An Aberhart Broadcast to Canada 1943

from: The Social Crediter Saturday, June 26, 1943.
William Aberhart was Premier of the Province of Alberta, Western Canada, from 1935 until his death which occurred very shortly after he made this broadcast, transmitted on 6 May 1943. The Social Credit Government which he led swept to power in 1935, taking 56 of the 63 seats in the Provincial Legislature. Both before the election and during his years as Premier, Aberhart mobilised support for Social Credit ideas and policies through his broadcasts which informed and encouraged the many, many Social Credit study groups which met throughout the scattered population of the province.

The Plan for World Control
A few nights ago I was listening to one of those "quiz" programmes which have become so popular with radio stations; and it struck me very forcibly that it was but another example of how people are being taught today to guess rather than to think for themselves. The kind of questions being asked were: "Who is the Minister of Agriculture?" "Is Moscow further North or further South than Quebec?" and so forth. The participant either knew the answers or he had to guess them. I cannot recall a single question that would have the effect of making people think. Has it ever occurred to you that it is becoming very much the same in regard to all phases of our national life?

For example you will recall the famous plebiscite we had recently in Canada. In it the people were asked a question, the answer to which would not commit the government to any particular course of action. The government refused to indicate what they would do if the people voted either yes or no, hence the people themselves could not possibly tell what would be the result of their decision. They had to guess.

Or take election time. As a general rule the candidates of all parties came forward with their platforms all nicely dressed up to catch votes. The people are not asked, "What do you want? Do you want security in terms of more goods and better homes? Do you want these without regimentation and bureaucracy so that you may enjoy the maximum of freedom? Do you want freedom from debt and overburdening taxation?" Oh! No, no! they are not given the opportunity of voting on anything so straightforward as that. They are asked to vote on tariffs or freetrade, on compulsory unemployment insurance under one party's bureaucracy or another party's bureaucracy, or whether they want industries nationalised, or would they prefer an international police force. In this way complicated and technical questions are put before the people, without giving them the proper information upon which to form sound opinions regarding what the results would be for them if these things were done. In other words - they have to guess.

That is the kind of thing that is going on all the time. People are being discouraged from thinking. We are being drilled into becoming a nation of guessers - and as the men who manipulate the situation from behind the scenes know all of the answers, and the necessary information is carefully withheld from the people, the manipulators are always right and the people generally guess wrong.

Nowhere is this more strikingly demonstrated than in regard to the stuff that is dished up to us as news. Tonight I propose to deal with just one example, to show you the dangerous intrigue that is being perpetrated right under our noses.

Suppose that you pick up your newspaper some evening and read bold headlines such as these: "World Totalitarian Dictatorship by Finance Proposed as New Post-War Order - Confidence Expressed British Empire and American Governments Will Be Hoaxed Into Acceptance of Plan." What would be your reaction to that news? Would it make your blood boil? Would you feel indignant that anybody should dare to put forward treason like that while your son or your brother or your husband is over there risking his life for the ideals of democracy and our traditional British freedoms?

Well, my friends, let me tell you frankly, you have read that news in your papers, but it was not stated nearly so boldly. Possibly because what you read was complicated or was couched in altruistic language, and since you had no definite information on which to form an opinion, you just had to guess what it meant. And you probably guessed that there was nothing very sinister about it. That is what you were intended to do.

A short time ago you may remember reading in your newspaper that plans for an International Monetary Reform were published on the same day in both London, England, and in Washington, by the British and the United States Governments. These two plans were presented in the newspaper reports as simple and innocent expedients for making it easier to re-establish international trade after the war - a most desirable and worthy objective.

Strange as it may seem, though, the so-called British and American plans were supposed to have been drawn up independently, they were basically similar, and both were made known to the public on the same day. This would tend to impress the people with the spontaneity of agreement and the unanimity of purpose in the whole matter. It was another of those strange coincidences like the similarity of the Beveridge, Marsh and N.R.P.B. plans of social security which were offered to the public within a few days of each other and were identical in their main features. Well, I tell you frankly I don't believe in coincidences of that kind. They are too weird to be genuine.

Let me draw to your attention some of the main features common to both the British and the American plans for an international money system. Both advocate setting up an international unit of money, based on gold. In one case the name "Bankor" is suggested; in the other the term "Unitas" is put forward. But what does the name matter anyway, since both plans involve control of the international money system by an international authority, which will likewise control international trade? You see it is all international - centralisation of power, etc. Both plans suggest that some such system should be set up in a hurry. Both plead its necessity on the grounds that it is essential for the purpose of averting confusion in world trade after the war. How plausible! How persuasive! "Will you come into my parlour said the spider to the fly," sort of manner.

Lord Keynes, a director of the Bank of England, is reputed to be the author of the British scheme. He is reported as having stated that such an international monetary system might be used to finance a World Police Force. All Totalitarian Powers evidently need a Gestapo. We are not told who was the author of the American plan.

