Philosopher Sees Only 50-50 Chance of
Human Survival in Event of Atomic War
By KINGSBURY SMITH
Mineffordd, Wales (LTD A
practical world peace plan
that could be considered at
m United Nations General As
sembly meeting, or at a sum
mit conference if one is ever
held, has been outlined by
Lord Bertrand Russell, Bri
tain's most famous philoso
pher. In an exclusive interview
with this correspondent, the
86-year-old intellectual geni
us, who wrote a masterpiece
on mathematics and won the
Nobel Prize for literature,
warned that time is running
out for the adoption of effec
tive measures to prevent a
nuclear war that is likely to
destroy the human race.
"The chances at present
seem to me to be about 50-50
whether there will be a hu
man being left in the world
40 years hence," he said. "If
present policies continue to
be pursued, the chances will
be very much less than that."
Agreements 'in Principle
The plan outlined by Lord
Russell envisaged agreements
"in principale" with Russia
which he felt could pave the
way for permanent peace and
a "paradise" on earth for
mankind.
The renowned and highly
controversial 'free - thinker"
developed the points of his
peace plan in response to
questions put to him by this
correspondent who traveled
over 200 miles from London
to a picturesque hillside in
Wales to interview the man
who is generally recognized
as possessing one of the
world's greatest minds.
Since the Middle East situa
tion . involves a danger to
world peace, Lord Russell
felt that any U.N. General
Assembly or summit meeting
on that subject should con
sider the broader issue of how
to prevent a nuclear war. If
agreement could be reached
on that question, he is confi
dent such problems as those
of the Middle East would be
much easier to solve than
they are likely to be other
wise. He thinks it would be a
good idea to have two out
standing personalities who
are not closely associated
with either the East or West
blocs attend the opening ses
sion of a General Assembly
or summit conference on the
Middle East problem and ad
dress the meeting as the "rep
resentative of mankind"' on
the dangers of nuclear war
and unrestricted atomic tests.
Names Albert Schweitzer
He suggested that Albert
Schweitzer, the noted philoso
pher and humanist, would be
a good man to be one of
them. Asked whether he him
self, as a recognized spokes
man for those who fear the
effects of nuclear explosions,
would be willing to address
such a meeting, if invited to
do so, Lord Russell replied:
"I would go like a shot. It
would be an opportunity in a
thousand. I doubt, however,
that I would be invited. Both
sides suspect me to being
sympathetic to the opposite
bloc. The Communists have
been after me recently be
cause I denounced the Soviets
for the execution of the Hun
garian revolt leaders. If I did
address the summit meeting
on the dangers facing the
human race, I would like to
have Premier Nehru of India
also speak of the same sub
ject. The Russians might pay
more attention to him than
they to me."
The mild-mannered though
mentally vigorous humanist
remarked:
"That is a large question
indeed. I think I would say
first of all we must recog
nize a nuclear war means
an irreparable disaster; that
neither side would survive,
and therefor we must agree
that we are going to rale out
war. Recognition of that fact
must be the major axiom of
our discussion.
"Having ruled out war by
both sides, I would say that
nuclear weapons are useless.
Is That So?
By EUGENE BURNS
Ranger-Naturalist
That would be the No. 2 pro
posal. Proposes Disengagement
"The No. 3 proposition
would be that since both
sides are equally strong in
terms of destruction, we
should seek a disarmament
agreement that will leave
them equally strong. There
should be no net advantage
to either side from a dis
armament agreement. The
fault with disarmament pro
posals that have been put for
ward by both sides since 1945
is that they are designed to
leave the other side in a
weaker position.
"It has been said on the
Western side that abolition of
nuclear weapons would leave
the Communist world super
ior in ground forces. That is
a valid argument unless you
can get an effective agree
ment to limit the ground
forces so that there would
continue to be an equal bal
ance of military power. It
would be difficult, but it
could be done.
