15
of his organization, returned with a
"sense of messianism."
The results of that were an abandon-
ment of his extreme Left wing views
for those of the extreme Right, a cult-
like atmosphere for his organization
and a focus on anti-Semitism as the
basis for the world conspiracy he saw
all about him.
In 1974, LaRouche actively began
establishing links with conservative
groups, looking for funds, political con-
tacts and the opportunity to expose
what he saw as the leadership of that
world conspiracy, made up of the
Rockefellers, Queen Elizabeth and
Jews who controlled the banks, the
media and the government.
With that came a change in La-
Rouche's tactics. Where before inter-
nal debate and discussion were in-
tegral to the Labor Committee, now he
began making dictatorial pronounce-
ments. Those who disagreed were said
to be either CIA agents or afraid of
their mothers.
LaRouche then began to mold a
worldwide organization that, accord-
ing to a former member, "follows his
every instruction and mimics his every
twist and turn."
"For those inside the structure of
the party, "noted the New York Times,
"enclosed by rigid psychological and
social structures, life moves from crisis
to crisis as LaRouche announces new
plots of assassination or looming ther-
monuclear war. 'Every few weeks
there's a new reality, different from
the one before but just as absolute,'
said a former member."
Members' savings and possessions
are routinely given over to LaRouche.
Members are also routinely asked to
take out substantial loans and to give
the money to the party.
"It is a political cult," said Jonathan
Levine, of the American Jewish Com-
mittee. "His hard-core members are
zombies. There's a craziness about
them." He characterized LaRouche as
in many respects, "like a Nazi, though
that's not the face he chooses to give
the American public."
The face LaRouche presents is of an
organization headed by a.brilliant eco-
nomic theorist who understands the
secret workings of a worldwide drug
conspiracy, who prophesies the com-
ing of a world economic collapse and
who champions Star Wars and nuclear
energy. It is a cause best known for its
conspiracy theories in which Jews play
a prominent part, for its extreme con- .
servative and anti-Communist views
4
of U.S. defense, fiscal policy and social
issues and for its history and habit of
making anti-Semitic statements.
So convinced is LaRouche that the
American public is eager for his polit-
ical and economic leadership, that he
ran for President in 1976, 1980 and
1984 and has already announced for
1988. In 1976 he was the candidate of
the US Labor Party and received
40,000 votes. By 1980 he was running
in Democratic primaries under the
banner of the National Democratic
Policy Committee. The switch proved
successful with LaRouche's 1980 total
being 185,000 votes, enough to qualify
him for more than a half million dollars
in federal matching funds.
After that campaign, LaRouche
used the National Democratic Policy
Committee as the vehicle for his fol-
lowers' candidacies and for his own ef-
fort to represent himself as a Conser-
vative Democrat.
Since 1980, LaRouche followers
have been a frequent presence on bal.,
lots around the country, often running
unopposed for seats on local party
committees.
The fact that two of his candidates
were victorious in the Illinois primary,
said The American Jewish Commit-
tee's Levine, will only increase the
number of LaRouchies who will run
this year. "He was planning to run
about 600-700 candidates nationwide.
Now he says he may double that."
The fact that LaRouche tries to
achieve his goals through the electoral
system, says Michael Kotzin, Midwest
Director for the Anti-Defamation
League, is because "he wants to seem
to be in the mainstream. He hopes by
that to gain influence, acceptability,
respectability and credibility and be
listened to. That's why he picks up on
issues that are of current interest to
ordinary Americani. He hopes he can
get them behind him. And so now the
attention is on AIDS and the anti-
drug coalition and the farm crisis."
"He picks on issues that push Amer-
icans' buttons," adds Levine.
And he uses those issues as a way
of getting financial and othei support.
Which is what makes him so success-.
ful and so dangerous. "By appearing
to be in the mainstream," said Kotzin,
"he is sometimes able to get a hearing
for his positions. Infect, his positions
are on the fringe of American society."
Still, it's hard to know that with the
numerous activities, organizations and
publications that make up th.0 La-
Rouche network.
. • Hawked by clean-cut
4r.....romtagiodwantopec.v,,„,
young people manning tables at air-
ports with signs that carry slogans
like "Feed Jane Fonda to the Whales,"
magazines like the slick Executive In-
telligence Review, Fusion, The Young
Scientist and Campaigner, are a major
source of funds. In fact, some esti-
mates of combined airport and sub-
scription sales put the annual revenue
generated by LaRouche through this
means at $3 million. His annual
budget is estimated at about $8
million.
The LaRouche network contains a
large and ever-changing list of political
operations, publications and business
enterprises.
"They are all very careful to conceal
their affiliation," says Peggy Norton,
director of the Jewish Community Re-
lations Council in Chicago. "They use
all kinds of things that sound innocent
that they can use for their own pur-
poses. But if LaRouche thought his
philosophy was so attractive he
wouldn't constantly try to conceal it.
Hitler never concealed his appeal. He
knew it was something the Germans
wanted. LaRouche knows he doesn't
appeal to something Americans want
and so he tries not to identify himself."
And, says Norton, that's part of the
problem. "He's smart enough to be
underhanded. He got two people nom-
inated to statewide offices without
anybody knowing who they were. It
shows that his operations are ex-
cellent."
So excellent that LaRouche has even
had some success in gaining access to
high government circles'— especially
within the intelligence and police com-
munities. Dr. Norman Bailey, a former
member of the National Security
Council, told NBC of "LaRouche's
value to the Administration." Former
LaRouche members have told of reg-
ular and frequent contacts with of-
ficials of the Department of State, the
FBI, the Drug Enforcement Adminis-
tration and even the CIA.
But while trying to ingratiate hiM-
self with government officials and
organizations, LaRouche has done just
the opposite with Jewish officials and
organizations. According to an ADL
report,-"in recent years LaRouche has
portrayed himself as a conservative,
business oriented economist and
political analyst. Yet, during his fif-
teen years of intense political activism,
the most conspicous aspect of his 'phil-
osophy' has been that of conspiracy
theories laced with anti-Semitism. In
Continued on next page
Buoyed by recent
success in Illinois,
the leader of a
"political cult"
described as
anti-Semitic is
planning to
sponsor more than
a thousand
candidates for
political offices
across the nation.