4 A
Iwrom In Southern Oregon
D in,. Wail 1Vllinn
fuBTiihed Dtlly except Saturday by
U North Fir St., Ph. 8PMU1
,' HOBrRT w. RUHL. Editor
JntRB CRIY. Advertising Manager
r.irnArj) t Latham, bub. Mar. -
SIMC W. ALLEN JR., Mnl. Editor
EAKL n. AUAM5. city bailor
nrrHARn jewktt.- Snort Editor
OUVE 4TARCHER. Women's Editor
DALE EKHJftsuw, circulation wigr,
An Indeoendent Newf paper
Xntered aa second class matter at
Medford. Oregon, under aci 01
March 3, 1S97 V
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NATIONAL EDITORIAL
Fli-hi or Time
Medford and Jackson County
Hlitory from the file of The
Mall Tribune 10, 20, 30, 40
and SO yean ago.
10 TEARS AGO
A plan for preliminary d
wlopment of the Rogue Riv
er bagln't water and electric
resources, with controverital
1 mi eliminated, wag put for
ward today by the Rogue
l iver Basin Irrigation assc
cation. .,
. Employees of the White
City Lumber company yes
t irday rejected union repre
sentation in a national labor
relations board election,
: - TEAM AOO
' Churches of the valley
we en"-pitted arrangements
; r I t Sunday; Good Frl-
i war held today.
'? i !hur Perry's "Ys
i kiit" column: "The
i .-, -w of the year
, n V. ednesday in the
.41 sr. J. A delegation of
local robins flew out, and pre-
t -ded they were aghast and
awed no. end."
M YZKT. AOO
, "& 11. 111 (ataturday)
. ort!and Mayor George L
r, t-d his wife, were
ut 1 to visit here brief-
r.
i L, Bennett. Med'
i i e stor, won district
t a e-ibate In Grants
M iiUjy..'.''..
1 oo .
.1.1 (Monday)
. a Olcott is a pas-
ea an Army plane
i Is racing a flock of
; . p'ceons from Port
. 1 1 tan Francisco; the
i a-oratd here for re-
.jo contract hag been let
! i construction of a monu-
iat in Ashland to honor
world war heroes.
IB TEAM AGO
"U 11. 1111 (Tuesday)
The Medford Realty asso
ciation met here today to dis
cuss means of boosting the
Rogue valley and attracting
settler from the East here.
. The first heavy fog of the
season is expected to follow
a snowstorm here today: or-
chardUts have been alerted to
be ready to smudge.
Vhal's Your I.Q.?
Nina er ten correct Is luee'lerj
seven er eight h encellenti flva er
ia h tees'.
- 1. With the manufacture of
what commodity do you con
nect "peeler logs"?
2. The date of the Pearl
Harbor attack by Japan was
Dec. 7 of what year?
- 3. Which of these are not
mammals - eel, whale, arma-
dlllo, anteater, pigeon, stur
geon, penguin?
. 4. Atlantic City, N.J., is a
summer resort only, and Is
closed during the winter
- months; true or false?
S. If a cubic foot of water
is frozen, will its volume as
ice be greater or lesi than a
cubic foot?
..; 6. With which major league
baseball team did Lou Gehrig
play? r
7. Is a PT boat larger In
tonnage than a destroyer ,
.: .8. Manell Antonio deVarona
is interested in overthrowing
the government of what coun
try?, ' " : ' " .I' -
9. In which large eastern
City is Grant's Tomb?
i-10,; What does the name
'.'Stalin" mean?
: Answers: 1. Plywood, i.
1941. 3. Etl, pigeon, sturgeon,
penguin. 4. False. S. Greater.
9. New York ankeet. 7. No.
9. Cuba. 9. Mew York City.
10. Steel. ' . I
TUESDAY. APRIL 11, 1961
The Secret Crime
Every once in a while we are called upon to
wonder what sort of mentality it is that can make
an anonymous, threatenting telephone call, and
still live with ltseil.
, How cowardly can you get?
There are a few things that these people
should remember:
Making threats of physical violence is a crime,
punishable by a term in the penitentiary.
