Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989, October 18, 1962, Image 4

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    THURSDAY.
"Everyone in Southern Oregon
RedsTheMall Tribune''
tibried Daily except Saturday by
MEDFORD PRINTING CO
33 North Firjt.. Ph.J72-6lU
ROBERT W. RUHL, Editor
HERB GREY Advertlting Manauer
GERALD T LATHAM. Bui. Mgr.
RJC I W ALLEN JR. Mm. Editor
EARL H ADAMS. City Editor
HARRY CHIPMAN, Teleg Editor
SicHARD JEWETT Sport. Ed tor
OLIVE STARCHER Women'e Editor
DALE ERICKSON, ClrculaUon Mgr
An Independent Newspaper
Entered ai second class matter at
Medford. Oregon, under Act or
March 3. I8S7
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Official" Paper of" CUT of Medford
Official Paper of Jackson County
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Full Leased Wire
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Righto' Time
Medlo.d and Jackson County
History from the files of The
Mail Tribun. 10, 20, 30, 0
ind 50 years 9-
10 YEARS AGO
... in 19S2 (Saturday)
t' dnf machines have
been confiscated by sheriffs
deputies In midnight raids on
two Jackson county night
C' Polio cases No. 24 and 25 in
1052 for Jackson county have
been diagnosed.
20 YEARS AGO
Ocf. 18. 1942 (Sunday)
All Jackson county farm
ers required to register trucks
at county courthouse in order
to obtain a certificate of war
necessity for gasoline and
tires.
From Arthur Perry s Ye
Smudnc Pot" column: 'Hunt
ers are reported shooting
willy-nilly in the rural areas.
As yet, no farm wife lias had
a mop shot out of her hands
In a mistake for a pheasant."
30 YEARS AGO
Oct. 18. 1932 (Tuesday)
Total of 100 handicapped
children aided at largest clin
ic ever held in Jackson coun
ty. Ma. Francis Yeats-Brown,
"former British army officer,
author, secret service oper
ator and adventurer," to
speak in Medford on "Yoga,
The Indian Path to Bliss."
40 YEARS AGO
Oct. 18, 1922 (Wednesday)
Jackson county grand jury
tarts investigation of 1022
primary and recall elections
In session at county court
house in Jacksonville.
Medford members of Amer
ican Legion auxiliary start
campaign to "fill cookie Jars"
for ex-scrviccnion of Oregon.
SO YEARS AGO
Oct. 18, 1912 (Friday)
Contests, Involving water
properties on the upper
Rogue river valued at more
than $1,00(1, filed with water
district officials.
What's Your I.Q.?
Nine or ten correct it superior;
seven er eight is excellent; five or
six is food.
1. Correct the following:
"The company has agreed to
grant their employees a wage
inrrease."
2. What part of a sentence
normally receives the action
of the verb?
3. Would you guess that the
foreign claims against the
U.S. gold reserves amount to
one quarter, one half, or all
of the reserve?
4. What State has both a
Congressman and a Senator
(no relation) by the name of
Magnuson?
5. Bills pending before the
Congress when It adjourned
this session will be called up
for a vote by the new Con
gress: true or false?
6. Twilight occurs when
the sun is above, or below,
the horizon?
7. The Guy Fawkcs
KUn'
powder plol was directed
against what governmental
body?
B. Who wrote the novel,
"The Robe"?
9. The Continental Divide
runs generally along which
mountain range?
10. Which two officers were
held In common by Martin
Van Biiren. Grover Cleve
land, Theodore and F. D.
Roosevelt?
Answers; 1. " . . . company
... its employees . , ." 2, Ob
ject. 3. All of it. 4. Washing
Ion. 5. False 8. Below. 7, Bri
tish Parliament, 8. Lloyd C.
Douglas. 9. Rocky Mountains.
10. Governor of New York
and President.
4 A
OCTOBER IB. 1962
Housekeeping Measures
The first four measures to appear on the Nov.
