I
The Damper
Nit
EDITORIAL PAGE
LA GRANDE OBSERVER
Thursday, November 12, 1959
"Without or with friend or foe, we print your daily world as it goes'- Byron.
RILEY ALLEN, publisher
Orady Pannell, managing editor George Challis, advertising director
Tom Humes, circulation manager
Young Man In Hurry
Younjr maru where cocst thou? is a
question La Grande Democratic party
leaders probably asked of Senator John
Kennedy here Tuesday.
In answer to a similar question asked
him by a newsman, Kennedy said his
mind would be made up one way or the
other by next January.
The Massachusetts lawmaker is the
erBonification of a young man in a
hurry and going places. Don't let his
youthful looks fool you. He is a natural
born politician and he admits it.
He stressed the field of polities be
fore an audience largely made up of
college students here. He said it was an
honored profession but would not remain
as such unless the sharpest minds of our
young people became actively engaged in
politics.
Showing' his political skill,' Kennedy
did not let himself become engaged in
such questions as "Kennedy-Morse" or
"Kennedy-Keligion."
He referred to Sen. Wayne Morse in
only one instance in general discussion,
that of their co-sponsorship of a piece
of legislation. A devout Roman Catholic,
Kennedy was not asked his views on
the question of "Church-State" separa
tion. He has admitted that he is a strong
advocate of separation of church and
state, however.
The angular and smiling young sen
ator, with his cultured Roston accent,
could be a real vote getter. Rut how he
fares from his trip through Oregon will
not Ix known until after the primary
election.
Cascadia Opens Door
Buried in recent news was a startling
story.
It concerned the discovery of an ocean
floor river five to ten times larger than
the Mississippi.
The subterranean channel reaches
across one-fourth of the northern Pacific
ocean. It sweeps south from the strait
of Juan De Fuca to break through a
pass of submerged rocky ridges off the
Oregon coast, opposite Cape Rlanco.
Subterranean canyons, of course, are
nothing new. But the one off the Pacific
Northwest coast was unknown until the
Scripps Institute of Oceonography re
cently located its course.
This new submarine canyon has been
named the Cascadia Channel. It is about
1,500 miles long. It starts in water near
ly two miles deep and has U'on traced
to depths of almost four miles.
A submarine canyon has Ihhmi known
to exist off the Oregon coast just south
of the mouth of the Columbia. There are
vast gorges off the California coast.
They are known in all parts of the
world. One of the most famous is the
gorge that plunges into the Atlantic
depths off the mouth of the Hudson
River on the east coast,
Oceanographers are inclined to be
lieve that the Cascadia Channel was
shaped by high-speed underwater cur
rents. It is a simple explanation. Rut
it does not answer all questions in con
nection with their mysterious river chan
nels on ocean bottoms.
There are about half a dozen theories.
All have their advocates and in the past
decade, debates have been waged in the
pages of science publications.
One group of scientists came up with
a theory that seemed to explain the
huge Hudson canyon: Back in the ice
age when rnuch of the world s water
To Much Speculation
was massed in glaciers around polar caps,
the levels of the oceans dropped. The
Hudson, and other rivers, cut deep
gorges in areas once covered by ocean
water.
When the ice age passed and glaciers
melted, the ocean basins were refilled,
and great canyons were submerged.
Simple explanation, but that theory has
been under fire.
The prevalent belief at present is
that giant submarine canyons off the
California coast have been eroded by
one or more processes. These processes,
it is held, have cut canyon heads in the
past, and are operating today.
Arguments have been advanced in
support of the theory that canyons are
cut by sediment moving seaward down
slope under gravity.
Stll another theory is that canyons
cut by rivers as a result of land emer
gence were preserved and reopened by
submarine process.
Possibly the origin of the mysterious
ocean-floor rivers will never be solved.
Nature did not gauge all its miracles to
the level where they can be interpreted
by the mind of man.
But the study of the Cascadia Channel
off the Oregon coast may throw new
light on a controversial question the
manner in which river gorges were cut
on the ocean floor.
Barbs
It's much easier to always have a
sweet disposition when you have plenty
of sugar.
A man with six youngsters can think
of six good reasons why he can't do
offlire work at home.
DREW PEARSON SAYS:
Nixon's 'Little Dog' Show
Revealed Television Staging
WASHINGTON The current
congressional prooo mio pnony
TV programs and false impres
sions given the American public
may have wider political reper
cussiuns than the probing cong
ressmen anticipated. One thing
it might make difficult in the fu
ture is such a carefully staged
TV program as the famous "Lit
tie Dog" telecast as that of Vice
President Nixon when his $18
000 personal expense funds was
challenged in the 1952 election.
Some of the congressmen now
probing TV were surprised,
though pleased, that President
Eisenhower expressed such indig
nation over rigged TV programs;
also that CBS President Krank
Stanton criticized canned ap
plause and even advance rehears
Is on Kd Murrow s person to-
person program.
