fclX MEDFORD (OREGON) MAIL TRIBUNE
Pentagon News Chi
Says No 'Cover Up'
Behind Secrecy Plea
Br CHARLES CODDRY publication director at Bell Tele
United Pre$ Correspondent ; phone laboratories and organiz
Washington (U.R) R- Carl er of the Commerce Depart
Honoman, Pentagon public rela-jment's office of strategic infor
tions chief, hopes for a "vol-1 mation, is one of the focal points
imtary effort" by editors to re
strain publication of informa
tion that is not secret but might
prove helpful to Russia.
Such data is called "strategic
Information" by the man charg
ed with carrying out Defense
'Secretary Charles E. Wilson's
hew and tighter information pol
icies. No effort to "cover up"
official mistakes or other legiti
mate news is involved, Hono
man insisted in an interview to
day. Editors of newspaper, business
and trade magazines have pro
tested that the new category of
"strategic information" is one
that cannot be precisely defined
end might result in blacking out
vital news with no security con
potation, i
Honoman, deputy assistant de
fense secretary in chafge of pub
lic affairs, was asked to describe
the boundaries of "strategic in
formation." Describes Boundaries
"The boundaries," he said,
"are what will help the enemy
more than it will help us."
Judgment on such matters is not
the government's responsibility
alone, he said.
"Judgment can be made by
editors as well."
The point was raised in the
Interview that critics fear new
Pentagon rules, calling for infor
mation to be "constructive" as
well as free of help for an en
emy, could be used to hide facts
to which the public is entitled.
Honoman took note of the
criticism by saying "there is
need for loyal opposition . . .
vital principles are at stake."
He called for an atmosphere
tt "mutual trust" between gov
ernment and press and appar
ently visualized the two as more
or less partners in informing the
public.
"Neither side is in a vacuum,"
he said. "Your interests (the
press') and ours are not antago
nistic. We ought to serve the
public that pays the bills." -
He said he hopes the press
Would "scream" if any of the
"horrendous" things feared by
his critics came to pass.
News 'Brownout
.Honoman, 60-year-old former
FemieyB
u M
; 1
of complaints of a news "brown
out" in this administration.
He said that for" every hour
spent at the Pentagon restrain
ing information, officials put in
100 hours in a "positive effort"
to make data public.
But something must be done,
he insisted, to prevent "grey
area" information from being
circulated. That is data which
cannot be classified top sec
ret," "secret" or "confidential"
because too many people must
know it, yet would be valuable
to Russia.
'Mostly technical information
is involved and restricting it,
critics contend, would slow tech
nological progress here, without
really hampering the Russians.
GSA Will Supply Anything
Including 'Penguin Milk'
By DEAN DITTMER
United Press Correspondent
Washington (U.R) The Gen
eral Service Administration
(GSA) prides itself on being
able to supply anything a gov
ernment agency wants includ
ing penguin milk and body lice.
GSA has the job of purchasing
for other government agencies.
Take body lice. Some time ago
GSA got a requisition from an
agriculture department experi
ment station for "24 cooties of
the type that infest humans."
Never Stumped
This order was referred to
Lester Winfree, a purchasing of
ficer who never had been stump
ed by a request. He recently di
rected the collection, packaging,
shipment and. distribution of
3,592,000 food packages of needy
families in underdeveloped coun
tries for the Foreign Operations
Administration.
Winfree suspected a gag. He
telephoned the agriculture ex
periment station. Yes, they said,
they wanted 24 live cooties of
specified type for a research ex
periment. Winfree pondered, then called
the local calaboose. It just hap
pened to have some overnight
customers who were carrying
r
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Tuesday, June 21, 19S5
Van Vector To Rule
In Beating Case
Klamath Falls (U.R) District
Judge D. E. Van Vactor was ex
pected to rule today in the case
of Royde Crocktoot, 55-year-ola
Beatty, Ore., laborer accused of
complicity in the bea'ting of Wat
son Duffy last May.
Defense Attorney Pete Dris
coll entered a plea of not guilty
for his client yesterday, contend
ing that since the original assault
with a dangerous weapon charge
was dismissed by the court last
week, further prosecution under
a reduced charge of assault and
battery would be placing Chock
toot in double jeopardy.
Driscoll said the lesser charge
was included in the assault with
a dangerous weapon charge was
dismissed by the court last week,
further Drosecution under a re
duced charge of assault and bat
terv would be placing Chock-
toot in double jeopardy.
Driscoll said the lesser charge
vas included in the assault with
a dangerous weapon charge, fur
thermore, and that once the
more serious accusation had been
dismissed the lesser one was dis
missed by implication.
around a sufficient number of
the insects. The lice were col
lected, packaged, and delivered.
Wanted Penguin Milk
A short time later, the same
agriculture experiment station
asked for two small cans of con
densed Deneuin milk. Then he
called Dr. William M. Mann, di
rector of the National Zoo. When
Mann stopped laughing, he ex
plained that penguins don't give
milk.
