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Thursday, May 10, 1973
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ALFRED LEE HENDERSON
EDITOR/PUBLISHER
»1 Quail» f "
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WE SEE THE WORLD
V in c e n t B uford
O re g o n sprinter
MEMBER
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THROUGH BLACK EYES.
4 7 3 3 S.E.
HAWTHORNE
2 3 4 —0342<
ATHLETIC DEPT,
Assodttion • Founded 1885
M allon s
Watergate:
Roots in history
As th e W a te rg a te a ffa ir splashes across the
A m e ric a n scene, w e m ust lo o k a t it in th e p e r
sp ective o f its m e a n in g to th e A m e ric a n system o f
g o v e rn m e n t a n d a g a in s t th e h isto rica l b a c k g ro u n d
o f th e m an at its ce n te r. It is true, as th e President
has sa id , th a t th e re has b e e n scandal a n d p o litic a l
e s p io n a g e in o th e r c a m p a ig n s a n d in o th e r a d
m in istra tio n s. H o w e v e r, in th e past these m a n ip u
la tio n s h a ve b e e n fo r m o n e y , vic u n a coats, cows
fo r th e G e ttysb u rg fa rm , m o n e y in e x c h a n g e fo r
p o s itio n or fa vors.
N e v e r b e fo re have such fa r-
re a c h in g c rim in a l acts bee n c o m m itte d fo r the
o b ta in in g a n d p e rp e tu a tin g o f p o w e r. A n d n eve r
b e fo re has such a p o w e r g ra b bee n m a d e fro m
w ith in th e W h ite House.
W a te rg a te is m uch m o re th a n the b u rg la ry o f a
p o litic a l o ffic e . It is a p la n n e d a tte m p t to su bve rt
the e le c to ra l process o f th e U n ite d States. It w as
an a ll-o u t a tte m p t to ke e p c o n tro l o f the g o v e rn
m ent o f th e U n ite d States.
Perhaps th e P resident is in n o ce n t.
Perhaps, as
he said, he d id n ot k n o w his closest frie n d s and
associates w e re c o n s p irin g a g a in s t the system he
has sw orn to p ro te ct. Is it possible the new s d id
not reach h im ? This c o u ld n ot h ave h a p p e n e d to
President Johnson — or to K ennedy, Trum an,
R oosevelt, o r a n y o th e r p re s id e n t in rece nt history.
But p erha ps N ix o n has so is o la te d h im s e lf fro m not
o n ly the A m e ric a n p e o p le , b u t his closest advisors
as w e ll, th a t he d oe s not k n o w w h a t is g o in g on in
his o w n house.
If this g re a t a c rim e c o u ld go
u n n o tice d , th e n M r. N ix o n m ust c e rta in ly be
in co m p e te n t.
A n d if th e P resident w as n ot d ire c tly in v o lv e d in
the W a te rg a te b u rg la ry , th e sm ea r c a m p a ig n , the
h id d e n c a m p a ig n fu n d s, th e p re ce d e n ts se tting
the a tm o sp h e re in w h ic h these th in g s to o k p la ce
can be fo u n d in M r. N ix o n 's o w n
p o litic a l
b ackg ro un d.
The Sm ear C a m p a ig n — N ix o n 's firs t e le c tio n
was w o n w ith a sm ear c a m p a ig n th a t w as c a rrie d
out a g a in s t his o p p o n e n t.
These sm ears have
a c c o m p a n ie d e v e ry e le c tio n , a lw a y s a lle g e d ly
w ith o u t his k n o w le d g e . But is it a c o in c id e n c e th a t
these tactics seem to fo llo w h im ? S h ou ld w e n o w
be shocked to le a rn th a t o n e o f his closest
associates w as a rre ste d fo r a sm ear c a m p a ig n
a g a in st Senators M u skie a n d H u m p h re y a n d th a t
file s h a ve b e e n fo u n d in th e W h ite House w ith
m a te ria l to sm ea r th e K e n n e d y fa m ily ?
The H id d e n M o n e y -- M r. N ix o n 's secret fu n d
n e a rly lost h im th e v ic e -p re s id e n c y , b ut his te a rfu l
"C h e c k e rs " speech g o t h im o ff th e hook. S hould
w e n o w be su rp rise d to le a rn a b o u t p erh a p s $10
m illio n in secret a n d ille g a l c a m p a ig n fu n d s used
in th e 1972 e le ctio n s?
The Ellsberg Case -- T w ice since a ssum in g the
p re sid e n cy M r. N ix o n has in te rfe re d w ith th e court
system.