"I would then propose a
dissengagement in Central
Europe. I would suggest that
alien forces be withdrawn
everywhere. That would be
a sacrifice for the American
system of security, but it
would be a sacrifice for the
Russians, because it would
have to include the with
drawal of Soviet military
forces from the satellite
states. Once the Russians
withdrew, those states would
revert to the West. However,
the agreed area of with
drawal on either side should
be such as to leave the pres
ent balance of power unaffected.
Favorable Atmosphere
"I would propose that this
disengagement apply in the
beginning to all of Germany,
Poland and Hungary. The
military neutralization and
defense of those states would
be guaranteed by the big
powers.
"I would point out that if
such measures as these could
be taken, it would make it
much more difficult for
either side to resort to war
and it would create a favor
able atmosphere for the ne
gotiations of an effective in
ternational system for the in
spection and control of nu
clear weapons.
"I would say that if these
principles could be agreed
upon, at the summit meeting,
then both sides could pro
ceed . to conclude the neces
sary agreements to imple
ment them."
Lord Russell said he would
also propose that all nations
be called upon to reaffirm
their willingness to . submit
all disputes among them to
international arbitration, and
that the big powers under
take to apply an economic
blockade against any nation
that refused to abide by the
verdict. He sid he would fur
ther -advocate establishment
of a permanent United Na
tions police force to safe
guard the smaller nations
from direct or indirect ag
gression. "I would," he added, "say
to both sides: 'If you do not
want war, this is the way to
go about preventing it.' I
would ' emphasize that if
there is a nuclear war, no
body and nobody's system
will be left."
What Is The Law?
This column is prepared as a public service by the
College of Law, Willamette University, Salem, to
explain basic legal principles, not to provide legal
advice. The reader is cautioned not to apply these cases
lo his own problems without an attorney's advice, for
differing facts may change the outcome.
Baghdad In a city be
coming as modernized as
Baghdad it is difficult to ac
count for the large number of
goofahs. The briges are good.
There are plenty of modern
watercraft. So why should
there be so many of this goofy
type of boat?
It is round, woven with wil
lows and coated with pitch.
The diameter is from six feet
up, and it is used to transport
just about any form of freight.
One that I saw yesterday
was hauling a coffin. The rea
son was probably tradition,
and also certainly tradition is
the real reason for the per
sistence of this strange craft
whose sole virtues are low
construction cost and a built
in resistance to collision dam
age. As for the coffin, called that
for lack of a better name, and
its occupant, they were on
their way to the holy city of
Nedjef, the Mecca of the Shia
Moslems, five days to the
southwest by camel. They had
already come a long way,
from a place near the Iranian
border, and as is the case with
some, they may even have
been smuggled into the coun
try from Iran.
For centuries one of the
chief articles of transit
through Baghdad has been the
bodies of the dead on their
way to the burying grounds at
either Nedjef or the almost
equally holy and somewhat
nearer city of Kerbala. The
remains of any Shia Moslem,
from king to peasant, who
could afford it were on the
final journey that might take
months to complete.
Millions Buried There
According to some accounts,
the number making this final
journey is so great that over
25,000,000 people are now
said to be buried in and
around Nedjef.
Why that city is so holy is
that it marks the spot where
Ali, nephew of the prophet
Mohammed, is said to have
died after being fatally
stabbed in a mosque, accord
ing to the story, he ordered
that his body should be buried
where it was found, then
walked away into the desert
to die.
The body was found some
centuries later by the fabulous
Haroun el-Raschid, ruler of
Baghded, while on a hunting
trip. He knew it was the holy
man's body by its remarkable
state of preservation plus var
ious other signs.
In obedience to the saint's
request, he promptly set about
the task of building an appro
priate tomb. No expense was
spared. The dome, which rises
above the desert like a great
golden bubble, was sheathed
in gold.
As its fame spread, those
who could came there to die.
The less fortunate, unable to
leave home before death, ar
terward. Thus the spot grew
into what must be the largest
cemetery of the world.