It happens that no less than
Nixon himself once gave away
the secret of how his famous
'Little Dog" telecast was staged
with all of Madison Avenue s
most effective techniques. Nixon
let his hair down at a meeting of
the Kadio and TV Executive So
ciety in New York on Sept. 14.
1954. Much to their amazement,
he told in great detail how he
had staged his famed telecast.
What Nixon didn t know was
that Variety magazine of the TV
radio and theatrical world, had a
reporter present and spelled out
the story later.
Ike'i Surprise
It will be recalled that during
the election campaign of 1952
President Eisenhower was flabber
gasted to learn that a group of
wealthy California businessmen
had contributed $18,000 to pay
what Nixon later described
ome of his Senate office expens
es. Ihere was an immediate de
mand by many Republican lead
ers and newspapers that Nixon be
dropped from the ticket.
The New York Herald Tribune
bellwether of the Republican
press, led the demand. The
Washington Post, then strongly
supporting Eisenhower, did like
wise. Gov. Tom Dewey in New
York did not go that far, but ex
pressed private doubts to Eisen
bower. Eisenhower himself was
badly shaken, especially when he
learned from the newsmen on
1 is campaign train that their vote
was 40 to 2 that Nixon should be
dropped.
What shook Eisenhower and
stuck in the craw of newspaper
editorial writers was the state
ment by Nixon to Peter Edson of
the Scripps-Howard newspapers
that he would not have been able
to make the down payment on his
house in Washington if he had
not had the $18,000 expense fund;
also the very frank statement by
Dana Smith, the Los Angeles at
torney who collected the $18,000.
Dick Nixon seemed to be the
best salesman against socializa
tion available." Smitih told the
press. "That's his gift, really
salesmanship . . . here we had a
fine salesman who didn't have
enough money to do the kind of
silling we wanted, so we got to
other and took care of some of
those things."
A United States senator is sup
posed to "sell" for all the Am
erican people, not just tor a small
crouD which pays mm on me
ide. Furthermore, Mxon receiev
od $70,000 annually for office ex
penses from the U. S. government
o, Eisenhower took seriously
the advice of important and
friendly newspapers that he be
dropped.
Finally he consented to post
pone any decision unui mxon
could go on the air, report to the
American people and let them
decide. Nixon demanded that all
three networks t'BS. NBC and
ABC carry his telecast. Some
Republican leaders were opposed
to paying out $75,000 for this,
but in the end several big GOP
noney backers agreed to foot the
bill. Later enough money flowed
in from small contributors all
over the country to pay for the
telecast and then some.
At this point it is fnteresting to
note Mxon i own description of
Lis technique as told to the ra
;lio and TV executives in New
York September 1954.
In order to build up nationwide
suspense for his telecast he said
he had it delayed two days. This
had people tense with anticipa
tion as to what he was going t
say.
Although he carefully planned
what he was going to say, he did
not write it out. He had five
pages of notes, but, to read his
speech, he told the radio and TV
executives, would have spoiled it
effectiveness. You have to give
the impression of ad-libbing, he
advised. When you rehearse you
lose in spontaneity what you
gain in smoothness, he said.
On the day of the broadcast
he went swimming with his close
friend Bill Rogers, now attorney
general, and did not go near
NBC's TV studio until the last
minute. This was part of his
strategy of taking plenty of rest
just before an important tele
cast. Otherwise you're likely to
have dark circlet under your
eyes, regardless ol makeup.
He explained, however, that
Ted Rogers who handled the
broadcast had a "stand in" for
Nixon so that the cameramen
could get their lighting and fo
cusing arranged in advance. At
that last minute be sat down at
library table, had his wife
freeze" alongside him, and
started the telecast which was to
make him vice president of the
United States.
The response to that telecast
was about 350 to 1 in favor of
Nixon thanks to the techniques
of Madison Ave. now under con
gressional scrutiny.
REMEMBER WHEN
. . 25 years ago. Eastern Ore
gon Normal was cieieaira. h io
13. by a hefty Monmoutn Normal
(, Kit ball team here in the state
normal championship game. It
was one of the best grid tilts seen
here in several years.
An October heat wave that had
been quelled by cool weather that
extended through early November
came back to haunt the Grande
Rondo Valley again. A high of 72
on Nov. 11 set an all-time month
ly record.
The La Grande tigers acicaiea
Baker. 18-0. to grab the runner-
up sot behind Pendleton in con
ference play as their season ended.
. . 15 years ago. British bomb
ers sank the mighty German war
ship. Tirpitz; and American troops
and tanks penetrated the bastion
city of Metz.
Three La Grande girls joined the
WAVES. They were Rebecca Jane
Williams. Nancy C. Bohnenkamp
and Kay Andrews.
Final vote tally figures gave
FDR a 23.000 lead in Oregon state
voting; Wayne Morse was an easy
GOP winner.
QUOTES IN
THE NEWS
United Prass International
NEW YORK Gov. Nelson A
Rockefeller, discussing what he
hopes to accomplish on a four-
day swing through California,
Oregon, Washington and Idaho:
"When and whether I make a
decision (to seek the 1960 Repub-
lican presidential nomination)
may be decided on this trip."