And committing this crime threatening the
commission of a felony under the blanket of
anonymity is not only criminal, it is evil, in the
deepest and darkest meaning of the word.
....... . . 0. ! ;
LJANDLING a rash of this sort of thing is a
matter for the police and other law enforce
ment agencies. : ; '
But more basic than that, it is a matter of
fundamental human decency and morality. .
People that allow themselves to do such an
evil thing should be warned warned not only
of the legal and criminal consequences if they are
discovered, but also of the consequences to them'
selves as human beings.
No person can live long with such evil and
still retain a right to think of himself with any
respect. a.A. . . . .-.
Medical Care Plans
. . . It is astonishing how invariably spokesmen
for American organized medicine invoke the
specter of the British "experiment" (National
Health Service), when debating on the Forand
Bill or itstoumerous successors. What is even more
invariable is the way in
It. . . '. -T-
In addition to pointing out that the "Service"
has been a most welcome if qualified success, Dr.
Fox (Dr. T. F. Fox. editor of the noted British
medical magazine, the
that its inception was
pressures, not ideology:
patient freedom have not been impaired to any
noticeable extent; that medical service is infinite
ly superior now to what obtained in pre-Service
years; and that, contrary to the persistent allega
tion by American doctors that the Service has
been a great wasteful extravagance, the British
in fact spend somewhat LESS of their national
income on medical care than we do and that the
SAME care would have cost considerably more
if rendered without the Service. ;
FHE sad thing is that 'the two main institutions
fighting this development (financing of med
ical care for the aged via Social Security') or
ganised medicine and sectors of the insurance
business fail to welcome it on their, own terms.
The doctors should rejoice that government fund
ing of medical care for the dependent popula
tion will mean the chance to bring more care
more easily to millions who need it the most.
And for government to take care of the in
digent and semi-indigent (the medically in
digent) will open up a
the health insurers because, with the basic cov
erage met bv crovernment. the aered will then have
some money left to buy
mental coverage irom private insurance ; ana aiso
uie insurance companies,
will be able to offer more
rest of the population.
Just as social security helped the private
fiension business, so it will help the private health
nsurance business. The prediction here is that
all this will become quite clear within the next
lew years to all the parties concerned, even the
A.M. A. Edward T. (Jhase, writing in The Uom
monweal.
Save Roadside Beauty
' Where are the roadside pussywillows?
Not many years aero,
from the city would pay
lurry stains anyume in
m i j :
reoruary., ineir iavonte
empty now, the result of
brush control.
The use of weed and
control roadside growth has proved to be far
more economical and permanent than the manual
pruning and clipping methods used heretofore.
The price of this piece of progress, however, has
been the loss of much of the roadside beautv
which accompanied the
THE killer sprays sweep an indiscriminate
scythe of death along the roadside, wiping out
the brush that encumbers the driver's vision, the
blackberries which threaten to spread into the
road itself and also the flowers which bejewel
the roads in the spring.
The trilliums, lamb's toncues and violets were
among those which found the roadside shoulders
especially suited to their needs. The masses of
buttercups were spectacular as well as fragile. In
the background, wild currant, Oregon Grape and
wild roses provided theproper backdrop.
CVEN if the covnty and state road crews modi-
fy the "scorched earth" policy, it will take
years for these flowers
ineir roaqsioe naunts. remaps we snouid set
aside "pussywillow reserves" in the same way
we offer havens to wild fowl.
At least, there should
lse between the esthetic and the efficent. When
ever decorative roadside shrubs do not threaten to
become a hazard to driving, they should be saved
from the chemical executioners. Oregon States
man, Salem,
which1 they misrepresent
"Lancet") established
attributable to economic
that doctor freedom and
much bigger market' for
desirable and supple
ireea oi me indigent,,
attractive rates to the
a 15-minutd auto trip
off in an armload of
latter January or eany
i.ii ,
roaasiae naunts are
more effective roadside
brush killer snravs to
brash and weeds.
and shrubs to return to
be more of a comprom-
Dennis the Menace
GEB,HO. DO 1 GOTTA HAVE
Communications
Letters to the Editor must bear the name and address of the writer,
although under certain circumstances the use of a pen name or Inilal
for publication it permissible. The Mail Tribune reserves the rioht to
edit all letters with a view 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 racr tnecomrary is orten
Not Quite Right
To the Editor:-1 read with
interest the letter written by
the woman in Ashland who
is having so much trouble
with her creditors. It seems
like there's always someone
ready to kick you when your
down and out.
