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In mid-November 1960, amidst deepening Cold War anxieties, a group of conservative activists, religious leaders, and politicians convened at the Adelphia Hotel in Philadelphia to attend the “Philadelphia School for Anti-Communists.” This multi-day event was sponsored by the Christian Anti-Communism Crusade—a fervently patriotic organization determined to fight what it saw as an existential threat posed by the Soviet Union and international Communism.
Historical Context
By 1960, the Cold War competition between the United States and the USSR had escalated from a post–World War II rivalry into a pervasive cultural struggle. High-profile events such as the 1959 “Kitchen Debate” between Nixon and Khrushchev, the 1960 U-2 spy plane incident, and intensifying debates over foreign aid and arms races amplified domestic fears of communist infiltration. Organizations like the Christian Anti-Communism Crusade emerged to galvanize Americans—particularly churchgoing conservatives—to stand ready against perceived subversion at home and abroad.
Strategy: Harnessing Faith Against the ‘Red Menace’
- Educational Programming – The pamphlet reveals a systematic curriculum: lectures on “The Communist Program for World Conquest,” “Is Communist Constitutional?,” and “Proletarian Stockholders.” By framing these sessions as “schools,” the organizers sought to position themselves as credible authorities with the explicit aim of teaching citizens how to detect and repel communist ideology.
- Moral and Religious Undercurrents – Under the leadership of Dr. Fred Schwarz and other high-profile speakers, the Christian Anti-Communism Crusade drew on a blend of patriotism and religious conviction. This fusion was intended to energize the faithful, casting America as a moral bulwark against the atheistic threat of communism.
- Networking and Mobilization – The schedule’s banquet session (“Design for Victory”) signaled a strategic plan to rally attendees, encouraging them not only to learn but also to become active promoters of anti-communist policies in their own communities.
Language, Imagery, and Symbolism
- Alarmist Imagery: The striking red shading on the globe—indicating communist expansion into Africa, Asia, and Latin America—conveyed an urgent sense of “encirclement.” The bold caption, “ENCIRCLEMENT + DEMORALIZATION = SURRENDER,” underscored the existential danger they believed communism posed.
- Dramatic Headlines: Phrases like “Minds, Morals and Motives of Communism” and “Communist Brainwashing” signaled that the ideology was invasive and psychologically potent—reinforcing fear-based narratives.
- Religious Overtones: The letterhead of the Christian Anti-Communism Crusade and direct appeals for financial support in the name of a new “birth of freedom” connected the anti-communist fight to religious duty, tapping emotional resonance beyond ordinary political discourse.
Impact
While the effectiveness of such seminars in shaping broad national policy can be debated, the “Philadelphia School for Anti-Communists” nonetheless exemplified how deeply anti-communist sentiment ran in certain sectors of American society. These gatherings helped cultivate networks of conservative activists and future political figures, many of whom continued to advocate for more aggressive foreign policies and stricter internal security measures. The language of moral righteousness and patriotic vigilance advanced in these pamphlets would reverberate into the next decades—echoing in debates from the Vietnam War era to the rise of New Right conservatism in the 1970s and 1980s.
Special thanks to the USC Digital Imaging Lab for their support in digitizing this item.
