Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989, September 25, 1962, Image 4

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    4 A
TUESDAY. SEPTEMBER 25, 1962
UtDrORDj&TMBlJNS
""Evr.iyou in SouthenTbregon""'
Ked Th Mall Tribune1;
PuC'l.ht I Oiliy txcept Saturday by
MEUKORO PRINTING CO.
S3 onh fir-. PhiTTa-14t
ROBERT W. RUHL. Idltor
HERB CREY Advertiilnf Manaaar
GKRALD T LATHAM. Bue. Mgr.
ERIC W ALLEN JR.. Mng. Editor
EAHI, H ADAMS. City Editor
HARRY CHIPMAN. Taltl Editor
RICHARD JEWETT. SporU Editor
OLIVE oTARCHER Women'e Editor
DALE ElUCKSONClrcuUUon Mgr
AnIndcptndent Nawapaper
Entered aa second class matter at
Mcdford, Orepan. under Act of
March 3. 1B97
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Dally and Sunday 1 year 131.00
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Official Paper of City of Medford
Official Paper of Jackion County
United Press International
Full Leaaed Wire
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"MEMBER OF AUDIT BUREAU"
OF CIRCULATIONS
Xdvertiilng Representative:
NELSON ROBERTS U ASSOC!.
ATES. Officea In New York. Chi
cago Detroit, San Franciaco, Loa
Angeles. Seattle, Portland,
Denver.
Nf WSPAPIK
PUIUSHERS
ASSOCIATION
NATIONAL fOITORIAL
Flight o' Time
Medford tnd Jackson County
History from the files of The
Mail Tribune 10, 20, 30, 40
nd SO years ago.
10 YEARS AGO
Sept. 25, 1952 (Friday)
r.mrge Baker Dunkin
pleads guilty to second de
gree murder oi state ijuii.;
officer; sentenced to life lm
. nrlsonment.
Ashland centennial fete
concluded with dedication of
new civic service building,
football game, historical pag
eant, and whisker - growing
contest.
20 YEARS AGO
Sept. 25, 1942 (Saturday)
City of Mcdford donates
World War I caiinon from
old city park to scrap metal
drive; Mayor H. S. Deuel pro
claims Scrap for Liberty day.
From Arthur Perry's "Ye
Smudec Pot" . column: "The
weather can't make up its
mind whether to he late sum
mer or early fall."
30 YEARS AGO
Sept. 25, 1932 (Monday)
Survey of Little Butte
route for secondary highway
started by Jackson county en
gineer's office.
Two Oregon State college
coeds Injured when two bug
gies collide after state board
of higher education forbids
use of automobiles by stu
dents. 40 YEARS AGO
Sept. 25, 1922 (Tuesday)
California Oregon Power
company announces "world's
longest power line," centered
In Medford, is ncarlng com
pletion. First rain falls In Medford
area since June 10; city po
lice report many horses fell
on slippery pavement.
50 YEARS AGO
Sept. 25, 1912 (Thursday)
Assessed valuation of Jack
son county, exclusive of all
corporations, listed at $32,
114,635; Mcdford valuation
given as $5,760,900.
Plans announced for exten
sion of light and power lines
to Applcgate valley tajr way
of Jacksonville and Rch.
What's Your I.Q.?
Nine or ten coir act Is superlerf
even er eight is excellent) five
sii Is good.
1. Under which federal de
partment is the U. S. Commis
sioner of Education?
2. Who baptized Saul?
3. Most roses now have
grafted roots; true or false?
4. The law which limits po
liticHl activities of Federal
employees is known as what?
5. Harriet Lane ws the niece
of a President and served as
mistress of the White House;
name the president.
6. What is the name of
province in Ireland that is also
the name of a type of over
coat?
7. Which large cast coast
American city is built prin
cipally on three islands?
8. What common job was
held by C h a rl e a Evans
Hughes, Grover Cleveland
DcWItt Clinton, and Herbert
H. Lehman?
9. What color are the lines
of a blueprint?
10. Duet the word bible
mean book or books?