ALGIERS A high French
army officer, shouting at a crowd
of extremist French settlers who
surged through the streets yelling
anti-government slogans:
'Shout 'Algeria is French as
much as you want but stop shout
ing against de Gaulle.'1
WASHINGTON Labor Secre
tary James P. Mitchell, who lived
up to his promise and ate a cake
"hat because more than three
million persons were jobless last
month, explaining why he cut
slices of the "hat" for steel strike
negotiators:
"If there had been no steel
strike, unemployment would be
well below three million."
WASHINGTON Gen. Albert
C. Wedemeyer (Ret.), warning in
a Veterans Day speech at Arling
ton National Cemetery that the
most dangerous threat to Amer
ica may be the people's indiffer
ence to the responsibilities of citi
zenship: "We could lose our freedoms by
default simply because we take
them for granted."
DIRKSEN TO REST
WASHINGTON (UPD Senate
Republican Leader Everett M.
Dirksen (111.) planned to leave
Washington today for several
weeks of rest in Florida.
New American Commandant Faces
'Grave Situation' Inside Berlin
EDITOR'S NOTE: Tht follow,
ins. mmo was written by a
nawiman who hat covarad Ber
lin tinea four-powar occupation
began In 145. Ha taw growing
East-Wait friction, tha block
ade, the air-lift. Watt Berlin
reconstruction and tha Eatt
Writ struggle for tha city. He
hat known five Berlin com
mander!. Tha memo it to the
tixfh, Mai. Gen. Ralph M.
Otborna.
By JOSEPH B. FLEMING
UPI Staff Writer
BERLIN UPl) Memo to a
new American commandant:
You have 4,000 American troops
and 100 State Department diplo
mats isolated 110 miles deep in
Communist territory.
You are surrounded by 30 So
viet divisions of more than 300.-
000 men.
If war Breaks out your position
is untenable. You 'will not be
relieved. You will be expected to
fight courageously to the end as
American soldiers did at Bataan
with the hope of eventual victory.
You might not live to see that
victory.
It is a grim thought. The 7.000
American Army wives and chil
dren "dependents" in Army jar
gon will share your fate.
Mott Critical Time
You are coming to Berlin at
the most critical time the city
has seen since the Soviets cut all
land routes to the. city in 1948
and began the one-year Berlin
blockade.
An Anglo-American airlift beat
that blockade but the future is
uncertain.
The situation is fairly quiet
now. Things have calmed down
since the Berlin crisis began just
one year ago with Soviet Pre
mier Nikita S. Khrushchev's de
mand that your troops and the
7.000 British and French troops
get out of the city.
He said the Western Allies
must end their occupation of
West Berlin and make it what he
called a "free, demilitarized
city."
The West saw this proposal as
a Soviet plot to get the West out
so they could swallow the city
and make it a part of the "Ger
man Democratic Republic" the
surrounding Soviet Zone of Ger
many. The United States. Britain and
France rejected Khrushchev's
free city proposal and said they
would fight to hold West Berlin.
You are coming , here to make
good that pledge, if necessary.
Khrushchev's proposal and the
Western rejection of it 10
talks at Geneva of the Big Four
foreign ministers. The conference
ended in a deadlock.
Breaming Spell
But the Soviets made no move
to take over the Western sectors
because it was agreed that the
world's top men. President El
senhower, Khrushchev, the Brit
ish and French leaders would
meet at a so-called summit con
ference to try and settle the
East-West clash that has raged
since World War II ended.
No one knows what will happen
at that conference. Perhaps
agreement will be reached and
your stay here will be as peace
ful as your tour of duty was in
1955 at Ft. Bragg, N.C.. where
you commanded airborne artil
lery. But Berlin is marking time.
The city has been given what
may turn out to be only a breath
ing spell.
OBITS
United Prett International
NEW YORK (ITU Robert
Aura Smith, 60, an editorial 'writ
er for the New York Times and
author of several books on for
eign affairs, was found dead
Wednesday in his apartment.
WEST CORNWALL, Conn.
(UPI) George V. Denny Jr..
60. founder of the radio program
America's Town Meeting of the
Air," died Wednesday.
RALEIGH. N. C. UPI Asst.
Atty. Gen. Claude! Love. 63, one
of the framers of North Caro
lina's pupil assignment law, died
Wednesday.
SEARCH GERMAN SHIP
CHERBOURG, France (UPD
French officials Thursday
searched the German freighter
Bilabo, intercepted by two French
navy destroyers in the English
Channel Wednesday and escorted
here. Informed sources said the
freighter was suspected of carry
ing a consignment of arms to
North Africa for the Algerian
rebels.
HOT
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MAKES IT GOOD
Bweet Walla Walla whole
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Mountain, la good any
way I
Oood HOTI Cora bretd'e
double rich when you add a
ran of Walla Walla com to
the Utter.
Ooo COLD! 8tuff toma
to with thia hearty mixture:
Walla Walla corn, chopped
trten pepper, onloa and
cucumber, vita majronnalje
drtMlns.
'Crtau
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