6 election ballot this year are "housekeeping"
measures, designed either to (1) modernize the
Constitution and eliminate outmoded sections, or
(2) to rewrite and stabilize the formula for state
bonded indebtedness.
There is no known opposition to any of them.
No. 1 is "Reorganize State Militia Purpose:
To amend Constitution by authorizing legislature
to reorganize state militia. Eliminates election of
certain officers. Empowers Governor and Adju
tant General to appoint all officers."
IN 1857, when the Constitution was written, con
ditions were far different than they are today.
The entire able-bodied male citizenry comprised
the militia. It was purely a state force. In those
easy-going days when the art of war was based
on horses, swords and muzzle - loading rifles,
it was appropriate that field-grade officers be
, i. 1 1- ' .
cnosen Dy ineir own men. military quaiuicauuns
i m i i i. i i i.i. - -if
Donea aown to leaaersmp quaiuicauuns.
Today it is different. The National Guard is
the militia today, and it is a combined state-federal
force, with professional requirements for
officers.
The legislature can be trusted to reorganize
the Guard as necessary, just as it can be to reor
ganize other branches of the government. We rec
ommend a "yes" vote on No. 1.
NOS. 2, 3 and 4 all have the same purpose, to
base the limitation on state bonded indebted-
. I. - i. 1. 1 . a
ness on a percentage or me true i-asn vaiue ui
property in the state, instead of on assessed valu
ation. No. 2 would change the limitation on forest
rehabilitation bonds from of 1 Pe'' cent of as
sessed valuation to 316 of 1 per cent of tine cash
value. No. 3 would change the road debt limita
tion from 4 per cent of assesssed valuation to 1
per cent of true cash value. And No. 4 would
change the limitation of
6 per cent of assessed valuation to 1 ' per cent
of true cash value.
These changes would not change the actual
dollar-value of the debt limitation. To the con
trary, it would stabilize it, for at present the
legislature can, if it wishes, change the ratio of
assessed value to true cash value, thus in effect
changing the debt limit. This could not be done
under the proposed change.
We recommend a "yes" vote on Nos. 2, 3, and
4. E. A
Sensible Measure
After the 1900 federal census, Clackamas
county found itself with
judges it did not need, did not want, and could
ill afford.
Why? Because the state Constitution forbids
the writing of "special" laws concerning the ad
ministration of justice. In other words, it has to
write general laws, differentiating between coun
ties only on a population basis. V hen Clackamas
passed a certain population mark, it got two new
judgeships, willy nilly.
Measure No. 5 on the Nov. b election ballot
would change this by making it possible for the
legislature to write laws concerning the courts for
particular counties, suiting the action to the need.
TTIIE PROPOSAL has been recommended by
the Oregon State Bar, and passed the legisla
ture by a combined vote of 74 to 1.
It appears to be non-controversial, with little
if any opposition, and could be classed as a
"housekeeping" measure, except it does make a
substantive change in the Constitution.
But it is realistic and sensible, and would
make unnecessary either a decennial review of
counties' population and resulting legislative
needs, and would prevent any future situations
such as that faced by Clackamas county, which
has two more judgeships than it needs or wants.
E. A.
DST vs. Confusion Time
Measure No. 6 on the general election ballot
is the controversial Daylight Time measure.
If it passes, all of Oregon in the Pacific time
zone would go on Daylight Saving time in the
summer months, along with Washington and
California.
If it does not, the present law will remain in
effect (unless the 1JH53 legislature changes it),
whereby five northern Oregon counties will go on
DST time legally, and a variety of other times
will be observed "voluntarily" throughout the
state.
CO IT'S as simple as this:
If you like Daylight tim
dislike time confusion,
'r.it'iut ut'it.m u ilkin fWnrrnn itonlf i'rti "i-ne "
vvc.-i..nn.owi i, iiiiiii v'nu 11 ii. -ill, vn: i L.-.
If you dislike Daylight time more than you
dislike time confusion, vote "no,"
As for us, we dislike time confusion, and don't
particularly object to Daylight time. We shall
vote "yes.' E. A.
