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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (April 6, 1961)
. "Bveryune in Soutbcrn Oregon ' si norui fix ai.. ro - t KUBi.ni w nun HTRB GREY Advilttng MinifM BICW AjISrWR, Mnl Ai KARL B ADAMS. CK SMlM. . ! HA It fix LMlfMAn . Kiunjinu jinn . : - : OLIV 8T ARCHER Women'e Idjtor PALI UBILMUH ' t' . lntind aa eeond elasi matter 'it - Mrilfon) Orefon under An el March S, t97 . UBSCRrPTIOrt RATES . By MU - In Advance. Cow H Dally -nd Bundae 1 ! ' J J 7 Dally and iunday moa S.J . Dally and tunday moa 4.S Sunday oniy uw tw ' - By Cairler-In Adyancf Medford 1 Artland Central Potnt ,aIe point jicuonviiia w m i Bk.J. fnmm WUmttM '" or Talent and en lyiotor ?" uc.iv ana Bunor . - " Da'! and Sunday 1 mo 1 Carrier and Deve - copy 19 Terma Caih tnAdane -?,...;r Panar of citr oi Medior! ' off rial Panir of Jaekaaa County '" finite?" Preee tnterriatlonaT BP.t Telephoto Kewapletoraa or cwcotATipm . CTmfMne ReoreietitarJw! WCST HOLIDAY CCs IrJC Of ' "c.ef is., sc.. xr i." -.vus ' Seattle. Portland St tenia At lanta Vancouver B.tJ HIWSPAPIR k publishers ASSOCIATION NATIONAL lOITORIAl Flight 6' Time Medford snd Jackson County History from the. files of The Mall Tribune 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 years ago. . 10 YEARS AGO ' Former Jackson county r agent Robert O. Fowier ap- pointed to new state fair board ' hv r.nv nmifflna MeKflV." ?'. , Bill Roberta and Dale Coo per are awarded Eagle scout badges at court oi honor. , 30 YEARS AGO 'i I it m tin j Medford's National Defense committee to hold brief cere mony for five youths leaving for selective service training, Robert Archer, Virgil O. Bry- PhuM. A Mn..k all Vlll. on M. Rhoten and Oliver .Hickman. i i T... A.tti.iii Din' "Va Smudge Pot" column: "The neighbors' chickens hsve start ed scratching up the kitchen gardens In the residential areas, and blaming It on tha robins,". ; 80 YEARS AOO . ; ' April S, 1831 (Monday) 'Nineteen people killed -in auto : accidents on Facijic coast over weeK ena. spring looiDaii arm oegins at Medford High school. 40 YEARS AOO ' V :'- v : April 1, 1821 (Wednesday) No material damage to pears reported from heavy frost last night. ; Crater lake snow depth now measures 11 feet; rain fall shows drop for year, SO YEARS AGO April 6, 1911 (Thursday) Assurances given on com pletion of Oregon Trunk and Pacific and Eastern railroads from Medford to Klamath Palls. C. C. Chapman, manager of y..ii...j i . . . . . and manager of Oregon De velopment league, congratu latea Medford on prosperity, Whsl't Yesr I.Q.? Nine or ran correal h luaetler) even or eight It excellent; five er an it food. 1. A notch made In a tree remains the same height from the ground regardless of later upward growth; true or false? 2. Charles Oates Dawes was Vice President under which U.S. Presldentf 3. Anything that destroys or masks . offensive odors is called a d-r-? 4. In which city was Abra , ham Lincoln assassinated? 1 5. Which country is called the "Land of the midnight sun"f 6. If unmarried, the bride's attendant is called a maid of honor; what is she called If the Is married? . 7. What noted institution In Washington, D.C. was founded by the bequest of au Englishman? 0. Did W.W.II begin In ; 1933, 1U39 or 1940? 9. The monotype machine .cast one letter at a time; true or .alse? ; , ' 10. in grammar the word which denotes any object spoken of, whether animate or inanimate, is called what? Answer! 1. True. S. Calvin Coolidge. 3. Deodorant. 4. Washington, D.C. S. Norway. Matron of Honor. 7. Smith sonian Institution. I. Septem ber, 1939. (. True. 10. Noun. IKE TO END VISIT alm Springs, Calif. - IUPD -Former President Elsenhower and his wife, Mamie, will end their lengthy vacation in the desert April 14 and return to their farm at Gettysburg, Pa., a spokesman said today, ' THURSDAY, APRIL 18B1 A Book Review-JI ' (Continued from yesterday.) The Blue Book of the John Birch Society, by Robert Welch. . Havine built up the communist conspiracy to a point where it would scare the wits out of any one fully believing him, having linked Amer ican leadership for the past 28 years to outright, deliberate, pre-mediated treason; after having advocated stooping to Communist techniques to preserve a free America, no matter who gets hurt in the process, Welch declares "Our only possible chance is dynamic personal leadership. And he proceeds to describe the Puhrer prin ciple (discredited, we had thought, since Hitler's death in 1945), and then, after many a modest disclaimer, oirers Himself m the role. In one