Voices of Visitors

Record 2 Side A Audio Transcription - Drew Pearson

Transcribed through otter.ai

When I first fall of 1931, as a young instructor, I heard a great deal about the name of Pearson. And I learned very quickly that it referred to Professor Pearson, who had been a member of the faculty from 19 to until 1930. He is his was the center of the state, in a group of prominent and distinguished members of the faculty of Swarthmore College, somewhat offstage and in a lower tone, I heard something about other people by the name of Pearson, Drew and Leon, and Barbara. Today, there is no graduate of Swarthmore College who is known to so many people in this country, or who is read by so many people as Drew Pearson, of the class of 1990. Not everybody loves him. And events haven't always proved his predictions correct. But I have a kind of fellow feeling for him in this respect. For as I listen to the critics of Swarthmore College, I am forced reluctantly to the conclusion that most of what I do is wrong. And that few love me either. Anyone who indulges in predictions, is liable to suffer the occupational disease of the weatherman. We all seem to remember when he was wrong, and forget the times when he was right. But if you think back over the statements that have appeared, day in and day out in Drew, Pearson's column and look at them in the light of what has happened subsequently, what was important in them, and what was trenching? I think you will note, a very persistent effort to seek out and expose maladministration wherever it happened to occur, whether in some high army circle, or whether it was some lobby, operating in Washington, not in the public interest. You will find criticisms of people made when it was not always popular to criticize them, and defenses of others, when it was not always popular to defend them. And the support of causes, which in drew Pearson's judgment, were serving the best interests of the country. It is the record of a liberal who had courage in his liberalism. And the friendship trains which Dr. Oz has referred to one more as a very striking example of the kind of contribution which group Pearson has made in terms I suppose, of the total amount of goods sent abroad. The friendship trains stand in poor comparison to what Europe expects from ERP. But that isn't the only way in which you send things abroad. And there are two features of the friendship train which so far neither ERP nor some of the other governmental activities have captured. One was the imagination of the American people. The other was the imagination and the gratitude of the people who received the help. I can testify to the first of these two aspects. When the friendship trains were running west to east East, I happened to be out in New Mexico, where it seemed to me the friends and neighbors were interested only in what happened in the Rio Grande Valley. Or if they extended beyond that in the southwest, there was one exception. They knew about the friendship trainers, they were supporting, they were helping to send some of the food under this flag of friendship. And those trains, and their author succeeded in capturing the imagination of people. He touched our consciences and our collective hearts in a way which none of the other relief activities have quite succeeded in doing. And at the other end, well, you know, the criticism that we read so often in our newspapers, that somehow we are inept in giving our relief, since we send great quantities, but none of the recipients know from whom their help comes. There was no doubt about it, in this case, the same dramatic quality that went into the giving of the food went into its reception. And the people who received the produce of American farms and homes knew that it came from America, from a people who had plenty, but were prepared to spare their plenty to help some of their neighbors and allies abroad. There are lots of people who can work hard in a good cause. But they lack sometimes the idea which gives lift to what they're doing. There are plenty of others who can fashion new ideas, but who lacked the resistance and the organizational ability to carry out their ideas to fruition. Same thing happened in Italy. I won't go into all the details. Italy was perhaps a little bit more disorganized, a little bit more enthusiastic because it was disorganized. The people of Italy aren't very keen about the police since Mussolini. They pride themselves on policing themselves, they do it moderately well. I was always worried when we got into the railroad stations for fear, some of them will get killed because the crowds were so terrific. And you know, when they shut those box cars around in Europe, they don't have any brakes on the car. So they engine gives them a punch, a Porsche and then they put rocks on the tracks in front of the wheels in order to stop the car. And it was always a miracle that somebody didn't get hurt. But fortunately, they didn't end up in northern Italy. As we traveled through the little towns up there, I was amazed at the fact that there was so many people down at the small town. We weren't supposed to stop there. But they knew we were coming, they had flags out. And finally, I gave instructions to the engineer to stop wherever he saw a moderate crowd of people at the railroad station. So we stopped just about every 15 minutes. We didn't have any food for those towns, we had arranged to just drop off cars in the bigger towns, but they didn't seem disappointed. They wanted to see us they wanted to hear what we had to say. And they seemed genuinely welcome. We didn't have really any trouble from the communists. Many of the communist mayors came down to greatness. They seem like ordinary folks. I was told and I'm inclined to believe that the communists of Italy are not as you and I think, too many of them dangerous radicals. Their leaders are my think. But the average communist in Italy is one that not have conviction particularly but he's an opportunist. He is out of work. He's hungry. He's looking for a new theory. As I said the Russians have done a good job of selling an idea You've just heard an address by Drew Pearson speaking from Swarthmore College. Mr. Pearson is now surrounded by quite a large group of admirers and old acquaintances. But I will try to get close enough to ask him a few questions. Mr. Pearson, how long has it been since you were last at home? Last week, just last week, I come like a lot I can't stay away. So you still consider it home here rather than I have some my family living here I come back just as often as I can. So it was a great inspiration. And I I enjoy looking around with my own fonts and remembering the days of my boyhood here. Do you notice many changes in the college or the town? That impressed you rather greater? Yes, I was pointing out to my family today, some of your new buildings. I went over to the gymnasium today. The one I thought was a madness gymnasium. And I found that there were girls in the gymnasium. Both classes usual. Do you remember what exactly started the audio, the friendship train with you whether it was any single occurrence? The idea came to me first of all, that the Congress was very slow in sending aid to Europe, seemed to me that the American people were far ahead of Congress. And it also seemed to me that we ought to have some tangible way of showing the people of Europe that we that this food came from all the people and I thought we might just do it in a graphic sort of way. So we can all participate in so they could and you want to know how it was done to you and so I wrote a column about it. And that was the beginning of it. Do you anticipate any help from the State Department? The idea of a cultural exchange? You mentioned in your yes, they are working on it? They are working they are Yes. Wow, that works out as successful as friendship train den. Thank you very much for speaking to us. Thank you. Just heard an address by Drew Pearson speaking from Swarthmore College, Mr. Pearson is now surrounded by quite a large group of admirers and old acquaintances but I will try to get close enough to ask him a few questions. Mr. Pearson? How long has it been since you were last at home? Well, I've been back. I was here last week, just last week, I come back a lot I can't stay away. But you still consider it home here. I have some my family living here and I come back just as often as I can. So it was a great inspiration. And I I enjoy looking around at my old haunts and remembering the days of my boyhood hair. Do you notice many changes in the calling to the town? But impress your mother grandmother? Yes. I was pointing out to my family today, some of your new buildings. I went over to the gymnasium today the what I thought was a madness gymnasium. And I found that there were girls in the gymnasium. Do you remember what exactly started the idea of the friendship train with you whether it was any single occurrence? Maybe the idea came to me first of all, that the Congress was very slow in sending a to Europe seemed to me that the American people were far ahead of Congress. And it also seemed to me that we ought to have some tangible way of showing the people of Europe that we that this food came from all the people and I thought we might just do it on a graphic sort of way so we can all participate in so they can and you want to know how it was done. During design a lot of column about it and that was the beginning of it. Do you anticipate any help from the State Department and the idea of a cultural exchange? You mentioned in your yes, they're working on it? They are working. They aren't Yes. Wow. That works out as successful as the friendship train did. Thank you very much for speaking to Mike you have the special broadcast of an address by Drew Pearson 640 on your dial w usrm. The software radio I'm sorry...