I have authority to speak here that very few people have in the United States. I was chairman of the first committee in Congress to investigate communism. We did not investigate liberals and radicals. We believed in freedom of speech. I believe in utmost freedom of speech for everybody, whether they are in the Senate or wherever they may be, even for Army and Navy officers-and I will touch on that, too, before I am through.

But I know perhaps more about communism than most. I have written four books on it and I think I know more about it than anybody in the United States. I am not a book salesman and I don't need any money and I am not a candidate for office.

But this monstrous form of government and every Communist who appeared before our committee 30 years ago said the same thing, including their candidate for President and every body else: That they were against the American flag, they were for the Red flag; they were against our religion; they were against our free enterprise system. They were against our form of government; in short, they were against America and everything we stand for and believe in.

I am sorry there are not a hundred reporters here, because it is about time that people in America knew something of what is going on. The Senators are all very distinguished men, but they are all very busy men.

I am not going to say a word about this treaty. I am against the treaty in toto, from beginning to end, so I will not waste your time or mine in discussing whether some things in the treaty are good or not. I am going to tell you what is behind it and what you people may not know. You have listened to distinguished Army officers and distinguished Navy officers-I will mention no names; I know them all well and they too, have a right to freedom of speech-who have come before the Senate declaring it is a new world, there is a new spirit in the world, a spirit of anti-imperialism. They say that Soviet Russia would applaud if we turned down the treaty.

That is sheer bunk and nonsense and is absolutely incorrect. I could use stronger lanugage, but I know better from long experience in politics.

What are the facts? The facts are that the Soviet Union-and I am not talking about the French or the Italians, I am talking about the Soviet Union-has only one god, and his name is Lenin. He is the one who gave them their creed, and they believe in him, as a scared thing. It's like the old crusaders. It is his fanatical followers who run Russia. not the Russian people. He told them, "You must conquer the world; you must communize the world. And, you must begin to communize it by taking Central Europe." And they did. "And then you must take over the masses of Asia Minor." And they did. "And then you must go on and take Africa. Our enemy is the United States. We will surround them. We will surround them and we will force them to yield, or we will do it by force and violence."

These were the words of Lenin, their god, and they have never changed one iota since.

This was all brought out in the testimony before our committee, and we gave it to labor, and labor in the United States realized what it was. Labor in the United States is more against communism than Wall

Street or any other group today. Mr. Meany has no more chance than a man in the moon to influence the vote of labor on the canal because of some agreement he made with somebody or other.

They will not follow him on this because they know what communism is. They know that if we yield this canal, it will become Communist in no time.

U.S. PUBLIC REACTION TO TREATIES

Another reason I am not speaking to you about the treaty-and I could speak an hour if it were necessary, but I want to limit my remarks to 10 minutes if I can-is, of course, I don't anticipate that this treaty will go through. I will tell you why it won't go through: Because when the truth is known by the American people, 90 percent of the people will be against it. Senators are not going to commit suicide, unless they are a different kind of Senator than I was associated with for 25 years.

I will tell you, this will be their reaction once they know the truth, that we are turning this canal over to the Communists. We might as well give it to the Soviet Union or to Cuba. Within a short timesay 3 years-they will set fire to the treaty in a bonfire and burn it up, and they will nationalize the whole canal.

If you listened to the gentleman who just preceded me, they have already made a treaty to give two harbors to the Communists. What for? Of course, for their submarines and for their naval missile vessels, and so on.

This is a part of the program that was originally started 40 years ago by our enemy. When I use that word, I use it deliberately and advisedly. We have spent $1 trillion 300 million in defense against the Communist enemy in Moscow, and they are winning now by taking the canal over in their own way in the next few years. They will turn the Caribbean into a Communist lake. They will put 100 submarines there. They have 350 against our 150 and they will put many of them right in the Carribbean. They have the pens for the submarines already in two harbors in Cuba, 700 miles away.

