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␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓βS␈↓∧ Department of Computer Science, STANFORD UNIVERSITY, Stanford, California 94305

␈↓ ↓H␈↓∧Telephone 415 497-4430␈↓ 
⊃April 27, 1983 




␈↓ ↓H␈↓Editorial Dept.
␈↓ ↓H␈↓National Review
␈↓ ↓H␈↓150 East 35th St.
␈↓ ↓H␈↓New York, N.Y. 10016

␈↓ ↓H␈↓Sirs:

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        There␈αhas␈αbeen␈αmuch␈αpress␈αcomment␈αon␈αPresident␈αReagan's␈αcharacterizations␈αof␈αthe␈αSoviet
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Union␈α
as␈α
"an␈α
evil␈α∞empire"␈α
and␈α
as␈α
"the␈α∞focus␈α
of␈α
evil␈α
in␈α∞the␈α
world".␈α
 However,␈α
this␈α∞comment␈α
has
␈↓ ↓H␈↓centered around the e≥ects of the statements and not on whether they are true.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        In␈α∞my␈α∂opinion,␈α∞the␈α∂≡rst␈α∞statement␈α∂is␈α∞true.␈α∞ The␈α∂Soviet␈α∞Union␈α∂is␈α∞clearly␈α∂an␈α∞empire␈α∂in␈α∞the
␈↓ ↓H␈↓classical␈α⊃sense␈α⊃of␈α⊃having␈α⊃extended␈α⊃its␈α⊃rule␈α⊃far␈α⊃beyond␈α⊃its␈α⊃natural␈α⊃borders.␈α⊃ Its␈α⊃relation␈α⊃to␈α⊂its
␈↓ ↓H␈↓satellites is that of an emperor to his vassals rather than as the leader of an alliance.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        However,␈α⊃characterizing␈α⊃the␈α⊃Soviet␈α⊃Union␈α⊃as␈α⊃"the␈α⊃focus␈α⊃of␈α⊃evil"␈α⊃contains␈α⊃an␈α⊃important
␈↓ ↓H␈↓mistake.␈α It␈αwasn't␈αthe␈αSoviet␈αUnion␈αthat␈αmade␈αthe␈αPol␈αPot␈αcommunist␈αregime␈αin␈αCambodia␈αkill␈αa
␈↓ ↓H␈↓third␈αof␈αthe␈αpopulation.␈α They␈αwould␈αundoubtedly␈αhave␈αpreferred␈αa␈αconsiderably␈αmilder␈αpolicy␈αas
␈↓ ↓H␈↓well␈α
as␈αa␈α
more␈αsubservient␈α
policy.␈α
 Communism␈αas␈α
an␈αideology␈α
is␈α
an␈αevil␈α
that␈αwould␈α
exist␈α
if␈αthe
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Soviet␈αUnion␈αwere␈αto␈αdisappear,␈α
and␈αit␈αmight␈αeven␈αbe␈α
stronger␈αif␈αthere␈αweren't␈αthe␈α
bad␈αexample
␈↓ ↓H␈↓of␈α∞the␈α∞Soviet␈α∞Union␈α∞to␈α∞discourage␈α∞potential␈α∞adherents.␈α∞ If␈α∞communism␈α∞disappeared␈α∞it␈α∞would␈α∞be
␈↓ ↓H␈↓quickly␈α
re-invented.␈α
 Victor␈α
Hugo␈α∞said␈α
that␈α
there␈α
is␈α
nothing␈α∞so␈α
powerful␈α
as␈α
an␈α
idea␈α∞whose␈α
time
␈↓ ↓H␈↓has come.  Alas, this is true even if it is a bad idea.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        Communism␈αis␈αa␈αpseudo-scienti≡c␈αreaction␈αto␈α
the␈αproblems␈αof␈αa␈αcapitalist␈αworld.␈α
 While␈αan
␈↓ ↓H␈↓oppressive␈αdictatorship␈αis␈αnot␈αpart␈αof␈αthe␈αoriginal␈αdoctrine,␈αin␈αevery␈αcase␈αthat␈αhas␈αoccurred␈αso␈αfar,
␈↓ ↓H␈↓communist␈α⊂leaders␈α∂have␈α⊂resorted␈α∂to␈α⊂terror␈α⊂to␈α∂get␈α⊂power,␈α∂have␈α⊂continued␈α∂the␈α⊂terror␈α⊂in␈α∂keeping
␈↓ ↓H␈↓power,␈α
have␈α
made␈α
e≥orts␈α
to␈α
conquer␈α
their␈α
neighbors,␈αhave␈α
held␈α
on␈α
to␈α
power␈α
till␈α
they␈α
die␈α
of␈αold
␈↓ ↓H␈↓age␈αand␈αhave␈αestablished␈α
a␈αsubstantially␈αhereditary␈αaristocracy.␈α
 In␈αits␈αyoung␈αand␈α
energetic␈αstage,
␈↓ ↓H␈↓communism␈α∀in␈α∪power␈α∀tends␈α∀to␈α∪genocide,␈α∀but␈α∀when␈α∪the␈α∀leaders␈α∀get␈α∪older,␈α∀they␈α∀become␈α∪less
␈↓ ↓H␈↓impulsively violent though remaining oppressive and aggressive.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        There␈αare␈α
now␈αenough␈α
examples␈αof␈α
communist␈αpower␈α
to␈αcon≡rm␈α
this␈αas␈α
a␈αgeneral␈α
rule.␈α It
␈↓ ↓H␈↓also␈αseems␈α
likely,␈αthough␈α
there␈αhasn't␈α
been␈αtime␈αenough␈α
to␈αcon≡rm␈α
it,␈αthat␈α
the␈αnatural␈αevolution␈α
of
␈↓ ↓H␈↓communism␈αis␈αtowards␈αhereditary␈αmonarchy␈αas␈αin␈αNorth␈αKorea.␈α Each␈αtime␈αthe␈αleaders␈αdie,␈αthere
␈↓ ↓H␈↓is␈α
a␈α
danger␈α
of␈αcivil␈α
war␈α
over␈α
the␈α
succession,␈αand␈α
the␈α
traditional␈α
argument␈α
for␈αhereditary␈α
monarchy
␈↓ ↓H␈↓is␈α
that␈αit␈α
reduces␈αsuccession␈α
crises.␈α In␈α
the␈α
past␈αoligarchies␈α
tend␈αto␈α
become␈αmonarchies␈α
or␈αbreak␈α
up,
␈↓ ↓H␈↓but it has often taken a few hundred years.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        It␈αis␈αimportant␈αfor␈αAmericans␈αto␈αdistinguish␈αbetween␈αthe␈αSoviet␈αEmpire␈αas␈αan␈αevil␈αand␈αthe
␈↓ ↓H␈↓αEditorial Dept.␈↓ ¬nApril 27, 1983␈↓ 
nPage 2␈↓ 