I agree with her, there
should be some kind of pro
tection for people who are in
this kind of a situation, es
pecially when tney are try.
ing to do their best. The labor
problem has affected a great
many people all over the Unit
ed States and It s beyond the
control of the every day work
ing man and I certainly think
that in a crisis of this kind
that the creditors could be a
little lenient and understand'
ing.
i What really gets me is that
when a man is laid off, or put
on call and works 2 or 3. days
out of a week and earns $40,
he has to pay taxes and father
benefits out of it but when he
doesn't - work he still draws
$40 unemployment and does
not pay . anything. Doesn't
seem quite right somewhere.
; , ; f. .' (Name on, tile)
v. V Medford ' :''
What We Have in Common
To the Editor: Your review
of the John Birch Society's
Blue Book (Mail Tribune Ap
ril 5, 6, 1961) seems only to
have added to the confusion
in regard to the purpose of,
and the means used by, the
Society.
The John Birch Society has
adopted 'some of the means
used by the communists (their
constancy, concertedness and
dedication); but the' Society
has substituted the powerful
truth for the communist de
ception. And in barely more
than two years have grown
to a force that the press would
have us believe seriously
threatens the American Way
of Life, Doggrell The John
Birch Society Is a threat only
to what has at times been
cleverly ' veiled comrdunism,
and at other times open avow-
ment of ruthless totalitarin
ism. - -
The communists make it a
prime point to take advantage
of any and all methods (tac
tics) in spreading their poison
This does not mean that all
methods used by the commu
nists are base and contemptu
ous. Some are many are
but some are not. Some are
perfectly legitimate, adopted
by the communists because
they seemed valuable, and la
ter proved to be. The commu
nists then, In part, use legiti
mate means in acquiring their
vile goals. The John Birch
Society uses some of the same
legitimate means as Justifiable
means toward preserving the
American Way, as it was con
ceived. The John Birch Soci
ety thinks it worth the effort.
These legitimate means are
not therefore repugnant to
reasonable men. Such for ex
ample the concerted action
advocated by Robert Welch.
You berate Robert Welch
because you claim he smears
all who differ with him; but
in your editorial you are guilty
of the same thing you accuse
him of. Thus: Robert Welch,
in the Blue Book presents a
different view of history than
the one you have been expos
ed to, and you automatically
accuse him of "twisting" his
tory. Perhaps you could ex
plain why you are able to do
this and remain pure; but Rob
ert Welch is guilty of smear
when he claims history In
part has been falsified.
We think the press is em
barrassed, and well they might
be. Now might well be the
time for the press to explain,
it they will, why most of the
bias against the John Birch
Society Is to identical to the
original attack leveled against
the Society, which appeared
in the official communist pub
lication, The People's World.
MEDFOHD MAIL
A UBRW CARD ?
tie case, ,
What is it you have in com
mon with the official commu
nist press?
Robert J. Howard
828 B West 14th St.
: Medford, Ore.
Humanity
. To the Editor: On Sunday
lastr April 9, 1 made a hurried
tour through the Hobby Show
at the V. A. Domiciliary. I
didn't haye much time, be
cause i nad to catch my bus
and go down to skid row. (My
funds are insufficient for a
visit to the Medford Hotel
bar.)
I was amazed, astounded
and overwhelmed at what I
saw on exhibit there. Land
scape pictures of marvelous
and stupendous majesty; pho
tographs of nature equal to
any I ever saw in any maga
zine or book; magnificent
gems created from the rude,
rough stones of nature; leather-work
fit for the elite of
Park Avenue; intricate weav
ing woven by hard-won skill
and artistry. And many, many
other works of almost cre
ative genius.