analogy, but doesn't apply to his objectives, Welch says: - "What Is not only needed, but Is absolutely Impera tive, is for some hardbolled, dictatorial, and dynamlo ' boss to come along , . ." , i--' i . . : e e 1IELCH disclaims political ambitions. Leave that to the' politicians.' Even Barry Gold- water won't do. Despite lor uoldwater, he s still ; , soes anybody in tms room think there is ' any slightest chance of Barry Goldwater supplying 1 the dynamic overall leadership needed to save this country , . .?" - Politics, which has government for the united States for nearly 200 yesrs, isn't good enough.,' Welch shows his con tempt for politicians in describing Richard Nixon : He is one of the ablest, shrewdest, most disin genuous, and slipperiest politicians that ever showed - up on the American scene." .;, ..' e ' . .- ' A ND, Nelson Rockefeller "is definitely com. mitted to trying to make the United States a part or a one-world socialist government No politics won't do. What is needed? ". . . Only dynamic personal leadership offers any chance for us to save either our material or our spiritual Inheritance ... I Intend to offer that leader . ship to all who are willing to help me." - The next section of devoted to Welch's recurring theme of "Less government and more responsibility.", . , He explains neither in detail, but makes clear his belief that government is inherently evil. though necessary; and big government inevitably willfead to collectivism (which he never defines) and ultimately to Communism. ' ; The form of government isn't particularly important, but the size is. Sheer size in govern ment; leads, almost inevitably, to war, Welch declares. (This is one of the few times in the book he evidences nervousness about nuclear war. Mostly it is just a bugaboo used by the commun ist to scare Americans selves in their own defense.) a QECTION seven, one of M fVia hnnlr la nnHHorl ' ' vttv vuwu) iw vsivtvtvu Better World . It back to his theme of morality, integrity and pur pose through true religion, quotes more poetry, and winds up with a statement of his own per sonal religious beliefs which never quite come through, somehow, to one used to thinking large ly In terms of the Sermon We deride no man's so, which makes his own disturbing. . ror me ministers inemseives lone-tmra oi tne Protestants) "are not true believers In the Divine Names or the Divine History and Divine Teachings to which they give Hp service, as they go through con ventlonal motions on Sunday '. . ." ' e e THE final section gets down to organization. 'PUata .Tr.ii T)ttAVi Qnrsiafir ia mr rrm'niY fr a 1 ll Willi eWU VA1 fcJ WVAVlyJT AO SUA1 "IT "anv ephemeral organization of loose ties and uncertain loyalties. It is my fervent hope that the John Birch Society will last for-hundreds of years" (shades of the "Thousand-Year Reich II"), and exert an increasing Eoral good and the spiritual ennoblement of man ind throughout those centuries ... I want no other title than that of its The Society is to be monolithic: "A republican form of government or of organU'ft', tlon has many attractions and advantages, under,-caj&? tain favorable conditions. But under less hapy, clx cumstances It lends Itself too readily to itiMtsftlft, distortion and disruption. And democracy, rf jrsjir.ae, In government or organization, as the GieSsk-3 and -Romans both found out, and as I believe every man in this room clearly recognizes democracy is merely a deceptive phrase, a weapon of demagoguery, and perennial fraud." This is the man who would save America! THE rest, mostly, concerns details how Welch will run things through the Home Chapter, of how there will be no boggling at orders, of how Coordinators will handles details, with Chapter Leaders collecting dues ($24 per year for men, $12 for women) and passing the word: "Aciuauy, we are going to. cut inrougn tne rea tape and parliamentary briar patches and road blocks of confused purpose with direct authority at every turn . . . Those members who cease to feel the necessary degree of loyalty can either resign or will be put out before they build up any splintering following of their own within the Society. As I have said, we mean business every step of the way ..." Is the Society a revolution? Or a religion? "Neither, and both," replies Welch. ? " v THERE is more much more. It may be argued that quotations have been taken out of context. They have. But a 'review can offer only a pale shadow of the book itself, and cannot include all the flowery rationaliza tions and philosophizing and jnoralizings. only a reading