Dear NACLA: My hands and feet are numb as I write this because my in-
come forces me to live in a house with no heat. As a kid growing up in
northern New Jersey, I started wage-slavery at the age of five-hawking
newspapers on the street. In the winters I used to cry a lot because I’d
get so damned cold. Believe me, I hate being cold! But more than that, I
hate the system that forces so many of us to be cold … or without
medical care … or illiterate … or hungry. I’m sorry I can’t send you
more money-but this is what I can afford. Surely by now you folks must
realize that the quality of your work is excellent and very much ap-
preciated by many of us. K.D., Washington, DC
As most of you know, in Dec-
ember 1979 we sent an appeal for
funds to all our subscribers. That
letter described how two of our
most dangerous enemies-infla-
tion and 1980-style McCar-
thyism-were ganging up on us in
order to silence our voice.
Since that time, we have re-
ceived literally hundreds of letters
of support-in fact, so many that
we haven’t been able to acknowl-
edge all of them in the personal
way we would have liked. No
doubt about it-the letters and
donations have been extremely
encouraging.
To bring you up to date on our
Sustainers’ appeal: we have re-
ceived about 40% of our goal of
$30,000. The reality of the current
economic situation is clearly—
painfully-reflected in many of
your letters, like the one we
printed above. People are having a
hard time making ends meet. A lot
of people are unemployed and
feeling the squeeze of inflation and
the greed of large corporations.
On the political front, at least
one of our detractors is still at it.
D.J. Kirchhoff, President of Castle
44
& Cooke, wrote yet another ex-
tended attack on NACLA in the
December 1979-January 1980
issue of The Presbyterian Layman,
a mass circulation publication of
the Presbyterian Lay Committee,
Inc. Kirchoff again took issue with
those in the church who have sup-
ported our work over the years.
The basis of his attack, however,
was quite significant. Although he
is obviously upset by our political
conclusions, he is more disturbed
by the fact that we are examining
his corporation in the first place.
To prove his point, he cited a
paragraph from our Research
Methodology Guide which he
found both subversive and abhor-
ent. Of all our publications, it’s
highly revealing that he picked this
excerpt:
What if the machinery were
reversed? What if the habits, prob-
lems, secrets and unconscious
motivations of the wealthy and
powerful were daily scrutinized by
a thousand systematic research-
ers, were hourly pried into, anal-
yzed and cross-referenced,
tabulated and published in a hun-
dred inexpensive mass circulation
journals and written so that even
the fifteen-year old high school
dropout could understand it . . ?
It is necessary, in other words, to
take the information available
about power in this society and turn
it against that power in ways which
weaken its strangle-hold upon us.
Seen in this light, research is an in-
strument of our liberation.
This still remains an important
goal for NACLA, and we are
pleased that we have made signifi-
cant progress towards opening the
corporate books. Our own Re-
search Methodology Guide has
sold more than 75,000 copies. And
literally millions of people now
know more about how corpora-
tions function, and how the power-
ful rule, by reading the dozens of
newsletters and journals pubished
by many organizations similar to
NACLA which have emerged.
It is clear to us that Kirchoff will
fight us-and others-to keep his
corporate activities in the dark.
And, from your response to our ap-
peal, it is also clear that you’re not
going to let him win! We sincerely
thank you for this.
Your feedback is extremely im-
portant to us, both in evaluating
how our work is used and in plan-
ning future issues of the Report.
We will soon be preparing a ques-
tionnaire in the Report so we can
get your response in a more sys-
tematic way.
We are reprinting a few of the
many letters we have received.
They were so encouraging that we
wanted to share them with you. If
you have not yet contributed to the
NACLA Sustainer campaign-and
even if you have-we need your
help. We still must raise the remaining
60% of our goal if we are to continue
publishing. For those who have
contributed already, thank you
very, very much!
NACLA Reportupdate * update * update . update
“KEEP STRUGGLING”
“Continue our sub as long as
possible with this (donation). Of
course, if you weren’t doing so
well, you would not be attacked.”
H.S., San Diego, CA
“Enclosed is my check for $100,
which I am certain that you will put
to good use. I occasionally teach a
survey course in Latin American
History and find NACLA Report to
be a vital information source for
my work. I’d certainly hate to see
you all go under. Information on
the nefarious activities of
capitalism in Latin America is
hard to obtain without access to
non-capitalist research & so I’m
quite pleased to help in what small
way I can. Keep up your good
work. I’d like to see NACLA around
for a long time!”
F.K., Menomonie, WI
“The integrity, maturity and depth
of your work should continue.
Here is my check for $50 to help
out. Keep struggling.”
S.O., Ann Arbor, MI
“Hereby I send you a fotocopy of
an article I wrote for De Groene
Amsterdammer, a Dutch indepen-
dent, left-wing weekly. I suppose
you cannot read the Dutch but at
least it gives you an idea there is
something like Dutch solidarity
with NACLA. The article is a sum-
mary of the letter you wrote to the
subscribers and the things that
have been written about it in the
Reports. In the end, I ask for moral
and financial solidarity.”
P.B., Amsterdam, Netherlands
“Please accept this small check
as a gift. Keep up the excellent
research and analysis on events in
the Western Hemisphere.”
R.M., San Pedro, CA
JanlFeb 1980
“We enclose a $10 contribution to
help support NACLA’s activities
and Reports which we consider
highly valuable and important,
mostly taking into account the
serious present condition within
the U.S. and the international
situation.”
C.T. and A.M., Mexico City, Mexico
“I’d like to give more, but I can’t
afford it. I’m a public school
teacher! Imagine! ”
B.R., Everett, MA
“I have heard that your organiza-
tion has been subjected to strong
political pressure and suppression.
What can the Finnish Peace Com-
mittee and its new Latin America
Solidarity Committee do for your
support?”
L.H., Helsinki, Finland
“Please include my sub renewal in
this. Deeply sorry I can’t afford
more. Congratulations on your
enemies.”
C.B., Cuernavaca, Mexico
“We were terribly distressed by
your recent letter and furious at
the same time. Enclosed is a little
bit of money via gift subscriptions.
But we’d like to give you more help
if possible. We will gladly print an
ad for you free and will certainly
make mention of what is happen-
ing to you in our next editorial.”
R.B., Cine Tracts, Montreal,
Canada
“Estimados Companeros de
NACLA: I was and am extremely
concerned by the attacks on
NACLA. I am enclosing a $25
check for two gift subscriptions
and a $5 donation. I would be hap-
py to help in any way I could to
support NACLA against the reac-
tionary forces that are attempting
to silence you.”
V.O., Oakland, CA
“Keep it up, brothers and
sisters!”
P.M., Burlington, VT
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