ATA GLANCE

The distinguished congressman and chairman of theJohn Birch Soci ty was an effective and implacable foe

f Communism and international terrorism.

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Leading the freedom fight: First elected torepresent Georgia's7th Congressional District in1974, Dr. Lawrence Patton McDonald was soonrecognized as one ofAmerica's topconservativeleaders. Senator Barry Goldwater (R-Ariz.) said in1976 that Larry McDonald had perhaps"contributed more to the Congress than ... anyother freshman who has ever come here."

Robert Welch, founder of the John BirchSociety, shakes hands with Rep. LarryMcDonald atthe recording of Rep.McDonald's speech entitled Education Is theKey. Dr. McDonald worked for many yearsas avolunteer JBS chapter leader andsection leader and joined the NationalCouncil of the Society in 1967. In1983 hewas named the Society's chairman.

THENEWAMERICAN • SEPTEMBER 8. 2003

Patriot martyr: After the shoot­down ofKAL Flight 007, LarryMcDonald appeared on the coversof TheReviewof the News (aprecursor to THE NEW AMERICAN) andConservative Digest. In a poll takenshortly before the KAL 007shoot­down, the readers of ConservativeDigest chose Larry McDonald as theconservative leader who bestrepresented their philosophy. Theyalso named him as oneofthe mostadm ired conservatives in Congressin 1980, 1981, and1982andselected him as oneof the threepersons they mostwanted to seelead theconservative movement.

Astrong defense: As a key leader ofthe House Armed Services Committee, LarryMcDonald spearheaded campaigns forvitally needed weapons systems and exposedthe Soviet KGB hand beh ind disarmament schemes suchas the nuclear freezemovement, the SALT treaties, and otherefforts thatwould have made the U.S.militarily inferior to the Soviets.

THENEWAMERICAN • SEPTEMBER 8, 2003

T wenty years ago, on September 1,1983, U.S. Representative Larry Mc­Donald (D-Ga.) was en route to

Seoul, South Korea, to speak at an anti-Com­munist conference. Unbeknownst to him andthe 268 others aboard KAL Flight 007, theywere about to become victims in one of themost blatant acts of state terrorism of ourtimes.

The civilian Boeing 747 had ju st passedover the southern tip of Sakhalin Island whenit was shot down by Soviet SU-15 jet fight-

t:ers. Rep. Lawrence Patton McDonald, theleading anti-Communist in Congress, wasrecognized by Soviet leaders as their numberone foe in the U.S. Congress. That theywould have targeted KAL 007 specifically toeliminate him is not wild conjecture to any­one familiar with Communi st methods andgoals.

Rep. McDonald, the national chairman ofthe John Birch Society and a key leader onthe House Armed Services Committee, wasthe foremost constitutionalist in the Houseand a top authority on national defense andinternal security. During his nine years inCongress, McDonald led many key battles inWashington to expose Soviet infiltration, ter­rorism, and espionage. He placed many de­tailed reports on these subjects into the Con­gressional Record, spoke widely, assistedother conservatives in their election cam­paigns, and wrote articles for John Birch So­ciety publications. He also produced impor­tant books, reports, and video documentariesthrough the Western Goals Foundation,which he founded.

Because of his principled stands andcourageous, dynamic leadership, Dr. Me­Donald was honored with numerous awardsfrom conservative, patriotic, pro-life, pro­gun, and veterans organizations. He consis­tently scored perfect or near perfect ratingson the congressional scorecards of the Amer­ican Conservative Union, National Right toLife Committee, Gun Owners of America,and the American Security Council, as wellas the "Conservative Index" of this maga­zine' s predecessor, The Review of the News.