Tears of -understanding
weiiBQ up in my eyes, unbid
den and - unashamed, as
viewed this triumph of the
human spirit over odds almost
insurmountable to man.
knew full well that weak and
trembling hands; spirits al
most crushed by the cruel fist
or fate; failing eyes and ach
ing bones; despair, despond
ence, and resignation to the
grave, had gone into much
of what I saw.
You call White Citv a anlrl.
ier's home. Actually, we are
men without a home, else we
would not be living here.
You see us staggering on
skid row; we have no place
else to go.
I've seen your citizens, too,
in just as bad a shape. What
goes on in the seclusion of
your private homes r rich and
poor alike - oftentimes is
much worse than what we are
forced by circumstance to do
in public. I know, because
once I lived at the top of the
heap. It too, is a sordid mess.
iry to understand that we
are human beings too; desti
tute, alone and sick, without
a name that longer counts for
aught; doing what we can, the
best we can, with the burden
fate and , God have placed
upon our stoned and wearv
shoulders. "We are but help
less pieces, in the game he
piays, upon this checker
board, of nights and days."
And never, never forupl
this timeless truth when you
see a sodden, drunken wretch
shambling down the street:
mere, but for the eraee of
God, go I."
we are White Citv are not
all like that. Be that as it
may, my plea is for the worst
of us. Let the lamp of love
and mercy; the candle of
peace on earth, good will to
ward men; pity, understand
ing, and forbearance, light the
hopeless, dark and dismal
shadows, through which you
see us all - outcasts of a cruel
and a heartless world.
(Name on file)
White City, Ore.
Clean the Rogue
To the Editor: The time has
come for the residents of this
Rogue River Country to help
in efforts to keep the Rogue
River clean for everybody to
enjoy, rteierence is made to
the deplorable muddy waters
that have been occurring off
and on since last fall.
The public and representa
tives of our State Agencies
are often powerless to stop
road contractors, gravel wash
ing and crushing operators,
miners and loggers from mud
dying up our rivers and
streams. Ruined are many of
the values needed to keep
tourists here. Hundreds of fish-
ermcn go to the river to
spend an enjoyable day of re
laxation, see the mud and'
TRIBUNE. MEDFORD, ORE.
U.S. Financed South
May Develop Into Another Laos
By PHIL NEWSOM
UPI Foreign News Analyst
Next to troubled Laos lies
the republic of Viet Nam,
about twice the size of Maine
and second
only to South
Korea as the
recipient o f
United States
aid.
The United
States trains
and pays
South Viet
Nam's 150,
0 0 0 - m an
?4
Newsom
army.
Exclusive of military aid,
the United States has poured
nearly a billion and a half
dollars into the country since
1953 in an attempt to bolster
its economy and stability.
Yet with all this there is
mounting concern that in
South Viet Nam the United
States may well face the
Washington Report
By WllllAM
THE SECOND VOICE
r Washington - (UPD - Vice
President Lyndon B. Johnson
has become the nation's sec
ond voice to a
degree never
before seen in
history.
- He has been
granted by
P r.e s i dent
Kennedy a n
unequalled in
timacy in the
preparation of
scute tne nignest na
tional policy. Not even Rich
ard Nixon in the Eisenhower
administration was given so
responsible a role.
Being human, Johnson has
responded to Kennedy's gen
erosity with a magnanimity
and loyalty toward his young
chief. The association is not
too unlike that between an
infantry officer and his most
trusted top sergeant.
This is the short and simpli
fied truth as .between John
Fitzgerald Kennedy and Lyn
don Baines Johnson, And
these very same two were
reaching for each other's ar
teries only last summer when
both aspired to the presiden
tial nomination.
- e
rTVHERE is, however, a long-
e- and . mora comnllcated
return home disgusted. Val
uable gravel spawning bars
become silted in, eggs are
smothered in the gravel and
insects as Important fish food
are killed. Fish are scarce
enough without killing off
more, !
' State laws for the control
of mud in our public waters
are weak. We have the oppor
tunity to gain some strength
with respect to gravel remov
al with three bills that are
being considered by the Legis
lature now in session. All are
reasonable bills and are pat
terned from laws that for
many years have been used
in the State of Washington
where good, adequate control
of gravel operations is afford
ed. H.B, 1638 incorporates and
and gravel dredging and min
ing operations into existing
statutes on pollution.
