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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 14, 1962)
Sports RIBUNE eports from the Middle East Features SUCTION B MEUFOliU. OKEGON, SUNDAY, OCTOBEIl 14, l!)(i2 PAGES 1 to 8 i Correspond ence from Dr. Alvin Roberts Family in Hamadan, Iran Hamadan. Iran. ScdI. 4. 19B2: ' . , ... "Yon mnv havn nnfiH hxr tl. .u nit wens uicuid llldl Wtf had an earth tremor here about three nights ago. It was so mild compared to the one that I experienced in Japan in the fall of 1946 that we just shrugged it off. "Now the news is beginning to seep through that it is the worst in the history of Iran . . . Communciations get pretty viscous out here. All this death and destruc tion was just about next door, and we get the word in three days. "We here in Hamadan were surprised to learn from the Tehran papers that Hamadan was a disaster area. One of our friends heard in a tea shop in Resin, up by the Caspian, that 'Hamadan was wiped off the map'." 260 Miles From Tehran Hamadan is about 260 miles in a southwesterly direction from Tehran. It is a city of about 410.00(1 people in an area of Iran where, mountains range up ward to 11,000 feet high. It is the home of Dr. and Mrs. Alvin Roberts and family of Central Point for a year, while Dr. Roberts serves as a medical missionary in Hamadan hospital under the auspices of the First. Presbyterian church of Medford. In letters from members of the Roberts family, such as the one above, the part the U.S. Army plavcd follow ing the earthquake is praised. Mrs. Roberts, in a later letter, wrote: Tremors Since Earthquake "We have had some tremors since the earthquake. Lawrence (the Roberts' son) went with a carload from the mission and hospital yesterday to take some med icine to earthquake victims. They brought half of it home. 'There was nobody sick,' they were told. "They drove 10 miles back to a village. Heard about one village where only eight were killed. The reason was a tractor had been driven into town about 10 p.m., and people were all out admiring it when the quake came "I am very proud of the U.S.A. which flew doctors, nurses, mobile hospital, and helicopters in from Ger many. They and the Iranians themselves have done a tremendous job." The family has settled down for the year, and Dr Roberts wrote that "we will be relatively happy' here for the year." He said they have been accepted by the community and the governor is friendly. Trial Hanging on Wall "One of my trials," he wrote, "is a nice big framed picture of Lake Louise in the room I use in the clinic. Really, it is nice to know there are places with greeri grass and visible water." Dr. Roberts said "It is not a satisfying situation to practice in." This is because of the culture and mores which he said makes it hard for both the missionary doctors and the Iranians. The practice is much different from the practice carried on by physicians in this coun try, and seldom is there an illness which is not complicat ed in some way, he said. Of medical agents, Dr. Roberts wrote: "There are people who act as agents for sick people and go about and get bids on the treatment. They will go " um-iui mo say. i nave a panent who needs an operation: for how much will you do if." and then take the lowest bidder and charge the patient a much higher fee and pocket the 'commission.' Without Consicience "These people meet the busses and get a hold of the villagers coming to town for their illnesses. It is a vicious system as these individuals are totally without conscience. There is no organized medicine in Iran. "We remain aloof from this dirty business, but are now and then reminded by patients who have been vic tims that it exists. "I was interrupted at this point, and have just fin ished operating on the patient whose plight provoked , , 4'7n llv fa') V Ml Shown in Egypt en route to Hamadan is the Dr. Alvin Roberts family on camels. Left to right, they are Mrs. Roberts, Dr. Roberts, Phyllis, Judy and Lawrence. . the above outburst. He was taken away from the hos pital this noon because we wouldn't bargin with his 'manager, lonight he was brought back by concerned relatives. He had been very ill since yesterday." The operation took three hours, Dr. Roberts wrote, and was completed at midnight. Work Is Never-Ending In a letter dated Sept. 15. Dr. Roberts said: "Our work goes on and and on and is never-ending. We could do mure and more if the human stamina was up to it. The surgery I'm doing is real stimulating." But it has not been all work. A bus trip from Ham adan to Tehran is described, as is their stay in Tehran where they visited their daughter, Judy, who is attend ing school there. A ride in one of the Tehran taxis. Dr. Roberts wrote, "is a very impressive experience. This bluffing at high speed is done with a nonchalance which rather unnerves me. Last night, on one occasion, we came so close that even the drivers got upset. I suppose the average trip across Tehran may give you 25 to 30 breath takers." Attend Softball Gam They attended a softball gamp with their daughter (the Americans in Tehran have a league), and "there is a supermarket in Tehran which looks absolutely fabu lous . . . all the USA goods. It is about the size of Fabcr's (not including lockers or produce)." Faber's is a Central Point market. Lawrence tells of a trip downtown with his father: "Again, at the expense of our lives, we rode a taxi down . . . After a little walking around trying to keep out of peoples way, look inconsipicuous, keep hold of our belongings (cameras), keep from falling in any wells, holes, sewers, jubes. etc., and trying to casually snap a few pictures in between