(Released by McClure
Newspaper Syndicate)
Free: By special arrange
ment with the editors of the
Encyclopedia Americana, my
panel of judges will award
each week to the reader who
sends me the best true-life na
ture adventure, the best na
ture observation, or the best
question on nature and wild
life, a 30-volume set of this
world-famous reference work
in a handsome Sealcraft bind
ing. Each week new submis
sions will be considered. Sor
ry, I simply can't answer your
many friendly letters. Please
address your letter to: Is That
So! co Medford Mail Tribune,
Box 1069, San Francisco,
Calif.
r n i
inJ( - i 0;'
3Bhaa Sl 31
TAKING FIFTH AMENDMENT, Teamster Union Vice
President Bert Brennan refuses- to tell Senate probers
whether a boxer he managed drew $75 weekly salary from
teamster's welfare fund. Boxer E. Davidson says he did.
Long-tending Obligation Ended
Buffalo, N. Y. (WD
Army Sgt. 1C Lawrence H.
Erb has happily discharged
what he considered to be a
13-year-old obligation.
In 1945, Erb appeared in
Swiss Officials Reject
Soviet Statement
. Bern, Switzerland (UPD
Angry Swiss officials Satur
day rejected a Soviet state
ment accusing the Swiss gov
ernment of abandoning neu
trality by deciding to equip
its armed forces with nuclear
weapons.
Official sources said the
government has "merely or
dered a study of the subject"
and that "no final decision"
has been reached.
More than 100,000 new mo
bile homes are built in the
U.S. each year.
City Court with a $10 speed
ing ticket. When he reached
for his wallet, he found he
had left it at home. But an
attorney, William B. Ma
honey, stepped up and hand
ed the teen-age soldier the
money forvthe fine.
Ever since, Erb had tried
unsuccessfully to contact the
lawyer to repay the $10.
When he finally got to see
Mahoney this year, the attor
ney smilingly refused the
money.
Undaunted, the sergeant
went to City Court with the
view of finding someone in
trouble. He got his man when
George Spiers, 16, was as
sessed $15 for speeding but
had no money to pay the fine.
Like benefactor Mahoney
13 years ago, Erb stepped up
with the money and saved
Spiers from a jail sentence.
IF. YOU AREN'T TRADING AT THE GROCETERIA
YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH
Head
Lettuce
heads
For Cool,
Crisp
Salad
Price Good
Through Wed.,
Aug. 13th
GROCETERIA
6TH AND GRAPE
GROCETERIA Will Close
At 5:30 Tuesday
For Employees Picnic
Restaurant Not Responsible
For Loss of Customer's Coat
Jim Unger entered Fielder's
Coffee Shoppe to eat. He went
to a booth, removed his over
coat which the waiter hung on
a hook near the booth. Unger
ate as he read the evening
paper. When he got up to
leave, he discovered that the
coat was not there.
He immediately reported
the facts to the owner and re
quested return of the coat. The
restaurant owner was sur
prised and thought it was only
a mistake, that the coat would
be returned when the mistake
was discovered by the one
who took it. Unger went back
several times to learn whether
the coat had been returned.
Finally he demanded that the
owner pay for it. This demand
was refused. .
Will the restaurant owner
have to pay for the coat?
Not Legally Liable
Mr. Fiedler would not le
gally be liable for the loss of
the coat.
Certainly it would not be
expected that the owner or
one of his employees stand
Khrushchev Hails
As Victory Dam
Built on Volga
Kuibvshev. U.S.S.R. (UPD
Premier Nikita S. Khrush
chev hailed as a "great vic
tory" Sunday the construction
of the world's largest hydro
electric power station by the
Soviets in one-third the time
taken by Americans to build
the Grand Coulee dam.
Khrushchev spoke at cere
monies opening the Kuibyv
shev dam on the Volga river
500 miles east of Moscow. He
referred only briefly to the
situation in the Middle East
where he said the threat of
war is "still very acute."
The Soviet premier taunted
the United States for the
length of time it took to
build Grand Coulee in the
state of Washington. He said
it took 20 years to build
Grand Coulee "the most
famous American station"
while the Kuibyshev station
took only . seven years.