Although he sat on the advisory boards ofmany conservative organizations , Dr. Me­Donald was very outspoken in his strong be­lief that the unique grassroots education strat-

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ATA GLANCE

Fighting terrorism - two decades before9·11: Larry McDonald repeatedly warned thatAmerica was allowing itself to remainneedlessly vulnerable to terrorist attack. Heinitiated the effort to restore the HouseInternal Security Committee and otherimportant security bodies. His hard-hittingvideo documentary No Place toHide: TheStrategy and Tactics of Terrorism was shownon national television in 1982 and wasadopted as atraining tool by many lawenforcement agencies. If the urgent warningshe delivered then and the recommendationshe offered had been heeded by Americanleaders, tragedies like the September 11thattacks may well have been averted.

Man ofhealing: Born inAtlanta, Georgia, in1935, Larry McDonald received his medicaldegree from Emory University in 1957. Heserved four years as a Navy physician and flightsurgeon and later joined the world-famousurological clinic founded by hisfather inAtlanta.

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Honoring John Birch: Larry McDonald (second from left) is shown in a1968 photowithJohn Birch's parents, Mr. and Mrs. George Birch, as they receive aproclamation from GeorgiaGovernor Lester Maddox declaring August 23rd JohnBirch Day. John, an Army captain and World War II hero, was murdered bytheChinese Communists 10days after the war ended.

THENEWAMERICAN • SEPTEMBER 8, 2003

, 'J

Constitutionalist congressman: Larry McDonald capably articulated the freedomphilosophy in countless interviewsand speeches. His book We Hold These Truths,published during the bicentennial year ofournation 's independence, isabrill iantreview of the U.S. Constitution. McDonald fully embraced the constitutional principleshe espoused and dedicated his life to preserving our heritage of freedom. During hisnineyears in Congress (1975-1983), he voted consistently againstunconstitutionalprograms, nomatter how popular.

KAL 007 cover-up: This Korean AirLines 747 isthe same model as Flight 007, shotdown bythe Soviets. The distinctive profile of the massive plane makes it impossiblefor an experienced fighter pilot to mistake it fora U.S. military spy plane, as the SovietUnion had claimed. But even the facts presented by the U.S. government didnotaddup. For more information about the KAL Flight007 tragedy, gotowww.thenewamerican.com/focus/mcdonald/kal/.

THE NEW AMERICAN • SEPTEMBER 8, 2003

egy of the John Birch Societ y is essential toreversing the ongoing, precipitous decl ine ofour nation and civilizat ion. In his powerful1980 video lecture, Education is the Key, Me­Donald explained why political action aloneca nnot effect the changes so desperatelyneeded . There must first be a core of the elec­torate that understands the constituti onalprinciples of limited government.

Noting that most voters and conservativegroups are inordinately fixated on presiden­tial politics, Larry McDonald explained whyCongress, and espec ially the House, shouldbe the primary focus. It is there, he said, thatwe have the chance for "buildin g an informedelectorate and understanding at the grass ­roots level where people can make a changeand have that change felt in Washington." Wehave an obligation to preserve the legacy offreedom passed on to us. "In my opin ion,"said McDonald, "the best way to dischargethat obligation is by being an active memberof the John Birch Society."

Larry McDonald was articulate, energetic ,telegenic, and always well-informed on theimportant issues of the day. He was a provenleader who could rally bipartisan conserva­tive forces on crucial issues . He was a risingstar on the national political scene, often citedas a future senator and a credible presidentialcandidat e. But he knew from hard experiencethat his political victories had only been pos­sible because he and other Birchers had donethe earlier laborious work of building a toughcore of informed, motivated voters in his dis­trict. For many years he had worked as a vol­unteer JBS chapter leader and section leader,build ing the Society's education and actionprogram. Without this informed electorate, heknew he could not win office, take the prin­cipled stands he did in Congress, and weath­er the intense smears and continu ous attacksof his opponents and the media.

The loss of Larry McDonald was a tremen­dous setback to the conservative-con stitu­tionalist movement in America. But thousandsof Americans have been inspired by LarryMcDonald's example and have embraced thesame cause of liberty to which he unwaver­ingly devoted - and ultimatel y sacrificed ­his life . We will not forget him or allow hiscourageous legacy to be neglected.•

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