Communism : Riddle, Mystery, Enigma

a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma [Music] today we're going to meet the Soviet Army the largest force of men under arms in the world whose Shadow casts an ominous threat to our way of life accurate statistics are almost impossible to obtain the Russians are pretty secretive about military Affairs but there is no doubt that their total military establishment is unequal in size on Earth you remember that I called it not the Red Army but the Soviet Army the Russians stopped calling their military the Red Army after World War II when new National symbols like the word Soviet replaced words like red with its ties to the Revolutionary past about 2third of the Soviet Army's ground soldiers are draes the rest being long-term professionals an American GI gets $78 to $85 per month but a Soviet private gets $6 a month to $8 a month a Soviet Soldier lives mostly on black bread and soup maybe he gets white bread three or four times a year his life is paired down to the bone without pampering in a moment we're going to meet these men who symbolize the power of Russia this is the oath taken by Soviet army soldiers and it is taken very seriously I a citizen of the Union of Soviet Socialist republics entering the ranks of the Soviet Army do take this oath and do solemnly swear to be an honest Brave disciplined Vigilant fighter to guard military and state Secrets strictly and to obey all military regulations and the orders of my officers and those in authority over me I shall always be ready to defend my country the Union of Soviet Socialist republics at the bidding of the workers and peasants govern government and as a fighter of the Soviet Army I swear to defend it courageously ably worthily and honorably not hesitating to sacrifice my blood and even my life to achieve complete victory over the enemy if I willfully break this solemn oath then may the stern Judgment of the Soviet law and the universal hatred and Scorn of the working people strike me now let's meet the men who take the that out the United States Department of Defense rates Soviet Armed Forces as a balanced mature and excellently performing Army as well as an army of very large size this is the Red Army on parade in Moscow let us look at it and judge it with the pentagon's appraisal in mind this is the Russian army at the close of World War II it walks as it makes its way to Berlin it was a strong Army composed mainly of infantry and it won the war on its feet this is the US Army at the close of World War II it rolls as it makes its way to Berlin it was a strong Army and it helped win the war with some of the finest equipment ever turned [Music] out the United States and Russian armies met as friends comrades in arms at the elb river at tar Go 75 M south of Berlin at 40 minutes after 4:00 in the afternoon of April 25th 1945 we were all allies comrades in arms comrades in leadership zukov Ike and Monty now us and Russian troops meet again but they meet as enemies tanks face [Music] tanks let's take a look at the history of the Russian army even under the Zar it was huge the standing army in [Music] Europe thear himself was their commander-in chief his young son was second in command to this Zar and his family the troops were Toy Soldiers play things with which to pass a quiet [Music] afternoon but the troops had other uses the masses of Russia they were the Zar of strong right arm in putting down uprisings and riots witness the battle of the Odessa steps as the first world war turned against Russia the Empire shook the soldiers turned against the little father against the Zar and the Revolution was on [Music] [Applause] the Communists won with Lenin as master of Russia an army had to be [Music] formed the Communists at first thought that a mere militia would be sufficient to defend their new state however they were soon disillusioned Leon trosy organized the first Red Army on a professional basis trouble was suppressed the Revolution was [Music] one after the success of the Revolution the Communists accepted the idea that the USSR as a great power needed a modern welle equipped military establishment which would give Force to its ideas military schools andies were organized so were territorial units comparable to National Guards tactical commanders as opposed to political commissars were given more dignity and [Music] responsibility thus by the early 30 with the first 5-year plan supplying needed War material the USSR began to develop its military establishment [Music] the commander-in chief of this force is Joseph stal he grew suspicious of the army leaders and in the purges of 1936 through 1938 he wiped out most of the Russian general staff Chief among those to go were General yarov General bler and most important of all the capable Chief of Staff Marshall tokachi [Music] the evidence against the generals had actually been planted by edol Hitler the Gestapo had leaked the material to the Czechs and president Bennis of Czechoslovakia turned it over to Stalin the purges damaged the morale and the Readiness of the Soviet Armed Forces when the Nazis rolled against Russia the initial Soviet reaction was panicked [Music] the German Army rolled forward seemingly Invincible but the initial Soviet Panic was suppressed by Swift and forceful [Music] measures line units in the path of the German advances were sacrificed in order to gain time for consolid Val ating decisive reserves the populace was rallied to the defense of home and Country by appeals to patriotism rather than to communist [Music] Doctrine although the Soviet forces suffered severe casualties they were not broken by the German offenses and in the winter of 1942 the counter offensive which marked the turning point of the war was launched at [Music] Stalingrad in the Ukraine a then obscure figure moved in with the troops Nik Kusha even then his favorite greeting was a hearty kiss the Nazis were gradually repulsed and in January 1945 the Soviets unleashed the final offensive which opened the way to Berlin and so we return again to that brief period when us and Russian troops were comrades in arms but we were comrades only briefly when the war ended the US