H.B. 1637 has received a
"do'pass"- by committees and
will be voted upon by the
House and Senate soon. This
bill relates to removal of sand,
gravel and other materials
from valuable fish spawning
areas.
H.B. 1629 regarding con
trol of pollution and gravel
removal by requiring clear
ance from the State Natural
Resources Agencies is still be
fore the House Natural Re
sources Committee, Clinton
Haight, chairman.
These bills will be voted
upon soon. All disgusted per
sons and fishermen should
write their State Representa
tives and Senator, both Salem,
Oregon, and urge that they
promote and vote the passage
of these bills.
Patience-thin,
Rogue Rod, Gun and
Archery Club
Herbert F. Waller,
President
300 S.E. "H" st.
Grants Pass, Ore.
Pill for Alcoholism?
To the Editor: Isn't it pos
sible that we already have a
pill or serum, which, when
given to a human alcoholic,
would make him lose his crav
ing for alcohol?
Isn't It possible that the
grent sugar producers and dis
tillers with their multi-millions
of dollars say, "no"?
Any country which expects
to send a human being into
orbit and bring him safely
back to earth should be able
to give these other human
derelicts a capsule to bring
him out of orbit and back to
earth just as easily. ,
Well, it s none of my busi
ness anyway, just a thought.
Thanks to my friends for your
letters.
Malcmute Slim
; White City, Ore.
same situation that it present
ly does in Laos.
Reds on Offensive
Aided by geography and
increasing unrest among the
10 million people, commu
nism has been on the offen
sive there for more than a
year. ,
Last week, as Viet Nam
prepared for the national
elections which returned Pres
ident Ngo Dinh Diem to of
fice, they carried that offen
sive into Saigon itself, aimed
especially against Americans,
A U.S. aid administrator
was injured by a bomb tossed
into his home. An American
sergeant was injured by an
other bomb exploded near a
hotel housing U.S. military
advisers.
Last November a U.S. pub
lie safety adviser and his
driver were killed in a day
light ambush outside the sea
side resort of Long Hai.
S. WHITE.
truth in the relationship. It is
friendly, yes; but it is no sen
timental tableau. It does not
lack a common liking, but it
restn far more on common
ser.be.
It is, in fact, a highly prac
tical concert between two
tough and honestly ambitious
men. They . do not see abso
lutely eye to eye on every
thing, and don't pretend to.
But they are absolutely to
gether on the two vital points
which have made and will
prserve their partnership.
They are together on the
one great issue: How to con
duct thecold war. And they
are together in their full
awareness that only by stay
ing together can they avoid
disaster to. their own admin
istration and to themselves.
Kennedy knows that, though
polls indicate a great rise in
his popularity since the elec
tion, the fundamental fact re
mains that he won very nar
rowly. He knows that a break
with Johnson, the leader of
the moderates, would leave
him isolated, with only the
liberals and ultra-liberals' for
company.
'; :
THE President is no more
than moderately liberal
himself. He is not comfortable
with the ultra-liberals, even
apart from his awareness that
ultra-liberals .will give any
Democratic administration as
much unnecessary trouble as
effective help.
Vice-President Johnson also
knows several things. One is
that there can be only one
president at a time. Even if
any vice president wanted to
challenge any president, he
would be almost certifiably
insane to do so.
- Another is that the success
of the Kennedy administra
tion is as meaningful to him
as to the president. After all,
if Kennedy's job is such as to
bring abut his reelection, the
end of his second term will
open an opportunity for John
son himself. Without Kennedy
active consent, Johnson could
never receive such a nomina
tion. And, finally, the vice presi
dent well knows that he has
been able to become the coun
try's second voice precisely
because he has kept it the sec
ond voice and never tried to
make it the first.
rTHIS was the reason for the
success-both in Africa and
in Kennedy's estimation - of
Johnson's recent African mis
sion, his was why he was en
trusted with major policy
declarations to our allies in
Paris and to the disarmament
negotiators in Geneva.