Answers: 1. Department of
Health, Education and Wel
fare. 2. Ananias. 3, True. 4.
Hatch Act. 3. Jamas Buchan
an. S. Ulster. 7. New York
City. B. Governor of New
York. 9. White. 10. Books.
Roots of Vandalism
Vandalism, the deliberate and senseless de
struction or spoliation of other people's property,
has always been a mystery to us.
It appears that "the experts" are equally
baffled that law enforcement officers, psy
chologists, educators, sociologists, and the ju
diciary don't have the answer either.
. An exceedingly interesting stoiy in the Mail
Tribune a week ago recounted a discussion about
vandalism in which experts such as described
above confessed an inability to assess the motives
of those who get pleasure from vandalism;
THERE were some explanations attempted.
' Most juvenile vandals are boys. But there
seems to be no correlation between a youngster's
background or his intelligence and his urge to
destroy.
Another view is that all vandalism is pur
poseful, and perhaps is a striking out against
something that only he understands.
A young vandal somehow has developed
different values from the rest of society.
And, with these general, and rather obvi
ous, observations, the agreements of the experts
taper off into guesses.
()NE of the panel appealed for a program of
research to attempt to ascertain motivations
in cases of vandalism. Undoubtedly such studies
would prove fruitful in
the future to modify such behavior.
But until the problem is more fully under
stood, we must concentrate on (1) law enforce
ment and (2) rehabilitation,
It might also be helpful to distinguish be
tween the kind of vandalism that is motivated by
sheer high spirits and high jinks (like the out
house on top of the courthouse at Halloween),
and that which is a senseless and malicious de
struction of property.
AS IN SO many other aspects of juvenile delin-
quency, it seems to us, the problem of youth
ful vandalism goes back to the home.
A wealthy home is not necessarily a happy,
well-adjusted one. Prominent parents do not nec
essarily make the best parents. And high intelli
gence in a youngster is no automatic guarantee
that he has no destructive instincts. -
It is our conclusion that parents, and parents
alone, are the key to whether a youngster is
going to be social or anti-social; whether he is
going to become a constructive, or destructive,
member of society. It is not only in overt training,
but, perhaps equally important, by example. If
parents are bad citizens, how are we to expect
their offspring to become good ones? E.A.
Vets' Loan Successes
i The Veterans' farm
gram, it appears, is one of the most efficiently
managed in the entire state government. The
annual report for the year ending June 30 is at
nana, and it includes these highlights:
During the year the program carried the
largest number of loans, 4,584, and the largest
amount of money, $47,811,100, of any fiscal year
in tne department, s nistory.
It had the lowest repayment delinquency
in its history, only 39100 of 1 per cent.
An increase in net earnings of nearly
$100,000.
Five fewer employees than at the end of
the previous year.
Progress in the department s work sim
plification program.
THE program has, on
first when the farm and home loans were author
ized, and since then when increases in the bond
ing authority were allowed.
1 he confidence of
been well placed, and
many.
It has allowed many young men to acquire
farms and homes who otherwise might have had
difficulty doing so, thus adding to the economic
stability and health of the state. It has been a
program which has paid
in inenmp-anil.nnlrn Vint
nf vnnnn. m u,l ,
...v.. .......
citizens and taxpayers.
Director Hub Saalfcld and his people have
. . . . ... - 4 . 1 .
every right to be proud
done. E.A.
Cave
dogs. And if you have both-
, , 'ered to look, you have seen
The good people of neighboring Cave June-' the expression of uncompre
tion will have a chance toote again this No-1 ncn2lnB miscry and pleading
vember on whether their little city' will continue I Tne'nnd
to be Cave Junction, or shall become Cave City. !ciespair-and finally to a
We do not, of course, have a vote in the frenzied
.natter, but if we did, we'd vote for the name,,, expended0''!"
