2B Register-Guard, Eugene, Ore. Sun., Mar. 21, 1954
DOUGLAS STARTS TREK,
184 MILES TO CAPITAL
CUMBERLAND, Md. Wl Supreme Court Justice William O.
Douglas and a party he described as "a little bigger than the
Lewis and Clark expedition" set out from here early today on
a 184-mile hike to Washington, D.C.
They expect to cover the distance in about eight days.
Forty-five persons made up the party which struck out from
Cumberland at 7 a.m.
The "expedition" will wind along the old Chesapeake &
Ohio Canal from here to Washington. It resulted from a chal
lenge by Douglas to editorial writers Merlo Pusey and Robert
Estabrook of the Washington Post and Times-Herald.
They had written editorials favoring a federal Pwa
along the unused, government-owned canal. Douglas said this
would mar its natural beauties and challenged them to walk
it with him and see for themselves. They took him up, and
naturalists and others quickly joined in.
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(Register-Guard photo, Wiltshire eng.)
THESE TWO DISPLAYS, MADE BY THE StMary's School youngsters shown here,
will be entered along with others marie by St. Mary's students in the second annual
Northwest Science Exposition at Portland this week. Joan Sealfeld, 12, shows her
model, which demonstrates the phases of the moon. Edward Duffy, 10, holds models
of prehistoric animals. Last year, the school took four first places in the statewide
competition. The contest is sponsored by the Oregon Museum of Science and Indus
try and is held-at Portland State Extension Center.
TEMPEST IN AN ATOM PLANT
Missing Han ford Data
Reported Unimportant
By A. ROBERT SMITH
Register-Guard Correspondent
WASHINGTON Chair
man Sterling Cole (R-NY) of
the congressional committee
on atomic energy believes
the sensational headlines
generated by a press confer
ence held by Rep. Thomas M.
Pelly (R-Wash) concerning
missing documents at Han
ford, were "not in the best
interest of the public."
Cole gave this opinion in writ
ing Pelly this week to say his
committee had found no breach
of security at Hanford nor even
any "poor housekeeping," al
though he said a small number of
papers some misfiled, some de
stroyed without record have
been missing since 1943. None
were top secret, however, nor did
they provide information about
atomic material specifications,
Cole explained.
While complimenting Pelly for
turning Ms report of missing pa
pers over to the atomic energy
committee, Cole indicated he
thought it could have been done
without the drama of Pclly's hav
ing called in reporters to tell
them about it. What angered Cole
was a headline m the Columbia
Basin News of Pasco, Wash.,
which declared that "top secret
papers" had been "stolen" from
Hanford. Other newspapers gave
their readers similar versions.
QUICK ATTENTION
Pelly had said in his press con
ference that he assumed some
missing documents were top se
cret. He said he understood a
substantial volume of documents
was involved. He lent authority
to his report by saying without
qualification that it had been con
firmed to him verbally by offi
cials of the Atomic Energy Com
mission, and that the congression
al committee had promised to in
vestigate the whole matter.
Why did Pelly broadcast this
sensational announcement to the
press? He explained that on Feb,
25 an AEC official personally
confirmed his report of missing
documents, promising AEC would
detail in writing what action it
was taking.
Pelly waited two weeks, but got
no word. Then he said he learned
that a letter had been drafted but
rejected by AEC Chairman Lewis
Strauss who ordered it rewritten.
At this point, Pelly said, he de
cided to break the story to the
press.
This had a two-fold result It
got the immediate attention of
the congressional committee
which called in Hanford Manager
David Shaw to testify Tuesday.
Shaw brought with him the Pasco
newspaper as an example of the
other result the false impres
sion spread from coast-to-coast
via newspaper headlines that
Hanford's guarded atomic secrets
had been rifled.
Public reaction was electric,
Letters flooded into Pelly's of
fice, many thanking him for help
ing save the country from sub
versives. A Californian claiming
to be an cx-Communist wrote
that he was ready to "tell all" to
a committee of Congress. Another
said he knew all along that Han
ford security was lax.