of the book will do it. we commend it to any who copy, to see the volume seriously, give the communists the greatest aid and comfort they have American ideals and American institutions, and in dividing, scaring, and confusing the once-fearless citizens of the United States. E.A. making no claim that it his liking and admiration only a politician, and; been the machinery of this remarkable book is into bankrupting them the most fascinating in "Anrl Main Tn Ttnllri A AJhrnavii Ai a v vuivi li. starts., with poetry, goes oh the Mount. religion. But Welch does "confessional" the more influence for the tern- Founder . , ," can beg or borrow a which could, if taken ever had m subverting Dennis the Menace WHATfe SOTERRISlg 'BOUr&ifl'TO BED VMV f Communicatioiis Letters to the Editor mult bear the nama and address of the writer, although under certain circumstances the use, of a pen name or Inllal for publication la permissible. The Mall Tribune reserves the right to dlt all letters with a vlaw to clarification and condensaton. Letters submitted for publication must not exceed 400 - words .The letters printed In his column do not necessarily represent the views of the paper; In fact tha contrary Is often the case. . County Pay Raises To the Editor: I read With much Interest an article in the M.T. on how Mr. Ray Schu macher, our assessor, had to defend his office against Mr. Wendt. Also have read in the paper over some length of time how Mr. Wendt is against a small raise in pay for the county road department. One year ago, the M.T. car ried a front page article which read something like this: "County Commissioners to get thousand dollar raise in pay." Also one county road depat mnt man would receive ; a raise. ' Also I watched these proceedings, and as every one knows,. Mr. Wendt received his raise in pay. Now would you like to know what hap penedi to the shop man? He was fired. He dared , to walk up to our commissioner and say when are we boys going to receive our raise. Yes, this is true, and no, the road department employee did not receive . that prom ised raise at that time. Mr. Wendt did. You wonder if this man and his family had a nice Christmas? Or food on his ta ble? He had every right to ask for a raise, since the court had promised him one. I don't see Mr. Wendt crying "take back part of my thousand." Oh, no, and he was very much against this raise in pay for shop and county road men last time also. He wants to cut expenses, but "don't start with me." People working for the road department aren't transients, but are nice people, paying taxes here and trying to send their children to school and church and live decntly. Now to Mr. Taylor, "thanks." You are a live-and-let-llve person, though I hear! we shouldn't vote for you, that you would not play fair. Glad I didn't listen and voted for you any way. The information herein isn't rumors flying around. I hate to end this on a sour note. The man that was fired got a better job, more money. Joyce Shange, Shady Cove, Ore. Diversions To the Editor: Reading from that great light of the Christian ., world, .Rev. John Wesley, a sermon entitled, "The More Excellent Way," and based on 1st Corinthians 12:31, "Covet earnestly the best gifts; and yet slvw I unto you a more excellent way", he speaks of the necessity of relaxation and of diversions for Christians. On the latter he mentions those diversions which are Innocent, and may1 properly be used by Christians. He makes it plain, however, that some diversions that may be popular may not be innocent or harmless. His purpose in calling these to attention is to show that only those, those which are harmless and inno cent, may be properly In dulged by a Christian while he remains a Christian. How faithful were those old God called and God-empowered preachers of the past to warn their flocks of pitfalls that lay directly along their way! After saying that he could not and keep a clear con science go to theaters, which he called, "the sink of all pro fa nonesi and debauchery," to watch tragedies, he says (di rect quote from his sermon): "Balls or assemblies, which, though more reputable, than masquerades, yet must be al lowed by all impartial per sons to have exactly the same tendency. So undoubtedly have all public dancings. And the same tendency they must havd unless the same caution obtained among modern Christians vhich was ob served among the ancient heathens. With them men and women never danced to gether, but always In separate rooms. This was always ob served In ancient Greece, and for ' several ages at