And all these are also the
reasons why leading Repub
licans themselves never shar
ed the delusion of the ultra
liberals that "Jack and Lyn
don" automatically must
"fight." These Republicans
are themselves sensible poli
ticians. So they knew that
Jack and Lyndon" did not
share the ultra-liberals' view
of politics as a steamy melo
drama in which good guys are
doing nothing unless they are
hitting bad guys over the head
and crying loud doctrinnaire
slogans.
Kennedy and Johnson, of
course, may well turn out to
have a poor administration
in the end. But if they do. it
will not be because they held
this high-school notion of
politics.
(Copyright. 1961, by United
Feature Syndicate. Inc.)
Halsey Man Dies
In Violent Collision
Albany-IUPD-A violent car-
truck collision eight miles
south of here on Highway 99
Monday night claimed the life
of Donald E. Soper, 26, Hal
sey, state police reported.
Sioper was in a southbound
car. Walter Ruby, Albany,
driver of the truck, suffered
broken arm.
Authorities said the impact
knocked the engine from the
car and overturned the truck.
Viet Nam
Each month from 250 to
300 government officials are
murdered by Communist
guerrillas.
Orders from Peiping
The guerrillas operate un
der orders from Red China
and Communist North Viet
nam. Supplies reach them
through a series of guerrilla
posts running down the moun
tainous spine from North
Viet Nam along the border
of South Viet Nam and Laos.
These posts in turn support
guerriUa nests along the bor
Matter of Focf a jo..Ph ai.p
THE PICKLE WE'RE IN
Vientiane. Laos-Every sen
sible person in this little city,
who has- either Laotian or
Western interests at heart,
looks forward
to the new
phase of the
Laos crisis
Jwitn extreme
concern and
gjai mfr m apprenension.
1 If you are
I l -i several thou'
sand miles
away from
Alsop Laos, it may
seem very hopeful indeed
that a ceasefire seems likely
and that negotiations are ex
pected to begin. . But if you
are in Laos, the new phase
looks just about as dangerous
as the phase that is now com
ing to a close.
To begin with, the Commu
nist forces here, with the as
sistance of lavish Soviet sup
plies and large numbers of
invaders from North Vietnam,
have occupied far too large a
part of Laos.
The position, is much worse
than in 1954, when the Gen
eva accord left the Commu
nist Pathet. Lao movement in
control of the two northern
provinces, Phong Saly and
bamneua. ,
'
TTOAT was bad enough, as
experience proved. But a
ceasefire now will presumably
leave the Communists in con
trol of these two frontier prov
inces, plus important bits of
other . provinces, plus . the
whole of Xien Kuang prov
ince with the Plaine des Jar
res and the important Xien
Kuang airfield. '
Their hold on Xien Kuang
gives the Communists a grip
on the strategic heart of . Laos.
It is wishful nonsense to
talk about a stable, truly neu
tral Laos as long as the Com
munists retain military con
trol of the heart of the coun
try. It is just as wishful to
imagine that a Communist
pullback can be arranged by
the eloquent persuasions of an
Indian chairman of a restored
International Control Com
mission. In fact it is hard to
imagine any Communist pull-
back at all, except under
threat of force or as a result
of actual military pressure.
Thus the situation on the
ground is very grave indeed.
Yet there are reasons for be
lieving that the general poli
tical situation is even worse.
To understand why this is so,
one must look at the origins
of the present Laos crisis and
the singular response of the
Eisenhower administration.
N PARTICULAR, one must
look at the coup d'etat of
Capt.-Kong Le and the subse
quent assumption of the
6,000 Expected To
Hear Welch Speak
Los Angeles-flJPD-A sell-out
crowd of 6,000 is expected to
night to hear a speech by Rob
ert Welch, founder and lead
er of the anti-Communist John
Birch society.
A spokesman for the Free
dom Club of the First Congre-
grational Church where Welch
will speak said tickets were
sold for $1 each.
Welch, Belmont, Mass., ar
rived in Southern California
Saturday for a series of talks
about his controversial group.