Change. : healthful exercise and romp-
Cave City was the original name for the citv I lnK ,ind no ""ni outlet,
plat, and was changed to Cave Junction later, j Z'Si
apparently by mistake. ! animal, the typical chained
Furthermore, the word "junction" implies a d,,1!
certain sort of insignificance and happenstance in .n'er"
the name of a community. And Cave Junction, borhood.
as the ranidlv growing center of the rapidly Tno "'m.y dog house usual
growing Illinois valley, deserves the dignity of rP7,Mt "SrSS'ta
a more distinguished name. F-.A. temperature at night or the
designing programs for
and home loan pro
several occasions, re-
the voters seems to have
the benefits have been
its own way, not only
in occictinrr thmiemnria
i C, ...J.-iUU
utiuniv . v i-j 'I-. i loi u iu
of the job they have
City
"Isn't He The Fellow That'. Always
Complaining To The Club Committee?"
COMMUNICATIONS
Letters to the Editor must bear the rume and address of the writer,
although under certain circumstances the use of a pen name or initial
for publication is permissible. The Mail Tribune reserves the right to
edit all letters with a view to clarification and condensation. Letters
submitted tor publication must not exceed 400 words. The letters
printed in this column do not necessarily represent the views of the
paper; in fact the contrary is often the case.
Red Hat Days
To the Editor, and dear
readers: Again oh perish
forbid from October
through November, red hats,
purple adjectives and roaring
rifles burst forth and are
waved with enthusiastic vi
gor. Bless our menfolk our
larder-fillers who suffer
through these harrowing
days.
And upon me once more
fall tile ceaseless tasks of
preparation for the boys.
Small, unimportant ones,
true, like cleaning the house
trailer, roasting turkey and
amassing incidental necessi
ties; cookies, candy bars and
martini olives, etc.
I cherish these spurious,
rabid, red-hatted ruffians, be
lieve me. But there comes a
time there ALWAYS comes
a time when a point is
reached; an unsurmountable
peak of tension when I just
wish to heck they'd hurry up
and get out of here.
Hence the following if
you'll bear with me and the
only possible solution yet dis
covered which allows me full
vent to my emotions; the ex
punging of my unforgivable,
mean little frustration.
THE MENACE ON VENISON
I salute you modern pioneers
who face the wilderness un
known, To stalk the wily, mule-tail
deer,
Undaunted, strong, alone!
Your sinews flexing, staunch
and bold,
Checks chiseled with dispair,
Atop the frozen ridges cold,
In thermal treated under
wear! From dawn's first meagre
biting fangs,
You trek in hunter's bands,
'Til forced by gnawing hun
ger pangs,
To seek the nearest hot-dog
stands.
Persistent still to prove your
might,
Against all elements you
strive,
Push on red-blooded men and
fight.
From the cab of your four-wheel-drive!
Oh you who challenge na
ture's tide,
And woes, should you dis
please her.
Must stalwartly decide,
Which deer fits in YOUR
freezer!
Gig Farfan
723 South Newtown st.
Medford
Chained Dogs
To the Editor; Wherever
there are people, you will
find dogs, born with the urge
to run and leap and frolic,
who are srjpndinff their Hvps
Sat the end of six feet of
! chain.
Technically, of course, this
jg , compliance with the
"icash law
in our commu-
1 mty' whlch riKMfl,11-v decrcps
1 Hint ft rlnO mnv tint run at
that a dog may not run at
large. Morally, It Is a viola
tion of the basic law of hu
manity and compassion which
ought to apply in all our rela
tionships with sub humans.
You have seen many such
MEDFORD MAIL
merciless heat of the summer
sun. Flies torment the crea
ture. In rainy or stormy
weather the animal huddles
wretchedly In Its "shelter,"
often shivering with chill.
A chained animal cannot
be termed a "pet." It cannot
ever fulfill Its job as a watch
dog.
For a dog to meet Its end
under the wheels of a car is
a cruel fate, but to live at the
end of a chain is crueler by
far.
If you have a pet it de
serves the security of a
fenced yard, or daily exercise
at the end of a leash, and
human companionship. If you
cannot provide these, you
really don't need a dog.
Unfortunately, anyone can
own a dog. It requires a
larger sympathy, imagina
tion and sensitivity to own a
"pet."