The most unusual issue of a daily newspaper
published in Oregon in recent years was the Daily
Astorian on Oct. 12, the day of the big wind. The
newspaper, entirely without electricity, could not
operate its Linotypes nor presses, so it borrowed
Mimeograph machines, and with the aid of can
dles and coffee, published a two-page, single
sheet newspaper. "It wasn't much of a news
paper," the Astorian admitted the following day.
Hut it was better than nothing. K.A.
ff:i;i i.t:
power development from
two additional circuit
line vote ves. If vou
either between Pacific
MEDFORD
Preoccupation Force
Matter of Fact ey
c New York Herald
THE COMER
Dubois, Pa. In this big
state, the Democrats think
they have an even chance to
win the (jov-
ernorship and
feel pretty
sure about re
electing a Sen
ator. The Re
publicans think the Gov
ernorship i s
pretty much
theirs a 1-
Aiiop ready, ana
they even hope that Rep.
James Van Zandt will beat
the veteran Democrat, Sen.
Joseph Clark.
Going for the Democrats is
the fact that they have a re
markable Gubernatorial can
didate and a brilliant cam
paigner in Richardson Dil
worth, the Mayor who all but
rebuilt Philadelphia. Going
for the Republicans is the fact
that they also have a remark
able Gubernatorial candidate
in Rep. William W. Scranton,
of Scranton, Pa.
The private polls taken by
both parties reportedly sus
tain the self-confident Repub
lican analysis of the situation
here. The polls can well be
wrong, however, for Mayor
Dilworth's campaign has only
just entered the hard-hitting
phase; and there are other im
ponderables, such as the hard-lo-calculate
effect of Presi
dent Kennedy's Pennsylvan
ian stumping.
MEANWHILE, one predic
tion can already be made
with fair certainty. If Scran
ton Justifies the pollsters by
winning the Governorship of
Pennsylvania, a major new
figure will have appeared on
the national scene. This, in it
self, will be something of an
innovation, for although al
most all Pennsylvania Gov
ernors have been Republicans
until eight years ago, just
about all the Republican Gov-
ernors of Pennsylvania have
been bumbling nonentities
or worse.
Here in Dubois, it must lie
added, Scranton's chances
look pretty good. He came to
this pleasant smalt city at the
end of a long, hard, tireless
day of speaking and hand
shaking he and his wife
are champion hand-shakers
through Pennsylvania's de
pressed strip-mining region.
He found a record turn out
at a dinner meeting at the big,
handsome Lithuanian Club.
He rose, at the end of a rec
ord number of other Repub
lican speakers, when the last
mound of ice cream had
melted into a puddle; and he
won an ovation by lambasting
the Democrats.
The peoplel
here think he will get a roc-
ord vote in this part of
Pennsylvania.
BUT THE voting is in the
future. What is interesting
about Scranton now is the
fact that there is clearly more
to hint than meets the eye. He
is a quiet-spoken, youngish
man with an unassuming, al
most gentle manner, although
some of the things he has
been saying about the opposi
tion have been far from gen
tle. At first glance, despite his
perfect willingness to trade
invective with Ilihvoiih. you
might almost rail him nious.-y.
Yet the kind of things that
happen to Scranton do not
happen to men who are really
mousey. In Pennsylvania, the
whole Republican organiza
tion Is continuously riven
with discord; but Scranton
first ran for Congress by ur
gent request of all the Re
publican leaders In his dis- !
triet. This year, the row over
the Gubernatorial nomination
looked like crippling the
party for this election: but the
row ended with Scranton's be-1
in K urged or approved by j
every county chairman in the
state. I
Scranton sas he wanted;
neither nomination. Yet he;
got both, and in 'trctim
stances most politician.' are!
-f '
1
MAIL TRIBUNE, MEDFORD. OREGON
Joseph Alsop
Tribune Syndicate
only able to dream about. Was
there, perhaps, some long
headed calculation to contrib
ute to this unusual result?