Speedy Construction
He said the speedy con
strution of the Kuibyshev
ctam which measures al
most 3 Vi miles across and
backs up a 2,502 square mile
artificial lake was a "great
victory" for Soviet tech
nicians, scientists and work
ers. But, he added, future dams
would have to be built even
faster to enable "our indus
try to develop quicker, so
that our industry may pro
duce many valuable consumer
goods."
In Washington, . Federal
Reclamation C o m m issioner
W. A. Dexheimer said "any
time we are given a full pro
gram and the money we can
build dams just as fast or
faster than they can." Dex
heimer said it took only seven
years to complete the origi
nal Grand Coulee program
laid out by the reclamation
bureau.
He said "the rest went in
as needed, and we didn't anti
cipate that much power would
be needed at first."
Khushchev said the dam
put Russia in "first place in
Europe and second in the
world" in electric power pro
duction. A decree of the Supreme
Soviet announced the new
power station would be
known as the "Vladimir
Ilyich Lenin" station.
Pace of Traffic
Becomes Too Much
Grand Rapids, Mich (UPD
The pace of today's traffic
has prompted an 80-year-old
Grand Rapids motorist to sur
render his driver's license and
give the keys of his 17-year-old
car to a son-in-law.
Emil R. Kuenzel received
only one traffic ticket during
his 40 years of driving for
an illegal turn.
Kuenzel's voluntary surren
der of his license was brought
to the attention of Michigan
Secretary of State James M.
Hare who wrote him:
"Your fine attitude shows
common sense and good citi
zenship. We in the depart
ment of state would he thank
ful if more men and women
of advanced age with delayed
re'actions would decide for
themselves that they are not
qualified to cope with present
day traffic."
The Toyoko department
store in Tokyo has under its
roof six railway and subway
stations as well as a streetcar
terminal.
guard over coats hung in va
rious places around the res
taurant. The waiter's help in
hanging the coat up was only
a courtesy done in the hope
that the good will generated
would motivate a greater gen
erosity when Unger reached
in his pocket for a tip.
For Fiedler to be legally
bound to pay for it there
would have to be a delivery of
the coat into his possession for
the benefit of one or both of
the parties and under a con
tract either expressed or im
plied. There would have to be
an obligation to return the
coat upon demand. This was
not the situation here.
Under some circumstances
the restaurant owner might
have to pay for a coat that
would be missing. For in
stance, had the customer given
the coat to a check girl who
took possession of it as the
agent of the owner, it would
obviously be for the benefit of
both the owner and the cus
tomer. Contract Implied
It would be the same as
though the owner had said,
"If you come to my restau
rant to eat, I promise that
should you deliver your coat
to the check girl we will pro
tect it and return it to you."
The acts of the parties imply
such a contract which is just
as effective as though the
words had been spoken.
On the other hand, Fiedler
could not knowingl watch a
thief deliberately take the coat
and leave with it. He owes it
to the public not to permit
thieves to prey upon the cus
tomers, if he, as a reasonable
man, would have cause to be
lieve such a practice were
going on. And, of course, he
could not conspire with
thieves for the theft of prop
erty from the clients without
being liable for the cost of the
property.
Springfield Blond
Named Photo Queen
Gresham (UPD A pert blue
eyed, blond from Springfield
was named Miss Oregon Press
inotograpner during cere
monies at the closing session
of the Multnomah county fair
Saturday night.
Nancy Whaley, an 18-year-
old beauty, won the title over
eight other finalists.
She will compete for the
national title next summer at
the National Press Photogra
phers' convention.
She is the daughter of Mr.
and Mrs. John E. Whalley of
Springfield.
Runners-up were Joan Bur
goyne and Reba Burris, both
of Portland.
Other finalists were Rose
Karcha, Shari Wiley, Made
lain Farah, Iris Jystad, Len
ore Pickens and Iris Brom
gard, all of Portland.
There has been little
change durng the past few
years in the length of time
the average American can be
expected to live at the time
he is born. The figure was
69.6 years in 1956, the same
as it was in 1954.