dodging people and swatting the bugs, we gave up, walked up to the big circle in the middle of town, and sat. There we only had to worry ibout the people and flies." Dr. and Mrs. Roberts wrote about going to morning devotions, church, shopping for rugs, the food situation, going to Persian church, and visiting the home of the Roberts' laundry lady, who gave birth to twin daughters. At Work A Week Later Mrs. Roberts writes, of the birth, "she was back at at work yesterday washed and Ironed! (one week after giving birth to twins.) She didn't want the babies be cause she couldn't feed them," Mrs. Roberts wrote. UN1CEF milk was obtained, the mission gave her husband a job, and baby clothes were obtained for gifts. "The things had been made by ladies missionary so cieties at home. I was thrilled to be on the giving end of the things. "The visit was interesting. Their house is two roomi built against the mud wall. One room has beautiful Persian rugs on the cement floor. No furniture, but the rugs are nice to sit and sleep on. . . . She had the babies wrapped tightly, with their arms fastened down inside the wrappings. They were bound by wide bands like a papoose, only no board. 1 wondered how often she undid it all and changed them." About Earthquake Relief About Arab Dissensions By JOSEPH MAZANDI United Press International Tehran, Iran IUPII The earthquake relief work of the United States and other for eign nations, which saved thousands of lives after the Sept. 1 quake, will face an other crucial test this month. Rehabilitation and aid teams are racing to beat the start of Iran's bitter mountain winter in their efforts to get all of the 100.000 homeless survivors under adequate shelter. If they do not, more deaths may be added to the 12.000 toll of the quake it self. Dr Hosscin Khatibi, direc tor of the Red Lion and Sun society (Iran's Red Cross) called the American contribu tion thus far "enormous" and expressed confidence the win ter deadline would be met. Promise Government Aid The Shah of Iran, who toured the hardest-hit villages on foot shortly after the dis aster, has promised that the 186 villages completely de stroyed and the 114 seriously damaged would be rebuilt at government expense. But before this project can be carried nut, temporary shelter must be erected quickly. Khatibi said 1.200 prefab ricated homes are on Ihc way from Britain and 8.000 win terized tcnls are expected from tile United States. He said the tents would be warmer and belter housing than the villagers had had before the disaster. The canvas peaks of U.S. Army tents began appear ing among the rubble of Iranian villages within days after the earthquake hit. U.S. Air Force warehouse men were loading the first of 1.000 lents, 10.000 blan kets, and tons of medicines into transport planes a few hours after the news of the disaster reached U.S. bases in Europe. The most spectacular pari of the American relief effort was the airlifting of a complete army mobile hospital from Hamstein Air Force base, Germany, to Ghazvin. the aid center 80 miles west of Tehran. The hospital had 100 beds and its staff included 18 doctors. 22 nurses and 135 medical aid men, It treated far more patients than its bed capacity might indicate. In its three weeks in Ghazvin. it had 177 in patients and 340 outpati ents. U.S. Army helicopters, also airlifted from Europe, flew out to remote villages from Ghazvin, carrying re lief supplies on the trip out and bringing back pa tients. - The hospital was well equipped to handle disas ter victims because it is v in' s, '' LP t . .'- v J Ida Amami, the first infant born in the U. S Army's eighth evacuation hospital at Ohazuin. Iran, is fed hy Sgt. Donald Webb of Cinnnnriti. Ohio. Id-i s mother was badly burnrd in the disastrous earthquake Dial -hook p;irts l Iran Srpl.'t Ida was named af:cr the ende word for Iran Disaster Asms '.ante. fl'Pl) geared to wartime condi tions. But an Iranian nam-' ' ed Ida presented it with ; unforeseen problems. Ida was the first baby born in the hospital. Her mother had been seriously injured and taken there. Ida is not the baby's Iranian name but her hospital nick name. It stands for Iran Disaster Assistance, the tills of the operation. How to car for th baby became the special task of medical corpsman Sgt. Don ald L. Webb of Cincinnati. Ohio. He used a surgical instrument case as a bas sinet. Baby clothes wore fashioned out of ih cotton material used under plaster casts, nipples out of rubber glove fingers and diapers out of gauze. When th hospital's sec ond and third babies were born. Webb and his tallow corpsmen wer old hands in the nursery department. The helicopters shuttled be tween the hospital and moun tain villages so isolated that mule pack trains had . been . their only contact with the outside world. In one village. Milak Sufla. the villagers were so grateful that they sacrificed a goal near the helicopter in honor of its visit. The crewmen gra ciously declined the meat, telling the villagers they needed it more. Captains Louis L. Miz.rll, New Castle, Colo., and Alls tnir A. Calhoun, Philadel phia, and SP4 John M. Bar ber, Laurinbcrg, N C, were the crew that flew to Milak Sufla. Preventive Medicine Team The hospital is gone now. its work finished, hut an Army preventive medicine team has stayed. It has been working around the clock, trying to restore sanitary con ditions, selling up clean and safe water supplies, advising villagers on spraying against insects, and seeing to the burial of dead animals. Now the priority project is shelter, temporary and per manent. The new homes promised by the Shah will transform the disaster area into model villages, with