterrean.
I do not mean to imply that Allan Dulles is
personnally responsible for all our failures. There
is the history of Secretary Dulles, Truman, Acheson,
Roosevelt, and many others. All of these leaders have
little to point to with pride as far as understanding
of world events are concerned. It is true that I am
second guessing, but this does not alter the fact of
our declining position, or of the ever recurring cris-
es from which we come out at the bottom of the list.
Perhaps, the reason for our failures is the
fact that we are trying to do the impossible. We seem
to have practically no flexibility in foreign affairs.
This is also true of national affairs, where the polic-
ies of our leaders has the nation divided against itself.
I humbly submit that real leaders do not pay too much
attention to the likes, or dislikes, of others, but
rather pursue the course that is best for the nation.
We try to sell to the rest of the world things that have
no reality. Think on the word democracy. If one is
to take the dictionary meaning, a meaning that we place
before others in the world, we have no democracy. We
speak of equal rights, as though this meant equal ability,
when it is a physical impossibility. We talk of Christian
ideals and philosophy as though these were the motivating
force behind our economy, our politics. We talk as the
it were possible to argue with those without reason. We
say peace, when we mean arms. We say defense, when we mean
attack. Is it any wonder that few in the world are able
to bring themselves to fully believe us ? We talk of
great victories, when we are in fact just paying black-
mail l
It is not that our citizens do not have the
brains with which to conquer, but rather that they do
not as yet realize that this is the only way in which
we can prevail. There is no substitute for victory,
and there is no substitute for the whip where needed.
As of yet, most of the world is not interested in cars,
refrigerators, televisions, but rather with enough to
eat and the peace with which to eat the food. People
who are hungry care not the least what philosophy gives
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IIARVEY H. HEVENOR
Your brother, the Secretary of State, had the
opportunity of securing China to our cause. This meant
the possibility of realizing a border on Russia of four
thousand miles. He threw it away. To-day sees the dis-
pute between the Soviet and China, yet we fail to take
any possible advantage. Why ? Are we so doped with our
own words that we are unable to do those things that may
mean victory ? We speak of honor and justice in procedure
about Foreign Affairs. Yet, we know from history that
these affairs have never been carried out by any nation
along these lines. Had England a chance to retrace her
steps in time back to 1776, do you think that she would
have so easily let us go ? You know the answer to this, as
well as I.
make as toT our only
national conclusion
and o international that an unbiased man could
we are being led by a group of unconscious communists, tun-
knowing as to the path that they have taken. I only hope
to God that you are not among them,
If you should have the time, and the inclin-
ation, I hope that you will see fit to answer some of
the questions that I have raised. I assure you that they
will not be publicized other than through conversation.
Very truly yours,
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