You do not think so when
you first talk to Seanton
but then, after a while, you
are not so sure. You are sure,
too, that if he wins the Penn
sylvania Governorship, he is
going to surprise his fellow
Republicans, who now expect
him to tend strictly to his
Pennsylvania knitting, with
out seeking to become a fac
tor on the national scene.
AS GOVERNOR of this big
state, he will be a poten
tial major factor in the Re
publican party, and it is a
10-to-l bet that he will exploit
the potentialities to the ut
most. Hence, if elected, he
will first of all greatly
strengthen the group of pro
gressive Republicans of the
type of Gov. Nelson Rockefel
ler of New York, whom he
much admires.
By the same token, Scran
ton's election will be bad
news for former Vice-President
Richard M. Nixon. It
will mean a formidable new
opponent for the Republican
faction headed By Sen. Barrv
Goldwater. It may not be par
ticularly good news for
George Romney of Michigan,
since Scranton believes the
Republican future depends on
hard work to renovate the
whole party, rather than the
kind of personal leadership
Romney offers.
In fact, if Scranton wins
here, and if something hap
pens to block Nelson Rocke
feller's far-advanced bid for
the Republican nomination in
1964, it will be lime to think
of this newcomer on the na
tional scene as a major Presi
dential possibility. One way
or another, he may have a
long road to travel before the
return to Scranton, Pa., which
he is always talking about.
In the Day's News
By FRANK JENKINS
Aftermath of the Big
Storm:
The district director of the
Internal Revenue Service (ells
an audience in Portland that
there is one good thing about
it:
The losses are DEDUCT
IBLE! A NOTHER interesting
side
light
Crown-Zcllerbach Company
reports that the thousand-years-old,
15' i - fcet-in - diam
eler Douglas Fir tree on its
Clatson tree farm camp
through the hie blow totallv
unharmed.
It stood up to Hie storm,
look the worst it had to olfer
and came through undaunted.
That s the old Oregon spirit.
'IM1E NAT
lion Association is conven
ing in Portland for its 31st
convention. This is the theme
for the session:
Uniting the West for Rec
lamation. A,
THOUGHT for Oregon's
row counties at the com
ing election, at which an in
ilialive measure to relain at
least some measure of ARE
REPRESENTATION iu the
legislature will he voted on:
If it hadn't been for the
Senate, in which each state
has TWO SENATORS, regard
less of population, there
wouldn't be much reclamation
for the West to unite on
or much We.-t. either, for that
matter.
It has been the Senate in
which the smallest Western
stale has had equal represen
tation with the bigicst East-!
ern state --that has made the
growth of the West possible
So
Lei's stand up for area rep- j
resentation in Oregon. j
I1ROGRFSS
nnlp in the
news:
Postmaster General Edward
Question
Political Issue Among West Germans
n PHIL NEWSOM
UPI Foreign News Analytt
Ideally, if the problem of a
divided Germany were to be
solved, it would be solved by
me uemiHns
s . Without
a divided Ger
many, there
would be no
divided B e r
lin, and, with
out either,
there also
would be re
moved the
Newsom
greatest single source of the
recurring crises which threat
en to engulf the world in
World War III.
But, since world condi
tions make such a happy solu
t i o n presently impossible,
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 initial
for publication is permissible. The Mail Tribune reserves the right to
edit all letters with a view to clarification and condensation. Letters
submitted for publication must not exceed 400 words. The letters
printed In this column do not necessarily represent the views of the
oaper; In fact the contrary is often the case.
Why Not?
To the Editor: Why don't
we dump some water in the
fluoride and let the dentists
go fishing?
Everett Acklin
Ashland, Ore.
Vice President
To the Editor: Vice Presi
dent Lyndon B. Johnson will
visit Oregon on Friday, Oct.
19, making his sole appear
ance in the state at Medford
on Friday evening.
To my knowledge, this is
the only visit in history made
to this county by a vice presi
dent in office.
