Tuesday, February 25, 2020

1948: Communism Held Top U.S. Problem

This article was in the Monday, June 7, 1948 edition of THE HILLSDALE DAILY NEWS

COMMUNISM HELD TOP U.S. PROBLEM
Kettering Tells MSC Graduates It Cannot Mix with Democracy

East Lansing, June 7 (AP) - Michigan State College's largest graduating class in history Sunday heard Charles F. Kettering, General Motors inventive genius, describe communism as the nation's greatest problem.

Kettering, addressing the college's 90th commencement exercise, said "We have a lot of problems, but only one main problem. That is the misconception we have about communism. To compare communism and democracy, to put the two on the same platter is the most outrageous thing in the world today."

"We don't belong together," Kettering said.  "We don't think the same. We are doing entirely different things.  We have respect for each other, but no wish to go the same road.  America is the only country in the world which is a going concern today.  We are trying to do things. We will keep on going as long as you all try to be better persons."

The present is the best time in history to finish college careers, the speaker said.  "Never has there been a time of such opportunity for people who are willing to try something else. The world is in an upset state of affairs - which shows that what we have been thinking is not so."

Kettering told the 1,966 undergraduates receiving degrees and the 213 receiving advanced degrees that they should not attempt to plan their lives too far ahead, advising them to "work out the way you want to go and then lay out two or three roads on either side so that if you hit a detour you know where you're going."

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And now for some fun stuff in the same publication.
First, an advertisement:


And some comics:


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