Rome, where a -woman dancing in company with men would have at once been set down as a prostitute. Of playing at cards, I say the same as of seeing plays. I could not do It with a clear conscience." ' If respectable heathens forebade the mingling of the sexes in dancing because of the imminent danger in volved, are our modern edu cators, who Insist on the commingling of the sexes as they teach dancing In our day schools, as respectable and cautious as were the heathens? You answer. And what about the professing Christians of our day who do not exercise the care of those heathens? Could it be that those hea thens might stand a better chance at the Judgment than enlightened Christians who dance as the heathens would not do? Think It over, and then decide. ' H. R. Bulman Route 4, Box 316A, ' Medford. Mountain Lion Tale To the Editor: One of the most awesome and pathetic tales ever told to me was about a lurking mountain lion stalking a young three-C man on a forest road over the Sis kiyou 'summit on a moonlit night. . Around 1934 and '35 a CCC camp was established on one branch of Cottonwood creek. On week ends trucks were used to carry some of the boys to valley towns when each one's turn came. It so hap pened this young man missed his transportation back to camp one week. end. He then determined to ride a bus to the top of the Siskiyou sum mit and walk the rest of the long winding road. After hik ing some long distance he heard sounds of footsteps back of him. He turned to look, sure enough there was a big cat following him. When he ran, the cat rah too. Getting somewhat out of breath, he would stop for a short rest, and the big cat would stop until the young man would start out hiking again. He con tinued the trip, walking until dawn began to break. That was when his wild unwelcome trail molester turned off the well beaten paths to roam the mountain haunts. The mountain lion is a noc turnal prowler and has a hab it of curiosity.' Bert Kissinger, . 520 Boardman st.,' Medford. Try and Stop Me ' By BENNETT CERF ONE BRIGHT SPRING morning; a commuter announced to his wife at breakfast, "It's too nice a day to go to the office." "Good," said the wife, "but don't think you're going to play golf. There are a lot of tilings that need doing around the house." "Golf was the furthest thing from my mind," protested the husband,' fingering a piece of toast. "Now would you mind passing me the putter?" : A summer stock com pany graduate got his first job on Broadway: a small part of a melodrama. His first line followed the firing of a shot He waa required to express surprise and say, "Waa that a cannon I heard ?" He rehearsed perfectly, but was undone by opening night jit ters. The gun was fired. The actor jumped two feet and ex claimed, "What the bett wa thatt" . It's easy, Insists Morey Amaterdam, to single out the kid In a crowd who halls from Texas. He's the one toting the pearl handled slingshot. 0 1K1, by Bennett Carl SlatrOrated by Xias Features Syndicate) MEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE. MEDFORD. ORE U.S. Quietly Intervening To Assist in Settlement of Franco-Algerian : By PHIL NEWSOM UPI Foreign News Analyst "France says to the Alger ians: Algeria is yours. Let us talk together. AU she asks is that before J entereing the i 1 room you 4 leave your knives out side" - Presi dent Charles de Gaulle at Brest, France, Sept. 17, 1960. Unhappily, this week the MewsoBS knives in Algeria still were claiming lives, and peace talks between de Gaulle and the Algerian, rebels were in danger of stalling before they ever really started. Into this situation, the Unit e'" States stepped directly and openly for the first time. Even before it took office, the Kennedy , administration had let it be known, that it considered settlement of the Algerian conflict as of para mount importance not only for France and the Algerians but for the future, of the whole of Africa as well. . In addition to at least two reported contacts between the U.S. embassy in Paris and the French government on the subject, it was disclosed that the U.S. ambassador to Tu nisia, Walter M. Walsley Jr., also had met with representa tives of the rebel Algerian Matter of Fact By Joseph Alsep THE WEAXENED ALLIANCE Vientiane, Laos-It is becom ing clearer and clearer that the Key West meeting be tween P r e s ! dent Kennedy and Prime Minister Mac- mlllan was probably the most signifi cant episode In the Laos cri sis to date. Its curious char- aisod acter gives added interest to the new Kennedy-Macmlllan meeting. It may seem odd to be re porting on