Symington Says Fear May Curtain America's Freedom

"Communism will lose and be destroyed. That has always been the fate of evil dictators; and I am certain that, provided we are vigilant and relentless in this fight, we will prevail," Senator Stuart Symington (D-Mo.) told a packed Radcliffe Commencement audience in Sandors Theatre today.

"The critical question which your generation will largely decide," Symington said, "is not merely whether Communism will be crushed, but whether freedom will survive; because we are in danger of inflicting serious damage upon the precious asset we seek to defend."

"Fear"

The Senator from Missouri warned that in opposing the menace of Communism "America cannot shut its eyes to the fact that fear has become rampant in our own country; not only the fear of Communism but also fear of some of those engaged in searching out and uncovering Communists.

"I am becoming concerned about fear of power, and recklessness, of some of those engaged in the search for Communists and Communist influence," Symington continued. "That fear may destroy precious ingredients of the freedom we are pledged to maintain.

"Fear itself is corrosive. Fear and freedom cannot co-exist....I am deeply disturbed when I encounter American citizens of blameless character and unquestioned loyalty who confess they fear to enter a debate or take a position not in conformity with the views of certain political leaders, because of the fancied danger they will be thought suspect.

"Freedom," Symington stated, "means non-conformity. Freedom cannot exist unless it is exercised. It cannot survive unless it is supported by a courageous nation of courageous individuals...

"In my opinion," the Senator concluded, "there is no place for one-man investigations, or for peremptory summons to inquisition. We can and we must search out Communism and fight it to its death--but we must do this with the weapons of democracy, democratically applied."

During the meeting's commencement affairs 213 Radcliffe seniors received their Bachelor of Art Degrees, while 122 other students received advanced degrees.