Question: Hello Lyn. I'm deploying in Mexico City now. I'd like to know how much influence there was with the principles that established the United States. That is, what was the influence of that on the creation of the Mexican Republic? How much did that feed into it? Thank you.

LaRouche: Well, first of all, the remarkable thing about the United States is, you've got to look at the case of Benjamin Franklin, and look at the genius shown by some people, while Franklin was still alive, in crafting the leadership of the American Revolution, and that was over a long period of time. And look at how they collapsed, once the Siege of the Bastille occurred, with the degeneration of the struggle in France! Of course, take into account the number of people who think that the Siege of the Bastille was the beginning of some great movement for freedom. They celebrate it as a great event.

So, if you know Franklin as I know him, you'd know that it was this one individual who was most crucial-there are many people who played a very important role-but continuously, Franklin's influence was crucial in making the American Revolution. Once the United States was hit by the terrible effects of what happened in France and elsewhere, the degeneration of people like Jefferson, Madison, John Adams to a lesser degree but to a specific degree, these people had been leaders of a great revolution, and suddenly they degenerated. Franklin wasn't there. They degenerated because Franklin wasn't there. This is often the case in history, that we depend greatly upon individual leaders for all the great movements. And the principle of assassination is, that the people who understand these things will commit assassinations, knowing that if they eliminate an indispensable leader, they will beat the entire movement that leader represents, or conquer the nation that leader represents. That's the big problem.

Now, my concern is to try to develop a depth of leadership for the future, so that does not happen after the effort we are making now may have succeeded. But the problem is a shortage of leadership, and in these days, it's not considered popular to say that. You're supposed to be so-called democratic. I'm telling you that the great revolutions are made not by democratic movements but by great leaders, and we have a shortage of them. My concern is to develop more leaders. My concern in developing a youth movement is to produce, from a youth movement, a quality of leadership which will not fail, as many Americans failed who had been leaders under a crisis, where they were hit without Benjamin Franklin as their leader to guide them.

By the way, that puts a big responsibility on you, Lisa. (laughs)

Did I scare you?

Q: No, no one here is scared.

LaRouche: Good. I didn't think so. I just thought I'd provoke you a bit, in order to come up to the level of what you really represent. You must sense what greatness is, to achieve it in yourself.

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