Shining light on lies of enemies

I might have numbered myself among those who questioned Columbia University's decision to invite Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to speak had it not been for an experience more than 40 years ago at Wake Forest University. In today's atmosphere it is hard for me to believe that such an event ever happened, but it did, and I was there to witness it.

George Lincoln Rockwell, founder of the American Nazi Party, spoke at Wake Forest.  He not only spoke, he stood in the pulpit of Wait Chapel, the largest gathering place on campus.  He stood behind the pulpit where every Sunday morning the Bible was read and the gospel preached at the Wake Forest Baptist Church. This man who regarded Adolph Hitler as his spiritual leader and reportedly had an altar to Hitler in his home stood behind the pulpit and spoke to a packed house. 

At the time, most of the African-American students at Wake Forest were athletes.  They sat in the front rows, waved flags and jeered this man who denounced them as inferior beings, people who were biologically deficient in every way.  His address was very reminiscent of Joseph McCarthy in its twisted reasoning.  He endeavored to make us believe that science was completely on his side.  He cited "scientific studies" that proved that what he was saying was no matter of faith; it was empirically true. 

It was an astonishing performance. There were other speakers in the "Challenge" series put together by a group of students, but I cannot remember any of them. Rockwell I can never forget. I learned more in one hour about how the mind of Hitler worked and how he convinced his listeners than I learned in any of the history courses I ever took. I needed to know what he taught me that night.

Former Secretary of Defense  Robert McNamara in the film "The Fog of War" said one lesson he learned from the Vietnam war was that we need to empathize with our enemies. We need to understand their history, culture and politics.  We need to know the personalities and habits of their leaders. I wish Columbia University President Lee Bollinger had quoted McNamara that evening instead of going off on how evil the man is. I suppose he thought he was protecting his university from the wrath of potential donors who disagreed with the decision to allow Ahmadinejab to speak, but what he did was hand the man a gift to take home to please his supporters throughout the Middle East and around the world. He came across as some new hire at the development office instead of a wise leader in American higher education.  

McNamara believed that we went to Vietnam knowing far too little about the people and politics of that place. A case could be made that the same is true of Iraq. We simply cannot afford such ignorance. The world's people know far more about us than we know about them because you cannot avoid the culture, economic power, and military power of the United States. People around the world watch us constantly, study our language, learn our business practices and how our political system works.  When we fail to do the same, we endanger our country. 

Not only should Ahmadinejad have been allowed to speak at Columbia, there should be a world leader speaking there every week. Reading about other people is no substitute for meeting them face to face, asking questions, traveling to their countries and having them live among us for long periods. This isn't a "diversity program" I am advocating. This isn't joining hands to naively sing "We Are the World." It is a matter of our own survival and that of the rest of the people on this planet.

I am grateful that Wake Forest didn't chicken out way back then. Was it a desecration that George Lincoln Rockwell stood at a Baptist church pulpit to spread the gospel according to Hitler- Some would surely say so, but I think the truth and justice are so powerful that lies cannot ultimately prevail against them.  I believe there is no better way to expose lies than to put them out in the sunshine. I believe exposing lies to light was what I saw happening at Wake Forest.

Patricia Hunt is a Mary Baldwin College chaplain and Staunton resident.