Courtesy of your Humane
Society.
Verne E. Beebe, Pres.
2902 Table Rock rd.
Medford.
No Equality
To the Editor: In regard
to your editorial on emanci
pation. There can be no equal
rights and privileges for
Americans regardless of col
or of skin. There are plenty
of educational Institutions in
America that would be glad
to educate Negroes with
whites. Why force the color
Issue in states where it is
known there will be trouble?
There is plenty of trouble in
the world already.
There can be absolutely
no equality In education.
There is no equality from one
classroom to another. Right
in Medford many pupils are
being deprived of their right
and privilege of better edu
cation because they cannot
have the better teacher that
is in the next room. We can
not make things equal. We
don't want things or people
equal. We need some people
that excel. We don't want
them all cut off the same
length like sausages.
Equality Is a debunked
theory. There are no two
blades of grass alike. There
are no two pear trees alike.
No two animals alike and no
two people are alike. You
cannot find two people alike,
either In body or mind or
personality or morality. This
is an admitted fact. How then
can we expect to find two
teachers of , equal ability?
Hence, if my reasoning is cor
rect, if everyone were to
have equal opportunity in
education we could only have
one school (the best) and one
teacher (the best). That ev
ery person can expect to
have the same rights and
privileges as every other per-
i son is a false premise. You
better take a survey of your
reasoning, Mr. Editor.
The races of the world are
different. I do net hold that
they are better, one than the
other, but they are different.
I am not against Integration
if it Li voluntary. 1 do be
lieve It Is wrong if it is co
erced or compulsory. This
forceful integration of the
schools of America Is just
plain foolishness. It will set
tle no problems. It will stir
up hatreds and strifes that
will outlast the bitterness and
hntreds that is still evident
these many years after the
war between the states.
There is a way that secm
eth right unto a man, but
the ends thereof are the ways
of death.
Carroll Powell
Box 621
Central Point, Ore.
Worthy Cause
To the Editor: As a student
of Medford Senior High
school, I must come to Its defense.
TRIBUNE. MEDFORD. OREGON
Nkrumah's Decrees Limiting Freedoms
In Ghana,
By PHIL NEWSOM
UPI Foreign News Analyst
President Kwame Nkrumah
of Ghana has a number of
distinctions, including at least
one bestowed
upon himself.
It is the name
"Osagyefo" by
which he likes
to be known
and which
SblM
means "t h e
e d eemer."
But that there
are at least
Mewioni some who dis
agree with this benevolent ti
tle for the first Negro prime
Washington Report
By William
fc United fcatur Syndicate
WHAT QUID PRO QUO?
Washington Congress has
acted responsibly in the Cu
ban affair.
Thanks largely to a Repub
lican leader
s h 1 p unwill
ing to fish for
votes in these
darkly trou
bled waters,
Xjs? Congress has
massively pro
claimed b 1
partisan back
ing to the Pres-
trnit. ident in what
ever he may think need be
done - not excluding invasion
as a last resort - to prevent
the Soviet lodgment in Castro
Cuba from becoming a direct
military threat to this coun
try and hemisphere.
Two things of capital im
portance now remain to be
seen. How will President
Kennedy repay ' the self-restraint
of those Republican
leaders, Sen. Everett Dirksen
of Illinois and Rep. Charles
Halleck of Indiana, both of
whom are up for re-election
this fall? And what course
will the hulking and sinister
third force in this matter, the
Soviet Union, now take to
seek maximum embarrass
ment of the United States in
this, a Congressional election
year?
MANIFESTLY, whatever
course Nikita Khru
shchev may take will sweat
the Democrats politically
more than the Republicans,
since the Democrats bear the
onus for dealing with Castro
Cuba. This, however, Is rela
tively a trifling thing, assum
ing that most of us put coun
try well above party.
The real concern here
among the top people in both
parties is something else
altogether. It is the danger
that Khrushchev may over
estimate the significance in
foreign policy terms . of our
division on this question of
which party shall control
congress. If he does so over
estimate, he well may take
further provocative action in
Cuba on the assumption that
he can get away with it amid
our political distractions or
simply that he can create fur
ther confusion here.
