A WARNING OF DANGEROUS DIVERSIONS

By Eric D. Butler
The distinguished South African lyrical poet, Roy Campbell, warned against the danger of becoming that which one fights. I recalled this profound observation when recently surveying the activities of a number of American organisations and individuals allegedly on the side of Christianity and Civilisation.
Over a lifetime of experience in studying the forces destroying traditional society, I have been struck by the number of individuals who, in the course of resisting evil, have become disoriented by their experiences. Regretfully, some have suffered mental breakdowns of varying types. One American who was responsible for a most valuable work on the establishment of the Federal Reserve System of banking subsequently became a genuine psychotic with the result that his writings must now be treated with the greatest caution.

As the situation deteriorates, it is perhaps inevitable that some become so overwhelmed that they become the victims of material presented either by confidence operators, or by those suffering from dangerous delusions. There is also the possibility that subversives are exploiting the situation to foster such "way out" versions of what is happening that the overall result is either to make easier the discrediting of any suggestion of conspiracy, or to create such a feeling of helplessness that the individual develops a sense of hopelessness. A number of writers have "cashed in" on the current situation with fictional and semi-fictional works which are dangerous diversions from grasping an understanding of the realities, which have to be faced.
Packed audiences listening open mouthed to lectures which have flying saucers, cosmic rays and much else all linked to well established aspects of a conspiracy of power groups, are not a manifestation of any constructive opposition to programmes of centralised power.

It is unfortunate much of the diversionary activity emanates from the United States, still the major military bastion of the West. Such activity can only contribute towards the fragmentation of the United States. I draw attention to several cases of the problem I am discussing.
Before leaving Australia I listened to part of a tape by a John Todd, who claims that he is a former witch turned evangelist sent by God to warn America about an impending take over by evil forces. Todd has electrified gullible American audiences with his story of how he was born into witchcraft and became a Grand David high priest in the Illuminati. Todd says he was a member of the "Council of Thirteen", one of the chosen few who rank just below the Rothschild family, whom Todd claims are really demons.

One of Todd's claims is that President Jimmy Carter is the Anti-Christ and that his sister Ruth Carter Stapleton is a leading high priestess of witchcraft who taught Todd some of the finer points of the arts of bewitching. According to Todd, President Carter takes orders direct "from the Rothschilds". President Carter is, of course, a Rockefeller man. Todd is a most impressive performer, using sufficient fact to embellish his "revelations" with an aura of plausibility. Many American fundamentalist pastors and their congregations have been impressed. Some still continue to believe, that Todd is genuine in spite of the fact that, apart from the obvious absurdity of many of Todd's claims, a close study of his history reveals a man who has blended witchcraft with his own version of Christianity while seducing young girls.
As a result of one case of the seduction of a 16-year old girl, Todd served two months of a six months sentence for contributing to the unruliness of a minor. He was released from jail on medical grounds, allegedly because he was having seizures. He was treated for drug overdoses in the army in 1969. Todd argues that the police are persecuting him because they are associated with the Illuminati. At least one Pastor thinks this view plausible!

The general situation is critical enough without the contributions of psychotics like John Todd. Todd's message of the individual's helplessness in the face of the events predicted have resulted in some telling their Pastors, "we will not allow them to torture our children; we have decided that we will kill our children before that happens." Which reminds one of the mass suicide and killing at Jonestown in Guyana. Large numbers of people found the Jonestown affair incredible.

Even more incredible are the "revelations" of one Dr. Peter Beter, which I have found are being accepted as reliable right around the world. Beter was an appointee of the Kennedy Administration to the American Import-Export Bank. He was an economic adviser to the Zaire Government. Canadians first heard of Beter when he "revealed" that the Soviet had planted nuclear weapons in the sea around North America. One allegedly was off Vancouver. This created high anxiety at the time. But it dwindled as no evidence was produced to support the Beter claims.

As I left for last year's World Anti-Communist Conference in Washington, I had been asked by some Canadians about Beter's claims that the Soviet had established a nuclear base in Guyana. Questioned about this, well informed delegates from Latin America dismissed the story as "way out". Others also discounted the Beter story. Beter then used the Jonestown tragedy to produce another story, namely that Jones had been used by the C.I.A. to establish his commune close by the Soviet nuclear base so that it could then be destroyed. The Jonestown affair was allegedly a cover for a U.S. military action, with Jones escaping to finish up dying of brain cancer in Israel. I am not surprised that competent observers find the Beter tapes hilarious.

Even more hilarious is another story, which I have before me, that Jonestown was set up by the FBI, the CIA and the Mafia to smuggle heroin into the United States. One can only wonder if this nonsense is not deliberately promoted to divert attention from the real story of Jonestown, the end result of an attempt to establish the "ideal" Communist multi-racial society under a "Saviour".

MR. JEREMY LEE, NATIONAL SECRETARY OF THE INSTITUTE OF ECONOMIC DEMOCRACY REPORTS

A 'Phony' Energy Crisis?
One of the by products of the Iranian situation is a spate of reports on an imminent energy crisis. It is true that Iran, second biggest oil producer in the world after Saudi Arabia, has gone through a period in which production dropped from 6 million barrels a day to virtually nothing, and that her current attempts to get back into gear could well be frustrated by internal revolution and chaos. But it is also true that current attempts by western governments to project a resulting picture of oil starvation - with a consequent need for rationing and controls - is a false and phony projection, which must be fought and exposed at all costs.

Those who have followed the bizarre career of the Rockefeller puppet Jimmy Carter will have realised how his much vaunted "energy policy" is an obvious attempt to stampede a panicky public into accepting controls normally associated with war conditions. The same is true in Australia. Although challenged to do so, Minister Newman has refused to deny that he is contemplating petrol rationing. This is already a fact of life in New Zealand, with 'car less' days, and petrol stations compulsorily closed over weekends. However, there are facts about this crisis, which must be publicised constantly.

Many of Australia's oil wells are considered "too small" to fit into the vast, centralised refining network controlled by the oil giants. Refineries like Kwinana in Western Australia, and the Botany Bay complex in N.S.W., tightly controlled by militant unions, are political valves, which can now shut down a State, or nation at will. Almost unknown is the fact that a complete oil refinery, including a 'cracking' plant, was built over one of these so-called 'uneconomical' wells at Roma: in Queensland, for about half a million dollars, in contrast to the $300 to $400 million which conventional refineries cost. The unit is run by a handful of men, rather than the industrial army in bigger complexes. It shows that building small refineries at the site of production is a form of decentralisation allowing both full utilisation of available resources and a dissipation of union blackmail power urgently needed.

An initial investment of $5 million in such plants would allow ten small refineries to begin supplementing Australia's oil requirements. Even to a cost conscious government like the Fraser Government, $5 million should not be impossible! After all, it is less than the Budget for Canberra's parks and gardens this year. Apart from this, G.M.H. have stated that they could easily convert cars currently coming off the production line to LPG. Australia's gas reserves are enormous. It is a far better fuel for use in petrol engines than leaded petrol. Australia is already exporting large quantities of gas at a time when we are considering petrol rationing at home.

What, then, is the real reason for the Government's short sightedness and inertia? The truth is that it is addicted to the huge tax revenue exacted from petrol and oil sales. The Government budgeted for an Excise revenue of $3,885 million last August. So it would sooner have controls than alternatives! Only a fierce resistance from an informed public can avert this new form of interference with liberties and freedoms.