Brainwashing: The story of men who defied it.

Abstract

Brainwashingflair of science about it all, like a devil dancer in a tuxedo, carrying his magic brew in a test tube.The communist hierarchy preferred people to believe that there was no such thing as brainwashing.So long as they could keep it concealed, without a name, opposition to it could be kept scattered and ineffective.As explained by Dr. Joost A. M. Meerloo, a psychiatrist of Dutch origin, in his book Conversation and Communication, it is practically im- possible to fight something until it has been given a name."To name an object is to bring it within the sphere of human control," he wrote."Without a name it arouses fear, because it is unknown. . . .Whoever knows the name has power."Dr.Meerloo coined the fine laboratory word menticide-murder of the mind-for this atrocious quack science devised by the Reds to bring about the voluntary submission of people to an unthinking discipline and a robotlike enslavement.The popular word remained brainwashing, for it has a flesh-and- blood quality which characterizes any expression arising out of real-life experience.The German-born Sinologue, Max Perleberg, who is fluent in both modern and classical Chinese, told me that the term might well have been derived from the Buddhist expression "heart-washing," which goes back to the time of Mencius.Heart-washing referred to the withdrawal into meditation of a middle-aged manperhaps weary of worldly cares-living in a bare pavilion in some placid corner of his garden, leav- ing his offspring to attend to his business.The reaction among my newspaper colleagues in Hong Kong when the term was first introduced in print was typical of the horror, disbelief, and skepticism that it initially aroused everywhere.These newspapermen were human be- ings like everyone else, part of the public to whom they were reporting, susceptible to the same emotions and holding identical attitudes.An outstanding foreign correspondent came to me at once and exclaimed, "I