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the hands of perfectly authentic Americans, as violently againstHitler and Mussolini as the next one, but who are convinced thatthe present economic system is washed up and that the presentpolitical system in America has outlived its usefulness and who wishto commit this country to the rule of the bureaucratic state; interferingin the affairs of the states and cities; taking part in the managementof industry and finance and agriculture; assuming the roleof great national banker and investor, borrowing billions every yearand spending them on all sorts of projects through which such agovernment can paralyze opposition and command public support;marshaling great armies and navies at crushing costs to support theindustry of war and preparation for war which will become ourgreatest industry; and adding to all this the most romantic adventuresin global planning, regeneration, and domination all to bedone under the authority of a powerfully centralized governmentin which the executive will hold in effect all the powers with Congressreduced to the role of a debating society. There is your fascist.And the sooner America realizes this dreadful fact the sooner itwill arm itself to make an end of American fascism masqueradingunder the guise of the champion of democracy.It should be equally clear that all this is in no sense communism.It must stand as a strange commentary on our times that almost allof the criticism leveled at the current course of government inAmerica has been on the theory that it was surrendering to communismand was moving in the direction of Moscow. Nothing couldbe further from the truth. But it is easy to understand why this isso. In the first place, great numbers of communists have foundtheir way into government service—some of them into key positions.Communist groups have been vocal and, at times, violent insupport of what was being done. The explanation of this is perfectlysimple once one understands the communist strategy in this as in allcountries. Lenin laid down the principle. In a country like America,where communists are only a handful of the population and wherethere is literally no support for their theories—but a deep hatred ofthem—it would be folly to suppose they could actually put anyportion of communism into effect. The Communist party is utterlydifferent from the old Socialist party. That party was democratic2j3