Diary 1963 - Murshid Sam's Living Stream

Diaries 1963-2The fact that I was permitted to visit the Imperial Grounds and the Royal Cemetery in Japanshould at least interest if not excite some people in the Foreign Service. But the fact that I have evenbeen entrusted with confidences by the intelligence service of three different foreign governmentshas never been accepted seriously excepting when in Egypt the mob finally moved in on our Embassy;and Pakistan when it was proven beyond doubt that I really came into a real communist undergroundcell. The life I saved happened to be my own, but I cannot save the life of my country.When I wrote Robert Kennedy about Indonesia he wrote back, “I do not agree with you” andon the day I received the letter a mob attacked our Embassy in Jakarta. Series of this sort of thingbecome awkward when one is asked to submit an autobiography for publication.The most ironical report I have just came. “Newsweek” published an article on soil problemsand salinity. I sent a long letter that the greatest experts on these problems were here in California,almost out of work and unemployed and by-passed when billions of dollars were available forspace-travel experiments.I then received a report from Dr. Milton Fireman, the #1 in this field. Both the report and hisletter ask me not to publish it, or copy it for publications, though I may use it privately. This I intendto do in seminars of the World Affairs Council later on—at least I hope so.But the report itself corroborates every single effort of my own; the conclusions by and large,or small, are identical. The differences are that he visited many more lands than I did, but did notalways cover each so intense. It seems that as if AID may be go the way of TCM, its predecessor.Foreign aid experts are sent out; they do a marvelous jobs mid then run into protocol, road blocks,and utter frustration. They report, and they are abolished and instead of cutting down the funds, thefunds are even increased and new agencies are set up.It is not only that these things are horrible; it is that I am asked to write an autobiography. Andin another part of Pakistan, despite all foreign aid, I am asked to submit a plan to reduce salinitydespite all the above experts and aid. The Americans who have been abroad all meet this frustrationand instead of helping grow more foods they are kept busy organizing, teaching teachers, establishingschools and do not see the farms, forests and peasants they imagine they are going to help.At the same time everything I write is received now with great thanksgiving. Even my lettersare published, a lot of people trust me in a number of different directions and the quantitative lead isso great as to be unimaginable. Since, I caught the “experts” in public debate; I am less anxious, notmore, to “show off.” This means nothing.Now while this has been going on—and all on top of my regular program—all these thingshave been happening: