Senator George Smathers radio broadcast 7

How did you, ladies and gentlemen, I'm indeed highly privileged and honored to have as my guest today the world's most famous evangelist. But more than that, probably religion's greatest voice around the world. And that is Dr Graham from all of you. I think nowhere have seen Billy Graham.

It's wonderful to have you on this program. I would like to start off and ask you a couple of questions, but the first one was, I think, probably most on people's minds. You have many crusades, have you? Not in Asia and particularly in Japan. What do you think about what's happened in Japan with respect to the president, our president having to call off his visit?

Well, I think probably that it is a great tragedy than they blow up at the summit meeting. I think we're going to lose face as we already are throughout Asia. I think this is another surrender to communism. I think probably he had to do it. There was nothing else we could do.

But the entire situation, in my opinion, is very ominous. And this underlying seething revolt that we have seen in Japan representing a small minute minority, I think indicates the power of a minority that is dedicated and disciplined, and these people are dedicated and they're disciplined and they're not only in Japan, but they are in almost every country.

And I think we are entering upon dangerous days now, Dr Graham, what do you recommend, for example, that we do as a people to combat this kind of Communist victory, which is Apparently they're winning, as you say, not only in Asia, but in Latin America and other areas of the world.

What specifically should the people do? Well, Senator, I believe, of course, that we ought to keep militarily strong. There's no doubt about that. But I also believe that we are going to have to engage in an ideological and psychological warfare with the Communists on a scale that the world has never known.

I've just come back from Africa, and in many places in Africa you can hardly get the Voice of America. I could get Radio Moscow and Radio Peking every night on my small set, and I would listen to their arguments and they were persuasive, and they are winning thousands of converts in Africa.

I think we are losing on that front, and I would like to see uh, the Congress recognized that this is the place that we must win. I don't think the the Communists are going to attack us militarily as long as we keep strong. But I do believe they are winning on the psychological free.

And I think first of all, we Americans have got to get something to believe in. And that's where I think we need to turn to God and demonstrate to the world that we can do more with love than they can with hate. I think that's a wonderful answer, and I think that you're certainly doing everything in that particular respect.

You have made the statement previously that boredom in the United States is probably running higher here than any other place in the world. What does that have to do with our general lethargy about this whole problem? Well, I think that the American people have an affluent society that is greater than anything history has ever known, but we found that we can buy almost anything but happiness, and we have not found the happiness, the peace and the contentment through our high standard of living that we thought we were going to find.

And I've been on a lot of university and college campuses lately, and I'm planning that the student world has a tremendous vacuum. They don't know what to believe. And this vacuum is dangerous because unless Christianity fills it or some ideology fills it, communism or some other form of is, um, is going to fill this vacuum.

I meet people who are wealthy. They have everything that could make them happy. But they're not happy. What's wrong? I think it's because they have nothing to believe in, nothing to hold two. And of course, that's where I believe that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the answer to the innermost needs of people in America or Africa or anywhere else in the world.

Dr. Dream, I understand that we in Florida can look forward to the pleasure of having you down there soon. Would you tell us exactly when you're going to be there and how long you're gonna be there? Yes, we are going to be in the state of Florida during January, February, March and April and what we are calling saturation evangelism, we're going to go to almost every city and town and village in the state of Florida, preaching the gospel during that period.

And, of course, we're looking forward to it with great anticipation. Were greatly looking forward to your being there with us. Thank you very much. And thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen, for looking at a little bit. What a good camera probably see seem to take 1 44 26.

Yeah, Look, I'll be Dr Graham, you've conducted crusades all over Asia and particularly, I know in Japan. What is your opinion as to the calling off of our president's trip to Japan? Well, Senator, I think that it's a greater tragedy than to blow up of the summit.

I think we are in the process of losing face throughout the Far East. And I think that we are entering on dangerous times because if we look the Far East and especially in Japan, I don't think we can exist very long in the standard of living that we now are trying to maintain.

And this indicates to me the power of a dedicated, disciplined minority. And this minority exists in almost every country in the world. And I think the Communists are finding a successful weapon in overthrowing government without resorting to warfare that spells danger for America.