demobilized Russia still kept an enormous Army Stalin needed it for his adventures in Eastern Europe Adventures that culminated in the Takeover by Communists of the Eastern European [Music] countries in the education of the soldier children play War Games in Russia targets are capitalists notice the high silk hat the [Music] cigarette Next Step from the streets to the suverov or military preparatory schools which were organized during World War II to supply trustworthy Future Leaders at least 15 of these schools are believed to exist at the present time it was originally intended that the super of schools would take only the orphan of World War II Army Heroes entrance requirements have since been changed however to include War orphans and Sons of living army officers and Communist Party dignitaries candidates must be between 10 and 13 years of age at the time of application must be above average both physically and mentally after admission Cadets receive a five to 7year course of instruction the length depending upon the previous education of the cadet the program of studies resembles that of the former zaris Imperial Cadet Schools students receive an above average secondary education which includes instruction in Russian language and literature mathematics history geography the Natural Sciences the Soviet Constitution one or two foreign languages horsemanship dancing and physical education Cadets are trained in military subjects such as military history Army regulations drill Small Arms firing tactics and motor vehicle driving and maintenance they also are thoroughly indoctrinated with communist propaganda upon graduation those students who elect to enter the Army ground forces are assigned immediately to officer candidate schools most silov school boys are turned into efficient Soviet officers [Music] in a moment we shall see how the Russian soldier lives the kind of training he gets compared to that of our GIS and some of Russia's techniques of warfare and now let's see how a Russian soldier lives first of course private Ivon gets his army haircut [Music] [Applause] a typical weekday training schedule in the Soviet Army Ground Forces is as follows 6: to 6:10 a.m. r 610 to 6:30 sitting up exercises 650 to 7 [Music] inspection 7:40 to 2:00 in the afternoon training period that's 6 hours and 20 minutes of training 420 to 620 training period two more hours [Music] infantry and artillery troops receive 64 hours of political indoctrination during their winter training period in addition to two hours devoted nightly to discussions of political themes political officers called zampolit are attached to all units down to Battalion and probably company level these men are devoted Communists charged with the responsibility of creating the proper mental attitude in The Peasant mind of the average Soviet [Music] Soldier foree fore foreign spee foree [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] in addition to the Red Army the Soviets have another potent Force gorilla bands [Music] [Music] the effectiveness of gorillas was first recognized by the Russians during World War II when armed partisans operated behind the Nazi lines wreaking havoc and enforcing loyalty by killing [Music] collaborators Castro and his men in the hill used one of the weapons originated by the Russians during the second world war the molotov [Music] cocktail the effectiveness of Guerilla Warfare is well recognized but the Russians claim it's their creation and something new this is another type of Warfare new in its intensity ancient in its origin War by guerillas subversives insurgents assassins War by Ambush instead of by combat by infiltration instead of aggression seeking Victory by eroding and exhausting the enemy instead of engaging it is a form of warfare uniquely adapted to what has been strangely called Wars of Liberation to undermine the efforts of new and poor countries to maintain the freedom that they have finally achieved it prays on economic unrest and ethnic conflicts it requires in those situations where we must counter it and these are the kinds of challenges that will be before us in the next decade if freedom is to be saved a whole new kind of strategy a wholly different kind of force and therefore a new and wholly different kind of military training America has the tradition of Guerilla fighting 150 years before the Soviet Union was formed in the American Revolution the American tradition of engine fighting Minutemen Green Mountain Boys [Music] began America maintains that tradition as it trains its soldiers in the techniques of Guerilla Warfare [Music] just how good our training is is being demonstrated on the battlefields of the underdeveloped nations of the world where communist guerillas infiltrate our allies we are training these allies in those same Guerilla tactics to enable us to meet this new threat to our freedom [Music] [Music] all and so we have met the Red [Music] Army the United States Department of Defense Department of Defense has this to say of the average Soviet recruit most of the population is of peasant stock inured for generations to hard manual labor as a soldier he has an extraordinary capacity to withstand extreme deprivation he can get along with makeshift equipment and with few welfare Provisions because of his background the Soviet Soldier is by and large an intellectually more simple person than most of his Western counterparts he seems willing to accept severe mentation harsh discipline and restricted movement as a normal part of military life although self-discipline is not usually a character trait the recruit responds obediently to imposed discipline with such an amable attitude and because of his meager economic background the Soviet Soldier often finds Army living standards and working conditions Superior to those in civilian life another important quality is his deep-seated patriotism by nature Soviet political philosophy does not encourage a willingness to accept responsibility in its citizenry in America where Freedom Is The Stuff of Life the soldier is a man armed with the spirit of democracy and this is one weapon and it is the greatest of all which the Soviet Army does not have [Music]