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on Memorandum to L. v ‘wwardman . ©) Re: Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt 7 y information Concerning . In 1927, Joseph Stalin declared: "...The Party cannot be neutral... | towards the reactionary clergy who poison the minds of the toiling masses. Mave | we suppreased the reactionary clergy? Yes, Tay have- The miorhmate thing is that it has uot been completely Liquidated....” In 1955, Nikita S. Khrushchev stated: "We remain atheists. We will do all we can to liberate a certalp portion of the people.from the charm of the religious " . ~~. 5 ; 4 4 opium that still exists.... The Present Viewpoint in Religion i Many will probably defeud Mra. Roosevelt's picture of a “holy city” in ’ the Soviet Union by’explaining that things have changed since Stalin's death. E so, they have only to read the latest Soviet publications which, recently, have been focusing attention on religious Influences in that country. Typical of the comments found on this subject in various articles and editorials in the Soviet press are the following: oo "it is necessary for antireligious propaganda to stress the fact that all religion is uns:ientific...." iy the struj,gle against religious survivals in the consciousness of a certain segment of the Sovict people it is necessary to make use not only of lectures but of all forms of political influence of the masses..." ; “The victory of aocialism decisively undermined the social roots of r victory , _fretigion in our country..." (The Current Digest of the Soviet Press, 9/4/87, pp.I215 : An American's Responsibility sot : Mrs. Roosevelt's visit to and her description in glowing terms of the "hol: city" in the Soviet Union illustrates two important pointe: (1) Foreign “dignitaries” ar still being given “guided” tours in the Soviet Union designed to hoodwink them into praising the Soviet system; (2) Prominent Americans whose views are highly respected have a responsibility to the American public to present both sides of the picture in any discussion of the sc-called developments in communist states. Other- wise, they become nothing more than dupes for communist propaganda. RECOMMENDATION: _ For the information of the Director. . a aa : | Bee 4