modern construction and sani tary fanlilirs most nf the homeless had not had before the quake. In addition, the United States, Sweden and Norway each have offered to build one entire village. The Unit ed .Nations will aid in nlhrr construction through Its re lief learns here. Money and material from nearly 30 nations, mean while, is helping in the drive to art temporary winter shel ter for the homeless. By K. C. THALER United Press International London - WW - The.Mid dle East is in ferment again, with Russia standing at the ready to exploit its ten sions if it can. Dissensions among Arab rulers arc ages old, but re cent events have revealed new ones, deeper, and more hitler than, ever. Arab unity, so long a slogan and a goal, has been ' taking n battering. Suspicion, fear, greed and rivalry for the leader ship of the Middle East are the key factors behind the Arab world's troubles, now bubbling at high heat Hfter a period of relative sta bility. Items: YEMEN: The September revolt in Yemen and the overthrow of the lmamate was but a symptom of the wind of change that blows through Ihe Middle East even as it docs through black Africa. The force of this wind has been reflected in a variety nf ways other lhan the Yemen uprising. ARAB LEAGUE: Only a few weeks ago inner-Arab quarrels almost hroke up the 17-year-old Arab League. Ihe align ment designed to be both Ihe Instrument and the svm- bnl of Arab unity. Sharp differences have left league weakened to point of insignificance. SAUDI ARABIA: ., .'r"a. r'! r i: w:MRfltAQ. IRAN rATr.ty . SAUDI J V?l ARAe,A J J SUDAN, fn rtstt MiaMfMt.Mfc. Mats World attention was again thrust on the Middle East, one of the world's most troubled areas, by the September revolt against Imamte of Yemen. Rivalries among Egypt. Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, Syria, Jordan. Lebanon and Israel are presently being intensified by Soviet arms offers to Egypt, Iraq and Syria. (UPI) the the The coup in Yemen sent jitters through its neigh bor Saudi Arabia whose feudal system is under the fierce protection of King Saud in ihe face of growing revolutionary pressures from the outside, especially from Cairo. EGYPT: The present unease in the. Mideast goes farther hack, to the breakup of tiie Egypt-Svna union a year ago which destroyed at least temporarily the hopes of United Arab Republic President Gamal A b d e I N,wor to unite the Arab nations. This was followed by the dissolution of the merger between Egypt and Yemen where some observ ers now see Nasser's influ ence slirring again. Nasser himself appears to be ex perimenting with vocialism, bul it is a hrand of social ism not particularly rei og ni.ahle to western eves. JORDAN: Last month, Saudi Arabia and Jordan joined In an open anti-Nasser front by forming a unified military command anil a political and economic partnership. SYRIA: S i n c e her breakaway from Egypt, Syriu has been flirting wllh Iraq and Kas sem, President Nasser's lop Mideast rival. There has been speculation about the creation of a "Fertile Cres cent," a long-standing dream for close association of Sy.'ia, Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon. This would be a direct affront lo, and de feat for, Nasser. IRAQ, ETC. There are other troubles. Iraq is casting coveting eyes on Kuwait an'! its oil. ( fanning Kuwait really is i!s terri!oiy. Nasser and King Saud of Saudi Arabia have been exchanging bit ter charges thai each is plotting to assassinate the other. King Hussein of Jor dan also charges Egypt is plotting his death. Iraq's.. Ka.ssern fears both Nasser and the Kurds of Ihe north who refuse to accept his leadership and arc ill con stant rebellion. THE KREMLIN: In the middle of it .all n fresh influx of Soviet arms - jet planes and mis siles - has revived Ihc arms race in the Middle East. Nasser has been accepting Soviet aid on a consider able scale. An Iraq mission is currently negotiating in Moscow for more up-to-date weapons. Syria is in these negotiations, too. The new Russian arms reaching . th Mideast . in duced the United States to try and redress a threaten ing imbalance of military strength by promising mis siles to Israel. It is Israel that is the one unifying force among the Arabs. They all hate and fear the Jewish state and have vowed its destruc tion. It is about Ihe only common bond the Arabs have, apart from the Islam ic religion. Divide Arab Nations Selfishness, suspicion, re sistance to change and pow er ambitions are what main ly divide the Arab nations and their leaders. Nasser and Kassem, as has been noted, both aspire lo a broad leadership of the en tire area. Egypt Is population-choked and poor. Kas scm wants lo retain the oil and power he now has and extend it, his immediate target being Kuwait. King Saud has his great nil wealth and a completely subject kingdom and wants lo keep things that way. Jordan, squeezed between more powerful neighbors, feels herself In deadly peril from both Israel and Egypt. Most of the Arab world is non-aligned either with East or West. Most pro western arc Lebanon, Jor dan and Saudi Arabia and they do without Soviet aid. Egypt, Yemen, Iraq and Syria, while non-aligned, accept and have sought So viet help, both economic and military. Communism in seeking a political foothold in the Mideast faces a powerful deterrent in the antl-Com-nist Islamic religion. It is the same religion that also defeats efforts to western ize Arabia. Soviet and American missions In Arab countries have made little Impact on them. The problems that keep the Middle East in an up roar are mainly home made - but nevertheless theaten ing lo the general peace because of Soviet trouble-making.
