Diary 1963 - Murshid Sam's Living Stream

Diaries 1963-2But if USIA, Fulbright, Peace Corps, etc. will not inform people about American Pragmatismthere is nothing to stop it being applied.“The Garden of Allah Project” would be a program to adopt many California crops, methodsand persons, but on similar line to what is succeeding in India (despite congressional investigations)by Ford Foundation people. It is almost the only but it is the best agricultural program abroad andthe fact that it is being prosecuted by private rather than public agencies is incidental. It is the pragmaticapplication of contemporary scientific knowledge plus (+) the acceptance of native intelligence,aptitudes, religion and folk-lore, from which our Federal agencies keep far away, Cambodia or noCambodia.It would be sponsored in part by the AFME and ask for Ford assistance (or Rockefeller assistance)and I have suggested temporarily the selection of Prof. Milton Fireman, now in Davis, fordirecting the efforts, but have also named Paul Keim of Berkeley and one or two others.It might take some time. But I have already contacted authorities in several Asian lands. Thescientists in UAR are in favor of some form of establishment of Salt-Water conversion plans, theSaudis agree, and the program might be extended. But as written before, the Udall “plan” wouldnot only destroy our natural water-sheds, repudiate all Stuart Chase’s earlier efforts and abolish theselection of California as a model for foreign lands to copy.Even the Indonesian Consulate likes these ideas for Sumatra, but if we do not do somethingsoon Indonesia will go all the way and more as Cambodia. “What manner of man asked for breadand you will him a stone”—people want food and we give them anti-Marxism. Freedom from Wantis not longer a fundamental part of our Foreign policy. The cost for Salt-Water conversion plants attheir highest is cheaper than any war, or even revolution. The practical application of such can makeeven Algeria take heed.2. I am in contact with a huge anti-Communist movement which exists all over the Islamicworld but which our press and State department refuse to heed. One of its members is coming toCalifornia soon to study agricultural methods in this State, covering everything from poultry to citrusfruits. He will be the first of many. It is time to get out of “realism” and into reality.Faithfully,Samuel L. Lewis