No reports of members of the John Birch Society being involved in the harassment/intimidation of communists could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

A Senior Analyst with Political Research Associates in Somerville, Maine which conducts research into the "ideology and tactics of the political 'right' in the United States," stated during a 10 June 1999 telephone interview that while members of the John Birch Society hold opinions on conspiracy theories involving the New World Order that are similar to American "patriot" groups, members of the Society "are not really radical." He described members as generally above average in education and income and stated that there are several Congressmen who are members. As such, he said the approach of Society members to their concerns is one of "reformism" rather than the use of arms. In the opinion of the Senior Analyst, members of the John Birch Society would "absolutely not be likely to use harassment against individuals."

During a 10 June 1999 telephone interview, a Research Analyst with the Intelligence Project of the Southern Poverty Law Centre - which "began as a small civil rights law firm in 1971. ... created Klanwatch in 1981 in response to a resurgence of Ku Klux Klan activity [and] today, ... tracks the activities of more than 400 racist and neo-Nazi groups" (SPLC n.d.) - stated that the John Birch Society shares with American militia groups a belief in a conspiracy theory regarding the imposition of a new world order. However, she said that while these groups do connect in terms of beliefs, they do not with respect to action, with the militias possessing more active tendencies. She acknowledged that John Birch Society groups are listed as "patriot groups" in some states in the SPLC's annual listing, but said they are not listed in other states because the Intelligence Project of the SPLC had not received any information from police, news reports, Websites, or other sources, indicating that the John Birch Society is active in that state.

During a 9 June 1999 telephone interview, a Professor of Politics and History at Emory University, whose research interest is American Communism and who has written several books on the subject, stated that the John Birch Society does "denounce" communists, but that he does not know of any "overt" or "vigilante" actions against communists by members of the Society.

A Senior Researcher at the Simon Wiesenthal Center stated during a 10 June 1999 telephone interview that he has not heard much of the John Birch Society lately and is not aware of any actions its members may have taken against communists.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Emory University, Atlanta Georgia. 9 June 1999. Telephone interview with Professor of Politics and History.

Political Research Associates, Somerville, Maine. 10 June 1999. Telephone interview with a Senior Analyst.

Simon Wiesenthal Center, Los Angeles. 10 June 1999. Telephone interview with a Senior Researcher.

Southern Poverty Law Centre, Montgomery, Alabama. 11 June 1999. Telephone interview with a Research Analyst with the Intelligence Project.

_____. n.d. Website. [Internet] http://www.splcenter.org/ [Accessed 15 June 1999]

Additional Sources Consulted

Amnesty International. 1998.

Amnesty International Report 1998.

Human Rights Watch (HRW). 1998. Human Rights Watch World Report 1999.

John Birch Society. Website. http://www.jbs.org/

Resource Centre. United States country file. April 1997 - June 1999.

_____. United States: Amnesty International country file. March 1998 - June 1999.

Electronic sources: IRB Databases, LEXIS/NEXIS, Internet, REFWORLD.