It is likely that he does not
understand as many Ameri
cans in fact seem not to
understand the limited
In view of Mr. Gent's letter
which appeared in last Thurs
day's "Communications" col
umn, I only have to say that
this man did not read the
school paper issued his daugh
ter very carefully, or his
daughter misunderstood her
teacher.
The paper did not compell
his daughters to buy these
books, and certainly not at the
student store. He states, "Or
is it because someone Is being
able to make a 'middle-man
profit' on these books that
are required to be purchased
and read by the students?"
May 1 bring it to Mr. Gent's
attention that the school
makes no profit from this
book sale. The middle-man is
a student who will receive a
scholarship from the profits
made by the student store.
I did not like giving up
two dollars when I could have
gone bowling, shopping or any
number of things, but I did,
and when I bought them, I
got them at the student store,
because I eliminated the 'mid
dle-man' which In this case
was the downtown merchant.
This scholarship was a wor
thy cause, and I am glad to
have been part of it.
MHS Sophomore
iN'ame on file)
Medford
Don Quixote
To the Editor: I just re
ceived an anonymous phone
call chewing me out for dar
ing to criticize the city po
lice department.
O.K., so I am a rotten low-
life and a louse - but before
anyone else gets in attack of
high blood pressure let me
say that the chief of police
and I talked it or.
After all, we have known
each other most of our lives
and we were both raised
here, so he knows that my
criticism was for construc
tive purposes and he accept
ed it as such, so if there are
As Incidents More Frequent
minister of a British colony
and first president of the first
colonial territory in tropical
Africa to achieve independ
ence. This disagreement has
become increasingly evident
in recent days.
Over the week end in Ac
cra, Ghana's capital, Nkru
mah's government proclaim
ed a state of emergency which
just about ended what priva
cy Ghanaians had left in
Nkrumah's drive to establish
himself as an absolute ruler.
The proclamation permit
ting search of private homes
"in the public Interest," offi
cially was attributed to a
S. White
meaning as to foreign policy
of this or any other congres
sional election. Harry Tru
man undertook fateful deci
sions in American foreign
policy at a time when he had
an opposition congress, and
congress in these matters
never said him nay. Dwight
Eisenhower did, too,
KHRUSHCHEV cannot real
ly paralyze ou- foreign
policy by intervening. But the
vital thing is to try to make
him realize he cannot.
It is for this reason that the
nonpartisanship in this area of
the Republican congressional
leaders is so important. They
merit a generous reciprocity
from the President going far
beyond mere pedestrian poli
tical traditions.
Professionally partisan
Democrats may argue that the
Republicans could not have
done anything else. They
could however, have done
something else altogether;
they could have demanded
what many people not all
of them either fools or flag
wavers would really prefer:
A flat-out showdown right
now with Castro Cuba. Had
they demanded this, with the
President already committed
against a showdown now in
the light of his estimate of the
present state of our security,
they could have presented
him faint-hearted and un
sure. THE trouble is that the rest
of the world doesn't care
much about who is a Demo
crat and who a Republican,
and so the world would only
have seen this country itself
as faint-hearted and unsure.
This would have been the one
most reliable possible way to
embolden Khrushchev ' into
pushing us too far.
What, then specifically,
should the president's reci
procity to the Republican
leaders be? Though political
practice would hardly permit
him to endorse them, he
ought at minimum to put
nothing In the way of their
reelection. Neither personal
nor ordinary political consid
erations nor party labels are
really relevant here.
What Is relevant is not some
domestic welfare program but
rather the welfare of the
United States of America.
Strictly Personal
By Sydney
(O Field Enterprises, Inc.
REHABILITATION
One of the most heartening
stories I have read In months
was an item in Time Magazine
not long ago,
describing the
"work release
program" 1 n
North Caro
lina's prison
system.
More than
300 convicts
are taking
part in a reha-
Rarvia ouiiauon pian
"based on the idea that a
prisoner with a steady outside
job is of greater benefit to
himself and the state."