Key West from Vientiane. But the details of what ' passed there are only just seeping out here,' after having been officially given to British correspondents at the close of the SEATO meet ing in Bangkok. Presumably the' purpose of this special briefing was to explain the abrupt realignment of British policy with American policy, after months of Foreign Office stimulation of angry British criticisms of American actions in Laos. - '. ' ' The British realignment was explained on the ground that the facts of international life were forcibly brought home to us at Key West." The Presi dent was described as inti mating to the Prime Minister that the Laos crisis was a double "test'-a test of the U.S. by the Kremlin and a test of ' the value of the Anglo American alliance by the U.S. As a result, It was stated, the British government was "re luctantly, with deepest de spondency" but unavoidably, going along with President Kennedy's decision to send troops to Laos if the Soviets refused to negotiate a truly neutral settlement. THIS fairly astonishing offi cial gloss on the new phase of British policy rather clear ly Implies how far the unity of the Western alliance had decayed during the Elsenhow er years. The decay was no where more apparent than here in Laos. This open disunity of the Western allies was one of the causes for the failure of the Eisenhower policy of gluing together a reliable antl-Com-munlst Laos government, which has now been abandon ed by President Kennedy in favor of pressure for a truly vutteR, please provisional government. In these "exchanges of views" it was the United States' intention to help get the Algerian peace talks on the rails and keep them there. For the United States gov ernment it was a switch from a previous policy of handsoff. But for President Kennedy it simply was a reaffirmation of a stand he took as a sena In the Day's News By FRANK As this is written, Gover nor Hatfield is debating with himself whether to sign or to veto the bill that would reduce taxes on big trucks by a million dollars a year. Both houses of the Oregon legisla ture have passed it. The governor, at his Mon day press conference, said that in reaching his decision he would balance against each other consideration of tax equity for trucks and the need for money to build highways. THE bill the governor Is studying proposes changes in Oregon's weight-tax law. This law imposes a tax on freight trucks based on their WEIGHT and the number of miles traveled. The big truck people contend that the taxes it levies on them are out of proportion to the wear and neutral Lao government. Laos is a small place, riven by personal and family rival ries. Foreigners are conspicu ous. Any American policy was bound to be difficult to exe cute, If It was handicapped by the open, freely expressed disapproval of the British here, along with the open dis approval and the active, hos tile underground opposition of the French. This was the situation In Laos throughout the last Eis enhower .years. But it must be added .that an even more important cause of the failure of the Eisenhower policy was the fairly complacent Ameri can reliance on the mere ghost of "massive retaliation" to constrain an active, Im placable enemy. DESPITE British disapproval and French sabotage, the American policy here twice almost succeeded. In the sum mer of 1959 and again last summer, a fairly stable, strict ly non-Communist regime seemed to be getting the situa tion under control. On both occasions, however, the rath er narrow balance was upset by massive incursions across the border from Communist North Vietnam. In 1959, the incursions were brought to an end by Nikita S. Khrushchev, In order to prevent cancellation of his Camp David meeting with President Eisenhower. Last summer, the incursions were preceded by the coup d'etat of Captain Kon Le. But even this unfortunate event was not decisive. The decisive factor was-and still Is-the .subse quent, very massive input of war materials and men from North Vietnam. Even today, the Lao government could cope with the purely Lao Com munist forces If these stood alone. In other words, the ghost of "massive retaliation" was re lied upon to. isolate Laos, and It failed to do so. Here, once again, the British and French positions counted for a good deal. Their opposition not only handicapped the execu tion of the American policy here before the incursions; their clamor and coat-tail pull ing iuo enfeebled and con fused the American reaction to the Communist incursions when these took place. ...... SUCH Is the melancholy