Correspondence in 1962 from Robert Welch to Gerald L.K. Smith (founder of Christian Nationalist Crusade) regarding Welch's unpublished "private letter". "
The Politician".
In January 1962, Smith wrote a letter to Welch about a "mutual friend" who Smith said had received a letter from Welch objecting to Smith publishing excerpts from Welch's unpublished manuscript. Supposedly Welch had threatened legal action against Smith.
Smith replied that Welch was "doing a great work, and I would be the last to want to injure you or in any way hinder your accomplishments."
In April 1962, Welch wrote to Smith again on John Birch Society stationery because he heard rumors that Smith was still planning to publish excerpts from Welch's manuscript -- which Welch objected to and which Welch said would result in legal action.
Welch declared that he could not cooperate with GLKS "as we try so hard to so with most other anti-Communist groups or leaders", because according to Welch, "of a basic disagreement between us as to the main sources of the strength of the conspiracy" -- which is a reference to Smith's anti-Jewish arguments.
Curiously, however, Welch goes out of his way to tell Smith that while cooperation is not possible between them because of "this divergence of opinion as to the enemy whom we are fighting, or ought to be fighting" nevertheless Welch described Smith as a "sincere" anti-Communist and "...I have been and still am entirely willing to let you fight your battle, without any interference from me, while I fight my own...I have never gone out of my way to condemn, or take any 'cracks' at Gerald L.K. Smith and his views, because it simply is not my job or my province to do so."