The men all Inmates with
sentences of five year or less
go to work each weekday
morning as barbers, mechan
ics, cooks, secretaries and
farmers. At night they go
"home"' and are locked in
their prison cells. The pay
they receive is divided among
the state, their families and
themselves.
In the five years since ii
began, the North Carolina
plan has proved extremely
successful: some of the men
have been hired after
parole; none has committed
a known crime while at
work; and the rate of escape
Is etartingly low.
This is the way a prison
system should be admin
istered is offer the men
hope and a Job opportunity,
and not merely punishment.
any more Don Quixotes let
me say that you will just be
beating a dead horse.
Leila A. Morrow
531 N. Bartlett St.
Medford
bomb explosion, of wnicn
there have been several in
recent weeks.
One blast outside the gates
of Nkrumah's official resi
dence killed a child.,
On Aug. 1, a bomb explod
ed close to Nkrumah's car
while he was traveling
through northern Ghana.
Last week, two oomo ex
plosions injured a number of
persons on the eve of Nkru
mah's 53rd birthday. As re
sult, birthday celebrations
were canceled.
Nkrumah is a man who
does not like to be criticized.
The record is filled with
deportation orders against his
opponents, ranging from op
position political leaders to
tribal chieftains.
Ghanaians may be impris
oned for periods up to five
years without trial if their
actions are considered prej
udicial to the defense of Gha
na, to relations with other
Matter of Fact By Joseph aisop
(c) New York Herald Tribune Syndicate
MEMO FOP,
OTTO PASSMAN
Washington A couple of
months earlier, that part of
the province of Vinh Binh, in
Soutn viet
Nam, could
not be safely
entered by
less than a
company o f
troops. Now
the wiry little
province chief
Maj. Thao,
had no more
tVlinp
than his two
regular bodyguards on
the
back seat of the jeep.
This part of Vinh Binh had
been liberated from the Com
munists, in the most literal
sense, by the new system of
"strategic hamlets," of which
Maj. Thao was a passionate
the Major chose to show, the
elders had been warned. The
hamlet militia - young men in
loose black peasant clothes,
two or three with ancient car
bines, the rest armed with Jun
gle knives-were drawn up in
else had also turned out to
greet the Major more inform
ally, for he was an old friend.
THE MILITIA captain proud
ly described the previous
night's patrol. For the first
time in weeks, two Commu
nist guerrillas had tried to
come in among the houses, to
extort money, to obtain In
telligence, and to levy the
Communist rice tax. The place
where they had attempted to
penetrate the hamlet's sur
rounding barricade was
shown. You could see where
they had begun to push aside
the rather flimsy, barrier,
mainly constructed of thorny
bamboo. Here the patrolling
militia . had caught them and
driven them away.
"That's the way it works,"
said Maj. Thao. "In the ham
lets, the people are protected
from the Communists, and the
Communists are barred off
from the people. Once that
happens over a considerable
area, the Communist guerril
las have to retreat from that
J. Harris
It is an accepted truism
among penologists that most
Jails deform men more than
they reform them.
There will always be a
hard core of criminals who
era intractable, who want
no other way of life, who
will go back to crime as
soon as released. But the
greater majority espec
ially of first offenders
have little choice when they
leave prison: penniless,
friendless, soured by con
finement, and embittered by
society's vast lack of inter
est in them.
Apart from the human
factor, putting a man in
prison is a vastly expensive
operation, if he is not equip
ped to hold down a Job
when he comet out. What
the nation's taxpayers are
assessed for our penological
system today Is largely a
waste of hundreds of mil
lions of dollars.
There are as many differ
ent kinds of "criminals as
there are different kinds of
people. This is a truth the
average citizen does not want
to face. But it is our job to
help, and not just punish, those
who are helpable; to give
them the chance few of them
had; and to prevent their fur
ther corruption in prison so
ciety. It is to our advantage as
much as to theirs.