On the face of it there seems to be nothing in those schemes to unduly alarm people, does there? But that is only because the people haven't the information which would enable them to understand what an international money system controlled by an international authority, backed up by an international Police Force, would mean to them.

Listen carefully, Ladies and Gentlemen! For the past three years - in fact ever since the outbreak of war - there has been a steady stream of propaganda, carefully organised and well financed, to win support for setting up a World Federation of Nations under an International authority, to which all Nations would surrender control of finance, international trade, their armed forces and their citizenship rights. How long is it going to take for the people to realise what is going on and what it will mean to them?

In the first place it would mean that the people of Canada would no longer be sovereign. They would no longer be the constitutionally supreme authority in their own country. By giving over control of finance to some alien dominated international dictatorship, they would be giving that authority complete control over every aspect of their national life. You see, control of finance would mean control of the money system - and that in turn controls every phase of production and distribution. Stripped of all its camouflage, the final result will be a slave state, worse than anything as yet proposed by our bombastic dictators. Is that what our brave soldiers are fighting and dying for? Do you, as a true Canadian, desire such conditions? Then I ask, what are you doing about it?

Now is the time to act. If we wait until the bonds are welded and this dreadful totalitarian order set up, the people of Canada will then be helpless to do anything about it if they do not like the harsh conditions that are imposed upon them. Remember that in addition to control over finance, the international authority would also have control over the Armed Forces and the citizenship rights. If any individual dared to challenge the authority of the international dictatorship he might find that they had deprived him of his citizenship rights. And if the people as a whole started to kick over the traces - well, they would be unarmed and helpless while the international over-lords would have control of all the Armed Forces and the World Police Force. So it would be just too bad for the people.

Do you consider it fantastic to imagine that anything like that could happen? How can you when the very idea I have outlined has been put forward seriously as the basis of our Post-War Order?

Published Plans

In the first instance, two books on the subject were published. One of these was written by a man connected with a newspaper which, on the evidence of a British Ambassador to the United States, was controlled by the banking institution that is the Headquarters of International Finance. The other book was by the son of one of the founders of the Money Power on this continent. There is absolutely no question about it that this plot, this evil conspiracy - to set up an international totalitarian dictatorship with control over every aspect of our lives and armed with overwhelming forces to impose their will upon us, can be traced to that small group of men which comprise International Finance.

If ever that scheme should be put over, it would mean the end of democracy, the end of the British Empire, the end of freedom. On the other hand, it would be the establishment of a World Slave State more ruthless and vile than anything which the evil genius of the Nazis have (sic) as yet conceived. Yet poisonous propaganda in favour of this diabolical idea is being openly scattered far and wide in Canada - and that in wartime also. I assert that it is treachery of the worst kind that, even while all the suffering and sacrifices of this present war are going on to overthrow totalitarianism, anyone should even suggest that we do away with all that our brave lads are fighting to defend.

It is most important that we realise that the proposals for inveigling us into an international dictatorship are not put forward in an obvious, above-board manner. No, indeed! They are carefully wrapped up in an attractive, and subtle propaganda form. You are told that international control of money is a means for ensuring orderly world trade. You are not told that immediately you hand over constitutional control of finance to an international authority, it will be impossible for the people of Canada ever to change their unsatisfactory monetary system. That fact is kept hidden.

Again, you are told that international control of the Armed Forces is necessary to maintain world peace. The plausible term used to describe it is "an international police force." It sounds more innocent. You are not told that such a force would place the people of all nations completely at the mercy of the international authority which controlled that force.

And remember where you have a concentration of power in a few hands, all too frequently men with the mentality of gangsters get control. History has proven that. As the British peer, Lord Acton, put it so aptly: "All power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely."

I warn you, Ladies and Gentlemen, with every ounce of sincerity and vehemence I possess; for your own sake, for the sake of the brave lads who are fighting so heroically to overthrow tyranny, for the sake of your children, for the sake of the future of our country - yes - for the sake of everything you hold dear, oppose, expose and resist by every means in your power this audacious and evil conspiracy by the Money Powers to set up a World Slave State.

And now before I close, may I once again thank all of you who have written to me, and who have contributed to these broadcasts during the past week. You will be glad to hear that our radio fund is building up nicely, but we have not yet reached the point to undertake the more ambitious programme to which I referred last week.

I hope that, if these broadcasts are giving people the satisfaction which the increasing number of letters indicates, the time is not far distant when all who listen to them will be sharing in their cost.

I feel with all the fibre of my being that this question of Post-War Reconstruction is so urgent and the situation which is developing is so critical that it will require a supreme effort by us all, working together, to meet the problems we face.

I will be on the air again one week from tonight over this same Station at the same time. Until then I bid you goodnight, Ladies and Gentlemen.