He m a d e d a m a g in g co m m en ts on the
M anson case, a n d he in te rv e n e d in th e M a i Lai
case.
S hould w e be surprised to lea rn th a t he
o rd e re d a secret in v e s tig a tio n o f the Ellsberg case
th a t re su lte d in ille g a l pro ced ures, a nd th a t he
o ffe re d th e tria l ju d g e a h ig h g o v e rn m e n t o ffic e
d u rin g th e tim e th e case w as in tria l?
The G ra b fo r P ow er — The President has said
th a t he does n ot n e e d Congress a n d in recent
m onths has bee n in a stru g g le to reduce th e p o w e r
o f Congress.
He has ch e a p e n e d the S uprem e
C ourt by a p p o in tm e n t a n d a tte m p te d a p p o in tm e n t
o f m en w h o a re less th a n h ig h ly q u a lifie d b u t w h o
share his p o litic a l view s. S h ou ld w e be surprised
that his fo llo w e rs w o u ld go to a n y m eans to p e r
p e tu a te th e p o w e r th e y n o w h a ve reg ardle ss o f
the e ffe cts on th e fu tu re o f the n a tio n .
W a te rg a te is o n e m ore step on the ro a d to
fa cism . It is an a tte m p t to p ro m o te ru le by p re s i
d e n tia l e d ict ra th e r th an ru le by the d e m o c ra tic
process.
Old Blood’s Department Store
O ld B lo o d ' a f a r fano d a d a ”
ft
Law and O rd er” . . . ?
A complete line of the latest
in Men’s and Women’s wear
and Children’s Shoes
Phone 281-6808
BERG'S FAMOUS
With Ron Hendren
A YOUNG VIE W OF W ASHINGTON
GENERALS AND THEIR AIDS: PART II
By Ron Hendren
W A SHING TO N -Several weeks ago I re
ported on the long-standing military tra
dition of providing general officers with
enlisted aides-men who become personal
servants to the top brass and their fami
lies.
I noted then that the cost to the
taxpayer for this boondoggle exceeds $13
million every year just for the pay and
allowances of these aides. (Now the Army
admits the total cost is nearly $22 m il
lion.)
Congress is finally challenging the
armed forces on the practice, which dates
back to the Revolutionary War, and
Secretary of the Army Robert Froehlke
came up to the lull last week to defend
his generals.
Froehlke told members of the House
Defense Appropriations subcommittee
that he did not want his chief of staff
going home at 5 p m to mow the lawn,
and asserted that the provision of aides to
high-ranking officers “ makes sense from a
management standpoint."
As I reported earlier, the General
Accounting Office has disclosed that en
listed aides, at taxpayer expense, not only
mow their bones' lawns, but wash private
cars, walk the dogs, babysit, keep house
and tend garden -and that they do these
chores for generals' wives and children as
well.
S u b c o m m itte e
Chairman George
Mahon (D -T ex.) suggested to Froehlke
that Army chief of staff General Creigh
ton Abrams “could hire his own help like
the rest of us do ” Froehlke responded
that Army officers do not make enough
money to pay for hired help.
Abrams' salary and allowances come
to about $45,000 per year, and in addi
tion he and his family live in free quarters
at Ft Myer His four stars entitle him to
four enlisted aides
More than 1,700 enlisted soldiers are
officially designated as personal aides to
generals and admirals at this time In
addition to being of questionable propri
ety, the practice has alarming racial over
tones. As I reported earlier, some 98 per
cent of aides in the Navy are Filipinos In
the Manne Corps. 65 per cent are black
Promotions for these men come far
more slowly than for other enlisted per
sonnel The average Navy man at the rank
of E-6 receives a promotion in nine years,
while a Navy aide at the same rank is
likely to stay there for 18 years.
Letters of complaint have been pour
ing into the offices of members of Con
gress since Sen. William Proxmire dis
closed the GAO study several weeks ago
Many are from the wives and families of
enlisted aides who have had the courage
to tell the real story. One letter recounted
the story of an aide who was ordered to
make the beds of his commander’s lazy
children.
Now that the hearings have begun, the
real picture is coming to the fore, and the
practice of providing servants to generals
and their families is likely to be revealed
for what it is an unnecessary, repugnant,
and costly boondoggle.
3933 N .l. Union Ave.
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NO P A YM EN TS DUE U N T IL AUGUST
M c o n d llo o r a n d b a r f i d a rk h o . i i
b a a v a r io n
Syndicated 1973 by
Washington Weekly. Inc
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