rec ord which President Ken nedy and Prime Minister Mac mlllan must now review to gether. Preparations for this review were obviously made in Vientiane over the week end. High officials of the British, French, and Austral ian Foreijn Offices came here, after the SEATO meeting, to work non-stop with their re spective Embassies and with one another. Whether an Anglo-French po sition was worked out, cannot be said. But a British position was certainly worked out for the Prime Minister's use in Washington. And it is also pretty certain that this was a fairly soft position. Meanwhile the failure of the Eisenhower policy has driest; President Kennedy to adopt a substitute policy that will be every bit as difficult to execute. Achievement of a truly neutral Laos is an Inconceivably delicate task and perhaps an absolutely im possible task. This kind of result can never be achieved if there is the smallest show of Western softness. Hence further shoring of the weak ened Western alliance would seem to be In order. Copyright 1961, New York Herald Tribune Inc. tor in July 1957. Then, intro ducing a resolution calling on the administration to support "an International effort to de rive for Algeria the basis for an orderly achievement of In dependence," ne saia: "Algeria is no longer a problem for the French alone, nor will It ever be again." The suggestion was received coolly. JENKINS tear of their vehicles on Ore gon's highways. The bill that is before the governor for ap proval or veto includes changes in the schedules that would lighten the burden on the heavy trucks-allegedly by about a million dollars a year. WHAT are the facts? " The nub of the situation seems to be that the facts are hot well enough estab lished to warrant a final de cision on the principles in volved in Oregon's weight-tax law. But they should be estab lished soon. In Illinois an ex haustive series of tests has been under way for a long time. These tests are sponsor ed by the American Associa tion of Highway Officials and other groups. Their purpose is to come up with answers to the questions concerning wear and tear of heavy ve hicles on the highways. : The State of Oregon has contributed $150,000 to help defray the costs of this $27 million testing project. Masses of data have been compiled in the course of the tests, and these data are now being analyzed. Preliminary reports are expected within a few months. When these reports are available, we. will know more about the problem than we know now. THE point is that the bill that has been approved by both houses of the Oregon legisla ture is PREMATURE. It would have been much better to wait for the facts that will be provided by these exhaus tive tests, which were design ed to GET AT the facts. But that would have meant waiting for another two years, as it is improbable that evalua tion of these Illinois tests will be completed in time for con sideration by the current ses sion of the legislature. The big truck people, who contend that they are being unfairly taxed under' Oregon's present law, are naturally anx ious to get out from under what they say is an unfair tax load. "1ASUAL snap judgment leads one to think that after all these years Oregon's highway system should be ap proaching completion. That sounds reasonable, but it isn't true. The need for highway money grows con stantly. More and more ve hicles are using our highways. Congestion is a growing prob lem. ; ' Also there " is a growing need for better, SAFER high ways. As our highways be come more congested, the haz ards of driving increase. Con sider for a moment the grow ing number of HEAD-ON col lisions. Hardly a day passes when there isn't a head-on collision somewhere within the range of our interest. Head-on collisions are death dealers. HOW shall we prevent them? DIVIDED highways seem to be about the only answer. Divided highways are expensive. But LIVES are valuable-especially if the life that is lost is yours or mine. If divided highways are to be provided, it is going to take more money. So we must face the fact that as the years pass we are going to need more and more highway money. It seems reasonable that the USERS of the highways should provide the bulk of the money that will be needed to keep our highways up to date. Redstone Rocket On Launching Pad Cape Canaveral, Fla.