Los Banos Rotary Club History
Gives Analysis of Soviet Russia

Warning that if America should be drawn into an unwanted war with Soviet Russia we would be faced with an enemy stronger than we have ever faced before, Re. Robert Reis, pastor of the Los Banos Methodist church, Tuesday noon told member of the Rotary Club that our surest way to prevent an unwanted war with that country is to try to understand them and sell them the fact that the United States is not interested in war and does not want war.

To be able to do this, Rev. Reis said, it is first necessary to closely study the country and people, and though we naturally cannot agree with their communistic philosophy, we must try and understand Russian thinking that we may be more tolerant and appreciative of their viewpoint.

Rev. Reis, who recently returned to civilian life after spending the war years as an Army chaplain, has himself made an exhaustive study of numerous authorative articles on Russia. On the basis of this study, Rev. Reis stated he believed the average Russian Army man is sick and tired of war and wants nothing more than to live peacefully.
Russian resources are depleated, and they have lived very sparsely since 1938, sacrificing everything that they might win the war. There is not enough food, according to our standards, and housing is far more critical there than in the U. S. Clothes are almost impossible to purchase, and shoes are an expensive luxury.

However, the speaker said, the philosophy of communism is based on ignorance and dictatorship, and the Russian leaders have successfully misled their people into believing they have the best standard of living of any people in the world.

As an example of this enforced ignorance, Rev. Reis cited the Lend-Lease program. Russians were told and now believe they alone won the war. American assistance of food, Army trucks, airplanes, and ammunition has never been officially admitted by the Russian government. American pilots were not permitted to fly American built Army planes into Russia and turn them over to the Russians. Instead Russian flyers picked them up in Alaska and in Africa. American trucks were repainted and Russian soldiers told they were made in Russia.

As in the Russian soldier, Rev. Reis described him as highly trained and severely disciplined and fired with an intense patriotism that is fostered and furthered by the people themselves. It was this patriotism that brought them through the first year of the war when the Germans had reached to within 15 miles of Moscow, and kept them going as they slowly but surely drove the Germans all the way back to Berlin.
"I am not for any appeasement program in any sense," Rev. Reis concluded, "but I do believe that we must learn to understand the Russian way of thinking and then convince them that we are sincere in our declaration that we want nothing more than peace."

October 29, 1946

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