Try and Stop Me
By BENNETT CERF
A HAM ACTOR'S wife had been dead for two years and -hadn't
acknowledged his existence for five years before
that, but still he burst into tears at mention of her name. '
"Arn't you putting it on
a bit; he was asKea
finally. "You don't real
ize what a wonderful
woman my wife was,"
sobbed the ham. "Never
once did she slip me a
check that bounced."
Matrimonial bliss In
Hollywood: At dinner one
evening Producer Billy
Wilder's lovely wife Audrey
(Wilder is' responsible for
"Some Like It Hot," "The
Apartment," and a dozen,
other screen triumphs) an
nounced blithely, "Darling,
do you realize this Is our anniversary?" Wilder poised s fork in
midair and reproached her, "Please not while I'm eating."
A morose character at the Metropolitan Bar kept complaining
that modern science had cost him over twjnty years of his life.
"An unsuccessful surgery?" hazarded the bartender. "No," re
plied the character. "Fingerprints."
C IMi. by Bennett Cert. Distributed by King Features Syndicate
der with Cambodia and in
th: Mekong River delta. .
So far, there is no cen
trally organized Communist
army such as the Pathet Lao
in Laos. .
Political unrest centers pri
marily on complaints against
the iron-fisted rule of Ngo
Dinh Diem.
Diem insists that his coun
try, with its ancient tradi
tional and long experience
-with colonialism, ' is not yet
ready for democracy as it is
known in the West.
He has limited authority
to himself and members of
his family, and a puppet par
liament faithfully carries out
his orders. ' -
Premiership by Prince Sou
vanna Phouma. The coup in
stalled a neutral government,
or at any rate a "neutralist"
government in Laos. The Brit
ish, the French and even the
American Embassy here rec
ommended acceptance of this
accomplished fact.
The Eisenhower administra
tion rejected this recommen
dation, and persevered in its
earlier policy of promoting a
pro-Western Laotian govern
ment. , With open American
support, Marshal Phoumi
drove Kong Le, Prince Sou
vana, and their collaborators
out of Vientiane. This would
have been perfectly defensibls
if the Eisenhower administra
tion had meanwhile steeled It
self for the possible conse
quences of its own decision. . -
Instead, the Eisenhower ad
ministration seemed to bo
taken wholly by surprise
when the quite foreseeable
consequences ensued. The
Soviets and Communist North
Vietnamese jumped into Laos
with both feet. -All Marshal
Phoumi's gains - and more
were lost. But the American
government, which had been
so bloody, bold, and resolute
before, was now flaccidly im
potent. '
AFTER these events, Prince
Souvanna Phouma is
probably the last remaining
truly neutral important per
sonality in Laos, if indeed his
claims on this point can be
believed. In order to see why
this is so, it is only necessary
to" consider the recent expe
rience of the next most im
portant figure in the former
Souvanna Phouma govern
ment, the able non-Communist
leftist Qinim Bolsena.
Quinlm, a man with a large
chip on his shoulder, came
into office as the result of a
severe setback for American
policy. He was driven out
again at the point of Ameri
can guns., He has now been
carried back toward power
again, so to say, on the should
ers of Communist armed
forces. Who should be sur
prised if there is much first
hand evidence that Qinim and
all the other men like him
are now ten times more bit
terly anti-Western as well as
rather actively and openly
pro-uommunist.
.-.
fTHERE are one or two
shreds of more hopeful
evidence, such as the report
that Kong Le has fallen out
with his Communist partners,
and. has been pushed around
by them. But it is still likely
that in the present circum
stances this kind of govern
ment is virtually certain to
give the Communists effective
control of Laos before very
long.
Such are the general charac
teristics of the pickle we're in
here. It may be, of course,
that President Kennedy's
handling of the Laos crisis
has been designed to mask a
gradual but decisive retreat
behind a show of firmness.
But if the President means
what he says about the fatal
effects of Communist control
of Laos, he is going to have
to show a great deal more
firmness, and to be infinitely
dexterous too, in order to
achieve the truly neutral
Laos he has been talking
about.
(c) 1961 New York
Herald Tribune Inc.