POINTS OVERLOOKED
At his press conference, Pelly
conveyed the idea that he had
gone into this matter thoroughly
with both the AEC and the com
mittee on atomic energy, point
ing out that he had given it some
three months consideration from
the time he first heard the report
until that moment. Yet Pelly said
later he was unaware of two basic
facts w hich this reporter was able
lo learn about Hanford docu-
Victory for Administration
Predicted in Tax Battle
WASHINGTON an Senate Re
publican leaders Saturday fore
cast an administration victory in
Its battle against increasing in
come tax exemptions even if the
senate approves the measure.
This viewpoint was expressed
publicly by GOP Floor Leader
William F. Knowland and private
ly by other Republican spokes
men. Tney suggested that a con
ference commitleo called lo com
promise differences in the Sen
ate and House lax bills would kill
an amendment lo raise exemp
tions, if the Somite docs nol.
"My feeling is that the hill that
Ullimalely passes will bo very
close to the position of the Presi
dent and the one passed by the
House," Knowland told reporters.
The House volcd against the in
creased exemptions.
However, Knowland shared the
view of other Republican and
Democratic leaders that the Sen
ate vote will be close and he
would not predict Ihc outsome.
Sen. Walter F. George (D O a),
chief Senate spokesman for his
party on taxes, said the outsome
will depend mostly on the eco
nomic trend over the next 30 or
40 days.
Nearly all Democrats in Con
gress aro supporting a proposal
to inereaso personal incomo tax
exemptions by amending the ad
ministration's general tax reform
hill which the House passed on
Thursday.
On that bill, House Democrats
tried In attach an amendment to
Increase personal exemplions,
now $600 for each taxpayer and
dependent, to $700. That effort.
was rejected by a vole of 210
to 204.
George is sponsoring an amend
men! to raise exemplions to $800
mis year and 51,000 in 1955.
Democrats have ureed that pen-
oral income tax relief is needed
to increase purchasing power and
head off economic trouble. Presi
dent Eisenhower has fought the
proposals on grounds that the eco
nomic outlook is not serious and
mat inc treasury cannot stand
the loss of revenue $2,500,000,000
a year for an increase of S100 in
exemplions and more for larger
increases.
Inasmuch as the Senate will not
be ready to vote on the issue for
several weeks, George told re
porters he expects the economic
trnd, meanwhile, largelv to de
termino the vote. He said, how
ever, that he sees no probability
of a change sufficient for him to
abandon his amendment.
ments in a matter of several
hours after the press confer
ence, from various authoritative
sources:
1. The atomic energy commit
tee makes periodic inventories of
papers at all installations, and on
Feb. 1 it found nothing seriously
out of order at Hanford.
2. Any time the AEC finds sus
picious circumstances, it calls in
the FBI immediately but it had
not seen cause to call in the FBI
at Hanford.
Both points were made known
to Pelly by Cole in his letter.
They materially alter the impres
sion the Seattle congressman
gave to reporters Friday.
The conclusion is inescapable
that this case featured a chain
reaction of exaggeration first by
Pelly, then reporters, then head
line writers. By checking his ru
mor more carefully with authori
ties, Pelly could readily have
quieted his own genuine anxieties
about Hanford security without
arousing those of the nation.
But of course there wouldn't
have been a drop of publicity in
doing it that way.
Brodie Twin
Able to Walk
WithGuidance
CHICAGO (AT Rodney Dee Bro
die has passed another milestone
in his struggle toward a normal
life. He's learning to walk.
The 2V'2-year-old bov. born a
Siamese twin, can bear his own
weight and propel himself for
ward, but he still needs the guid
ing and supporting hand of a
nurse.
Doctors at the University of
Illinois Medical Center predict he
will be able lo walk as normally
as any cnua who has had a
crippling condition to contend
with.
Rodney still has not dcvelooed
the power to recognize objects
oy loucn or leel with his left
hand or foot.
Thus when he steps with his
left font, he must watch it to
see that it is on the floor.
The portion of the brain that
translates an impulse into recog
nition on his left side is not func
tioning. Hou-PVftl- ho ha, ct,n...n
-'""j n.ii'iuvviiitiit iii uus re
spect. Rodney and his twin. Rneer.
were born joined extensively ati
me lop oi me skull. Roger died
about a month after they were
separated Dec. 17, 1952. Rodnov's
skull opening is protected by skin
transplants but surgeons have
not decided when they will in
sert a hard covering of bone,
metal or plastic under the skin.
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