But Winfree is a resourceful
and imaginative fellow. He sent
to a grocery for two small cans
of regular condensed milk. Then
he called on a GSA draftsman
who is a spare-time artist. Authentic-looking
condensed "pen
guin milk labels" were prepared
and the merchandise wag sent
on its way.
Winfree never did receive a
note from the agricultural ex
periment station expressing ap
preciation for his efficiency and
enterprise.
MORE CHILDREN
Washington There are about
54.5 million children in the U.S.
under the age of 18. The total
represents an increase of almost
13 million since the conclusion
of World War II.
79:
C
2'x6'
Orange Trees
Feet Below Surface in Mine
Get Light from Electricity
By RUSSELL R. NIELSEN
United Press Correspondent
Kellogg, Idaho U.R) Orange
trees which sprouted from seeds
dropped from a miner's lunch
pail have survived for six years
the hazards of existence 3000
f eet below the earth's surface
and now stretch their limbs to
ward the artificial sky which
casts the only light into their
bleak "orchard."
The two trees are growing
on the 202 level at the Bunker
Hill and Sullivan mine here.
Mine officials hope they will
continue to grow even longer
than the famed lemon tree which
lived 15 years in the dark re
cesses of the old mine.
The seed for the largest
range tree, a four foot leafy
bush, was dropped prior to the
labor strike of 1949. Seeds had
been dropped in the mine many
times before and no one thought
another of the "lemon tree
freaks" would sprout.
Foliage Appeared 4
But, through the hard rock
where the seeds had fallen, there
soon appeared green foliage.
Herman Heier, a shift boss, and
James Allen, assistant foreman,
found the sturdy little plant
thrusting its way through the
ground between track ties on
the level. They transplanted it
to a coffee can. It continued to
grow and the plant was moved
to a nail keg, then to a larger
box.
Heier brings plant food in
his lunch for the tree that has
never seen the sunlight. Its sun
shine is the light supplied by
10 bulbs of 100 watts each.
"I even carried angle worms
down to put in the soil around
the tree," Heier says. "They
keep the earth from packing too
tightly around the roots,
15 Years
The old lemon tree lived 15
Standard Oil
Growing 3000
years without so much as a sin
gle ray of sunlight. It began
to die a few years ago after it
moved from the 17th level to
a spot where caretakers thought
the air was better. It reached
a height of eight feet and had
to be pruned constantly because
it reached the ceiling of its
ricky tomb-like home.
One miner figured the tree
died because it simply used up
the life span of an underground
existence.
"But it's nice to come down
to the level every day and see
evidence of life where you
would never expect to find any,
except for us human beings," he
says. "You might say there's
some light, or hope, where none
seems to be."
In time there may be other
plants adorning the tunnels of
the big mine. There is no plant
food in rock, but warm and hu
mid conditions inside the mine
make it possible for a seed to
sprout. If the plant is cared for,
it can reach full growth even
though it is destined never to
see the sun, a company biologist
says,
STILL AT RACES
Louisville, Ky. (U.R) Take
Wing, who earned $167,820 in
his 12 years of racing, is .still
going to the post at the age of
17, helping keep the "young
sters" in line. Trainer Clyde
Troutt uses Take Wing as his
personal stable pony in condi
tioning the thoroughbreds of Eu
gene Constantin, Jr. Troutt
claimed the gelding in 1942 and
raced him through his season as
a 12-year-old in 1950.
FOOD LOSS
Washington Almost one-fifth
of the food planted by man is
destroyed by diseases and insect
pests before it is harvested and
made ready for consumption.
announces completion
newest and finest gasoline refining
facilities . ... to bring you the hi
quality fuels we have
Next? week watch
Five Killed in New
Somerville, N. J. (U.R)
Five persons were killed Mon
day night when a car in which
they were riding collided with
a tractor-trailer.
James Cordick of Bradley
Gardens, N.J., the surviving oc
cupant of the car was in criti
cal condition with multiple in
juries. Police reported the truck,
ft
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Jersey Crash
loaded with concrete and lead
pipe, collided with the car on
Route 206 near Somerville.
Police said Ralph Horton, 19,
driver of the car; Steve Chonko,
17; Francis Trout, 26; Robert
Lawyer, 15, and Miss Lawanda
Serafino, 17, all of Bridgewater,
N.J., were crushed to death by
the car's engine which was driv
en into the back seat
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The truck driver, Herman B.
Walsh, 30, of Rosendale, N.Y.,
was treated at Somerville hos
pital and released. He was freed
in his own recognizance by po
lice on a mandatory auto-death
charge.
Police said the accident han-
rpened when the southbound car
pulled out to pass on a straight
section of the two-lane highway
and collided with the north,
bound truck.
mm