More than 40 years ago,
Bernard remarked that "Im
prisonment, as it exists today
is a worse crime than any of
those committed by its vic
tims." His remark remains
substantially accurate today,
except for such cases of in
telligent reappraisal as the
North Carolina system.
m
countries or to Ghana's se
curity. Nkrumah spent 10 lean
years in the United States
from 1935 to 1945, during
which he sold fish in Harlem,
slept on Philadelphia park
benches, but at the same time
managed to get himself a
master's degree at the Uni
versity of Pennsylvania.
Back at home on the Afri
can Gold Coast he went to
jail for stirring up independ
ence riots, but stepped out
of jail to become prime min
ister. .
He has declared himself a
Marxist - Socialist but has
warned against bracketing
anti - colonialism with com
munism. He virtually has eliminated
political opposition by setting
up one-party rule in a unique
example of at least one form
of African democracy. Mean
while, the bombs seem to be
giving him an increasing
fondness for the indoors.
area. But everything is lack
ing everything from car
bines for the hamlet militia
to wood for the schoolhouses
we need to build in each ham
let. Otherwise we could do so
much more."
"We sure could," said Capt,
Savage, the remarkable young
American officer who had
been working and fighting
alongside of Maj. Thao for
four months. "You wouldn't
think that thing (pointing to
the frail barricade) could
work wonders. But it does
work wonders; I know, be
cause I've seen it. We've taken
one-third of the province from
the Communists in the last
four months."
SUCH was the news from
Vinh Binh a few months
ago, and very encouraging
news it was. There is even bet
ter news today, which comes
irom riuius minis, a man
who has credentials that com
mand attention. Back in 1954,
the late President Magsaysay's
American friend and close ad
viser, Col. Edward Lansdale,
was transferred from Manila
to Saigon, to join the anti
Communist struggle in Viet
Nam. Lansdale, who is one of
the unsung heroes of the cold
war, then called on a number
of young combat - veterans
from Korea to join him. Rufus
Phillips was one of Larisdale's
young recruits, who went out
into the villages for months at
a time. So he knows Viet Nam
well.
On behalf of the Foreien
Aid Administration, Phillips
has just returned to Viet Nam
for a two-month, on-the-spot
study of the way the new
system of strategic hamlets
has been working. In Vinh
Binh, he found that the third
of the province liberated from
the Communists had grown to
90 per cent of the province.
Every productive area in Vinh
Binh is now denied to them:
and the remaining Communist
units are hungrily confined to
the grim, rice-less mangrova
swamps which form one cor
ner of the province.
When every province is
like that," says Phillips, "the
war in South Vietnam will be
about won. And every prov
ince can be like that, if we lust
try hard enough."
rOR THAT precise reason,
A Phillips has reluctantly
agreed to abandon an extreme
ly prosperous family business;
and to go out to Saigon with
his wife and children; and to
take charge of our foreign aid
mission's support for the Viet
namese in the strategic ham
lets. Of the foreign aid money
allocated to South Viet Nam,
Phillips has been promised
$40,000,000 for his work or
about one-twelfth of the total
amount the U.S. is now an
nually spending on the war
there. In this war, one must
also remember, American
soldiers are daily in active
combat. And if Phillips' pro
gram works, this war may pos
sibly come to an end.
Maybe Rep. Otto Passman
and the other members of tho
House, who have attacked the
foreign aid program with a
hatchet, ought to have remem
bered those Americans risking
their lives for their country
in South Viet Nam. Maybe
they ought to have found out a
bit more about a few projects
me me strategic hamlet pro-
gram
Maybe they oueht to have
talked to people like Rufus
Phillips. Maybe they might
even have considered the
point that the larger share of
foreign aid now goes to Asia,
where the cold war, at the mo
ment, is In a state of knife
edge balance.
The foreign aid program ha.
Its tauits, to be sure, and some
j of these are very great faults
But Passman s blind, angry
use of the hatchet on an essen
tial tool of the cold war is not
just a fault. There are less
palatable words for this kind
of thing, which must please
Nikita S. Khrushchev even
more than it pleases Rep.
Charles Halleck.