CROSSING
THE
BORDER
INTO LIFE!
The miracle happens time and
again because you supported
your faith's overseas aid Pro
gram. One of these miracles is
Lilly X, a young girl who grew
up knowing only privation and
oppression. Mentally she had
failed to develop and seemed
doomed to spend the rest of
her life in an institution. But
through one of the aid pro
grams operated by America's
religious faiths, Lilly became
an expert weaver. She opened
her own small shop and now
supports herself and her par
ents. Lilly is a smiling, cheer
ful young woman and ever
grateful to you, for your help.
Please continue to help oth
ers to help themselves-through
the overseas Alb Program of
your faith.
PROTESTANT
Share Our Surplus Appeal ,
CATHOLIC
Bishops' Clothing Collection
JEWISH
United Jewish Appeal
Published at a public service in co
operation with The Advertising
Council and the Newspaper Ad
vertising Executives Association.
Radioactive Water Grows Strawberries
Peveragno, Italy (UPD
Radioactive water that is un
fit to drink is growing straw
berries as big as tomatoes in
this northern Italian town.
Two of Peveragno's straw
berries weighed close to one
pound.
Peveragno claims that its
strawberries are so big be
cause of highly radioactive
Sexes The Same
In Dentist Chair
Washington (UPD Dr. Wil
liam Wells, assistant professor
of psychology at Rutgers Uni
versity, decided to get a an
swer to the question: Are men
or women "bigger sissies" in
the dentist's chair?
He made a survey which
resulted in the disclosure that
one sex is just about as good
or bad as the other in this
respect, except that women
were found to be more honest
in admitting they are nervous
or afraid.
Dr. Wells, author of nu
merous papers on social psy
chology, systematically que
ried 50 dentists in the New
ark, N.J., area as to whether
a man or a woman is worse
as a patient. Many replied that
men are more tense and anx
ious and less cooperative.
Then on questioning pa
tients waiting in five separate
dental offices fort their turn
in "the chair," Dr. Wells
found that most of them were
unable to conceal their jit
ters, but that women patients
would more readily admit to
being afraid.
A . vodka-producer found
that only 1.4 per cent of the
men and 1.1 per cent of the
women questioned in -a sur
vey said they drank whiskey
because they liked the taste.
MAIL TRIBUNE, Medford, Oregon, Monday, August IT, R5! Tl
ger to health because the ra
dioactivity disappears 48
hours after passing through
the uranium.
water in the district. The wa
ter comes from a small river
about two miles away and
passes through the heart of a
uranium lode by means of
man-made tunnels.
It was only after the tunnels
had been completed that ex
perts discovered the high ra
dioactive content of the wa
ter. Health authorities at once
stopped domestic usage, but
allowed the water to be used
for irrigating the Peveragito
strawberry beds.
The strawberries thrive on
it, and authorities saw no dan-
SELBY
GLASS
CO.
303 North Bartlett
0 lC
1 S W
electric
heat
is
Sunshine
Warm,
For full information, at no cost to you, on the
modern efficient way to heat your home, simply
call the Home Service Department of the nearest
COPCO office.
THE CALIFORNIA
OREGON POWER COMPANY
in
YOUR BLOOD IS PRECIOUS
. . . whether you need it
in the form of a trans
fusion ... or whether
you ate a blood donor.
Red Cross
distributes blood to
everyone . . . AT NO
CHARGE.
Won't YOU help us keep
ample supplies of blood
on hand?
The !Ddinfi)bDDe
WILL BE AT THE-
E3EID) CROSS : BUILDING-
60 Hawthorne St.
fueMug..12i!Sdou:
- j
The quota for the visit of the Red Cross Bloodmobile has been increased 50 per
cent because of the steady increase in the use of blood in Jackson County. The
quota is 290 pints, for which 350 donors will be required. The need' HERE is
' urgent. Help your neighbor maybe YOURSELF
IPhomie 3
MAKE A
"DATE"
NOW1
MEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE