| − | '''Robert Welch''' (1900-1985) was a political activist who founded the [[John Birch Society]] in 1958 to fight [[Communism]], and dominated it until his death. He believed that Communists had almost taken control of the United States. He embarrassed conservatives, most of whom rejected his conspiracy theories. Welch accused president [[Dwight Eisenhower]] of being a communist agent for his censure of Senator [[Joseph McCarthy]] as well as his refusal to support the Anti-Communist Hungarian revolt of 1956. At that council dinner, Welch quoted himself from the John Birch Society's founding meeting in 1958 — 55 years ago now — laying out ten steps to destroy America. "A part of that plan, of course, is to induce the gradual surrender of American sovereignty, piece-by-piece and step-by-step, to various international organizations — of which the United Nations is the outstanding but far from the only example," he said. | + | '''Robert Welch''' (1900-1985) was a political activist who founded the [[John Birch Society]] in 1958 to fight [[Communism]], and dominated it until his death. He believed that Communists had almost taken control of the United States. He embarrassed conservatives, most of whom rejected his conspiracy theories. Welch accused president [[Dwight Eisenhower]] of being a communist agent for his censure of Senator [[Joseph McCarthy]] as well as his refusal to support the Anti-Communist Hungarian revolt of 1956. At that council dinner, Welch quoted himself from the John Birch Society's founding meeting in 1958 – 55 years ago now — laying out ten steps to destroy America. "A part of that plan, of course, is to induce the gradual surrender of American sovereignty, piece-by-piece and step-by-step, to various international organizations — of which the United Nations is the outstanding but far from the only example," he said. |