This is what I am talking to you about. And here we have our Army and Navy saying that this is a new era; this is anti-imperialism. My God, Senators, the only great imperialist nation in the world today is the Soviet Union. They have taken half of Central Europe and they are reaching out all over. They are the only imperialist

nation.

If any of you Senators have been studying communism, you would know that for the past 60 years there has not been a single Communist leader to denounce the United States as the great, evil, wicked, imperialist nation.

Isn't it about time that the American people knew the truth? Isn't it about time that the Senators and the newspaper people knew and acknowledged the truth? This charge that America is a great imperialist nation is ridiculous.

There were imperialist nations in the past-England, France, Germany, Spain, Holland, many others. But let's look at the record, as Al Smith used to say, and see what the record discloses.

99-213-77- -33

We went to war with Spain and we won the war; and we gave back Cuba and the Philippines to their own people.

We went into World War I and World War II and we turned the tide from defeat into victory. And we asked for nothing in return and we got exactly what we asked-nothing at all. There was a bloody war with Japan; and after we beat their Navy and their Army we returned Taiwan to the Chinese. Okinawa to the Japanese.

We went into war again in Korea and threw the Communists out of South Korea. We asked for nothing and we got nothing.

We went into war with South Vietnam and we drove the Communists out of South Vietnam. Then we made that stupid treaty and left 100,000 Communist soldiers in South Vietnam, and they took over immediately afterwards. But we drove them out and we asked for nothing and we got nothing.

In all of history there is no country that has been so little imperialist. Yet communist propagandists every day all over the world denounce us and say that that is the reason we have to give up the canal, because we are an imperialist nation.

The admirals and generals appearing here are fine men and fine officers who know how to command troops. But they know very little about Government or about communism and Communist policy and their objectives and their plans. And these military men I refer to say the Communists will be delighted if we turn it down. Why, that was Lenin's plan, to surround the United States.

It is time somebody told us the truth about our own country and time we showed some pride in our record-a record that no other nation can match. We are the greatest anti-imperialist nation in the world.

I'm sorry that I cannot talk to you more here because I could go on and on about this monstrous thing that you will be doing by ratifying these treaties. However, I don't believe there will ever be a vote in the Senate on this. I don't believe the Senate will ever come to a vote. Your committee may vote it out, but there are a lot of Senators in this body who, I believe are the same kind of Senators we had in my time. They are interested in the cause of self-preservation, and they will know that if they were to vote out this treaty, it would be like committing political suicide.

Two-thirds of the Democrats of this Nation are against the treaty, and three-quarters or more of the Republicans and the Independents are against this treaty now, or will be when they know the canal is being given to the communists.

I will debate anybody, Henry Kissinger or anybody else, on this issue. I dare anybody to debate me on this issue, any place or any time, over the radio or over the television. I am just talking to you about the Communist issue.

I know how people feel. I have tried it out in my own district, in my son's district. I will tell the Senate and anybody else that I am devoted to my son; and I would like to see my son, if Senator Javits steps aside, become the candidate on the Republican ticket for U.S. Senator. And I guarantee, as far as I am able, and I know politics, that he will be elected-he won before by 80,000 votes, and he will be elected. But if he voted against the canal, I would vote against him, and so would anybody else.

I wouldn't vote against him because of his vote on the Nixon thing, because he was right. Nixon admitted that he was wrong. But I never said before I would vote against him. I have said that blood is thicker than water and I will support him. But I will tell you right now that I will work against any Republican, or any other person, who votes to turn this canal over to the Communists. It is a matter of the survival of 200 million Americans.

I think there is only one issue stronger than that, and that is strengthening our nuclear defense so that no nation will ever dare attack us.

I have always been for peace. I was against World War II for years, but I made the first speech for it because we were attacked. It was the first speech ever made on the radio in the House and was listened to by 25 million people. Unfortunately, I am not talking to 25 million people now. I wish I were. I am getting on in age, but as long as my voice is good I would willingly do it. I love my country, just the way you do, and I want them to know the truth.