-flJPD-' The modified Redstone rocket expected to be used by the United States to send an as tronaut into space was placed on a launching pad Wednes day for several weeks of tests. If the preflight checks go according to- schedule, the slender missile will be launch ed next month with a U.S. astronaut in a space capsule on its nose. The shot will be "sub-orbital," aimed at sending the astronaut about 115 miles up and 290 miles over the At lantic Ocean from the U.S. Missile Test Center. The Red stone was selected for the shot because of its longtime relia bility in military tests. Late this year or in early 1962. the United States will attempt to send an astronaut into orbit aboard an Atlas in tercontinental ballistic mis sile. Dispute But In the interim tha French Fourth Republic tell, de Gaulle came to power and began the slow, painful pro cess first of convincing the French people that the Alger lans slowly but inevitably were moving toward inde pendence, and then of finding a basis upon which to negoti ate a peace. In the end it seems likely that agreement will be reach ed. But pressing the Kennedy administration to Intervene now, even at the risk of French annoyance, was the knowledge that each passing day only pushed the rebels that much closer to the wait ing arms of the Communists. Drummond Reports Reacoe Drummond; nports on the Washington' scene in the ab sence of Walter Llppmann. CRIPPLING THE U.N. United Nations, N.Y. - The United Nations is today at its most critical juncture - and Moscow is throwing rocks on the track. The UN must either move ahead to prove that It can ba an effective means to secure the stability and independ ence of the new nations. Or it Is going to grind to an im potent stop "when it is most needed. The crucial test is In the Congo. There under the most adverse circumstances - a combination of disunity with in the UN and disunity in tha Congo - the United Nations' ability to shelter the birth of a hew nation is being tried under fire. If it can succeed in the Con go against such despairing odds, the UN will gain such strength and prestige as will enable it to do more of the same In other trouble spots. Will the UN succeed? Not if the Soviet Union can prevent it, and it Is throwing up every possible road block. . r? Is no accident that at the moment when the United Nations is beginning to dem onstrate its greatest useful ness, Premier Khrushchev Is stepping up his fight to de rail the UN's driving engine, the office of Secretory Gen eral Dag Hammarskjold. What Moscow wants to do is to render the Secretariat immobile and unable to shield the fragile, new nations from the winds of the cold war. Mr: Khrushchev is not atr tacking the role of Secretary General Hammarskjold be cause the UN is at the point of failure in the Congo. He is attacking the Secretary Gen eral because the UN, is, to Moscow, showing dangerous signs of succeeding in tha Congo. Mr. K. wants to insure the UN's failure in the Congo and by making the office of the Secretary General Impotent be certain that the UN is not free to help other nations. WHEN the charter was draft ed in San Francisco the Soviets felt they v had nothing to fear from the power of the Secretary General. The So viets had a veto over the Se curity Council. The General Assembly was to be only a de bating society, a world town meeting of the air. The "science of Marxism," which is supposed to enable the Communists to predict his tory, somehow failed them at the UN. When Lumumba was Premier, the Soviets joined the other powers at the Se curity Council in voting unani mously for the UN to help In the Congo. Then when Lu mumba was removed and the General Assembly, seated Kasavubu, there was no way Moscow could veto the direc tive to Hammarskjold to carry on the UN Congo mission. Even, the General Assembly has successfully asserted the power to act when the'Securr lty Council is deadlocked. : THUS the Kremlin has found its Security Council veto insufficient to Immobilize the UN. The Soviets concluded that the only means of making the UN adequately impotent la to get a veto over the func tioning of the Secretariat. This is the purpose of the clamorous Soviet demand that the office of Secretary Gen eral be dissolved and that the Secretariat be put in charre of a committee of three (a Russian, a Westerner, and a neutral), each of whom would have to agree before the Sec retariat could carry out any directive given to it by the Security Council or the Gen eral Assembly. ' Evidently Mr. Khrushchev is afraid the United Nations will succeed in sheltering the new nations from outside in terference and Is determined to immobilize the UN before it !s too late. If the new Afro Asian nations truly measure what he is up to, they can be rlpHctvA in nrpvpntlng it. (c) 1961 New York Herald Tribune Inc.