␈↓ ↓H␈↓separate␈α⊂evil␈α∂of␈α⊂spontaneous␈α⊂communism,␈α∂especially␈α⊂in␈α∂the␈α⊂Third␈α⊂World.␈α∂ This␈α⊂is␈α⊂because␈α∂the
␈↓ ↓H␈↓adherents␈α∂and␈α∂sycophants␈α∂of␈α∂communism␈α∂can␈α∂usually␈α⊂say␈α∂correctly␈α∂that␈α∂their␈α∂goal␈α∂is␈α∂not␈α⊂to␈α∂be
␈↓ ↓H␈↓satellites␈α
of␈αthe␈α
Soviet␈αUnion.␈α
 Often␈αthey␈α
can␈αcorrectly␈α
point␈αto␈α
some␈αgood␈α
motives.␈α However,␈α
the
␈↓ ↓H␈↓horrible␈αfact␈αis␈αthat␈αso␈αfar,␈αlust␈αfor␈αpower␈αhas␈αinvariably␈αdominated␈αany␈αgood␈αmotives,␈αand␈αthose
␈↓ ↓H␈↓communists␈α∞whose␈α∞lust␈α∞for␈α∞power␈α∞is␈α∞purest␈α∞win␈α
out␈α∞over␈α∞those␈α∞in␈α∞whom␈α∞it␈α∞is␈α∞mixed␈α∞with␈α
other
␈↓ ↓H␈↓motives.␈α∩ Understanding␈α∩this␈α∩can␈α∩help␈α∩convince␈α∩third␈α∩world␈α∩intellectuals␈α∩to␈α∩draw␈α∩back␈α∩from
␈↓ ↓H␈↓supporting␈αlocal␈αcommunism␈αeven␈αwhen␈αit␈αis␈αunconnected␈αwith␈αthe␈αSoviet␈αUnion␈αand␈αdoesn't␈αuse
␈↓ ↓H␈↓the name of communism.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        It␈αhas␈αbecome␈αincreasingly␈αclear␈αthat␈αthere␈αis␈αno␈αsubstitute␈αfor␈αfreedom␈αof␈αspeech␈αand␈αpress
␈↓ ↓H␈↓and electoral democracy.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        Of␈α
course,␈α
third␈α
world␈α
communism␈α
is␈α
a␈α
danger␈α
to␈α
the␈α
United␈α
States␈α
mainly␈α
because␈α
of␈α
its
␈↓ ↓H␈↓alliances with the Soviet Union.


␈↓ ↓H␈↓Sincerely,



␈↓ ↓H␈↓John McCarthy
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Professor of Computer Science