Senator SARBANES. Thank you very much, Congressman.

Mr. FISH. Wait a minute. I want to read to you what I have to say about the treaties. This is what I released to the Senate; this is the important thing.

I am a little bit annoyed at having come all the way down here to speak to only a few members, though they are very distinguished members, and I thank them for this honor. But I have submitted this for the record but I think I should read it now.

OPPOSITION TO TREATIES

I am honored to appear before this distinguished committee of the U.S. Senate in opposition to the surrender and giveaway of the American canal in Panama to the Communist existing government there.

I served for almost 25 years on the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House and for approximately 10 years as its ranking Republican member, and was ranking Republican member of the Rules Committee for 4 or 5 years.

I was also chairman of the first congressional committee to investigate Communist activities, policies, principles, and ideologies in 1930. I believe, as I said, that I know as much about the aims and purposes of the Communists as anyone in the United States today. I have written several books on the subject-actually four.

I am convinced that the Communist tyrannical government at Moscow-and I repeat these words-is the most monstrous form of government that has existed anywhere since Lenin seized power by force and violence in Russia 60 years ago.

The surrender and giveaway of the American canal in Panama to the Communist government of that nation might just as well be given to Cuba or the Soviet Union, and it is time that the American people knew the truth of this aspect of this infamous blackmail treaty. I wish I had the time to tell you why I call it a "blackmail treaty." If adopted, it would be a day of infamy, playing directly into the hands of the Communist dictators at Moscow.

For years, the leading Communists at Moscow have been endeavoring to encircle and surround the United States. The takeover by the Com

munist Party and government in Panama would be the greateest victory the Soviet Union has achieved since our surrender to them at Yalta.

Our committee, back in 1930, did not persecute any liberals or radicals, as its main purpose was merely to find out the definite policies, principles, and objectives of communism at home and abroad.

These were testified to by the Communist Party candidates for President, who minced no words. They hated our form of government. They hated our religion and our freedom. They preferred the red flag, of course, to the American flag, and they favored a dictatorial, tyrannical government, with a world capital at Moscow.

HUMAN RIGHTS

Think of it. I must digress for a minute. I have to. Here we are all the time talking about human rights. I thought that was one of the greatest statements ever made by any President. Here we are now defying human rights.

Panama, Soviet Russia, and Cuba have the least human rights of any nations in the world, according to a report just made in New York-particularly the Soviet Union, where they build a big wall to keep their own people in.

There has been absolutely no change in their plans and objectives. The Communist hierarchy hates the United States, our freedoms and human rights, the religion of our people, and above all, our power, because we are the only nation with an arsenal of nuclear weapons and submarines that presently stand in the way of their communizing the entire world.

COMMUNIZING THE WORLD GOAL

They have only one god and his name is Lenin. He told them they must communize the world, and in doing so, if they exterminated threequarters of the people and one-quarter remained Communist, that would solve the problem.

This probably has not been told to your committees before: and other people may have forgotten it. I am here because I believe this is 100 percent true. If not, I would not be here.

This is the reason why they have built up an enormous arsenal of huge nuclear weapons, and have a superiority over us of 2 or 3 to 1 in almost every category of nuclear weapons. That, too, is covered up. I am willing to debate anybody, because I have written a book on this very subject.

That is the reason that they are going deeply underground to protect the Russian people whenever they get ready to attack us. They know as well as we do that we have no quarrel with anybody, nor with the Russian people, and we have no desire for additional territory, and will not turn on the nuclear button unless attacked. Then it will be too late because 120 million Americans will be dead.

On the other hand, the Communists at Moscow, who killed 30 million of their own people-and Solzhenitsyn places it at 60 million-would not hesitate whenever it is to their advantage, to destroy between 100 and 130 million Americans in one night. The whole world would then go Communist within 10 days.