Lyndon B. Johnson, a 'or
mer Senator from Texas and
majority leader of the Senate
in the 84th, 85th and 86th
Congress, is recognized by
both political parties for nis
legislative skill and leader
ship. I urge you to take advan
tage of this unusual opportu
nity to see and hear Vice
President Johnson when he
speaks at Hedrick Junior High
school this Friday, Oct. 19 at
8 p.m. There will be no ad
mission charge to the public,
Marjory E. Madden
1317 Springbrook rd.
Medford.
God Did It
To the Editor: Each state
should have some right, not
one man to see that a law is
passed, affecting all states.
And more people should
study the Bible. It was our
Creator who started this seg
regation. This segregation worked
good for several thousand
years, why should we he the
ones to bust it up without a
voice in voting for it or not
VV. O. Burns
P. O. Box 444
Central point, Ore.
For Repeal
To the Editor: The right to
vote is a precious thing. I am
a voter in Oregon who carried
a petition to repeal the School
District Reorganization Law.
I believe the law should be
repealed because it contains
power to consolidate districts
without a vote of the people.
I have copies of the law and
I have studied it carefully
and I know that it is possible
to unite Medford and Phoenix
or Butte Falls and Eagle Point
or any other adjoining dis
tricts without the vote of the
people.
It is true that the people
have a right to petition to
vote. But that is not enough.
People should not vote away
their right to vote. I do not
believe the Rural School
Board after obtaining the ap
proval of the State Board of
Education should be able to
consolidate districts with only
i a public hearing involved,
i After all, maybe some of
j these smaller districts don't
! Day comes to San Francisco
: (o launch a new same-day
I pickup and delivery mail
i service for the downtown
j area.
Under the program which
is tagged with the awesome
name of Accelerated Rusi
i nes Collection and Delivery
letters mailed down town be
fore 11 a.m. will be delivered
from Monday through Friday
by 3 p m. of the same day.
IT S PROGRESS all right.
But here's a thought for
these buy-now-pay-later days:
You'll get your bills just
that much sooner.
HEARSE THIEF JAILED
San Diego, Calif. - IT1- Les
ter V Henson Jr. was given
a prison sentence of six
months to five years Wednes
day for stealing hearses. Hen
son told police he has hated
mortuaries since he worked in
one as a youth, and vents his
hostility by stealing the
hearses.
of Divided
and as the Kremlin has in
creased Its pressures for a
German settlement, the Unit
ed States has sought alterna
tives. One of these has been a
suggestion that West Germans
take a greater initiative in
seeking a Berlin and German
solution even though finally it
must be the decision of the
four powers, the United Stat
es, France. Britain and the
Soviet Union.
Berlin's mayor Willy
Brandt, one of a succession of
recent German visitors to the
U.S., took the question home
with him where it promptly
became a political issue.
In West Germany, Chancel
lor Konrad Adenauer stands
close to President Charles de
want to join with the larger
ones. Why should they be re
quired to get a petition signed
in order to vote?
I believe the people have
all the power they need to re
organize and consolidate
school districts under the old
law. After all, Central Point
and Gold Hill joined together
without the help of this pres
ent law.
And besidse, maybe some
people believe that a small
school can be just as good as
a large one. Vote Yes X to
repeal the School Reorganiza
tion Law.
Carroll Powell
Box 621
Central Point, Ore.
Strictly
Personal
By Sydney J. Harris
(e. Field Enterprisea Inc.
PERSONAL PREJUDICES
When a man tells a woman
that he wants her to "listen
to reason," what he custom
arily means is that he wants
her lo be unreasonable in a
male way rather than unreas
onable in a female way.
It is a mistake to believe
that the "spoiled child" is
one who Is given too much,
for a child cannot be given
too much of the right
things; a spoiled child, rath
er, is one who' is given loo
many other things as substi
tutes for affection, atten
tion, understanding, respect
and Joy. It is not ihe magni
tude of giving that spoils
ihe child, but the symbolic
meaning of the gifts.
Nobody makes me feel as
gauche and provincial as a
dining companion who orders
an imported cheese and crack
ers for dessert while 1 order a
hunk of berry pie with ice
cream on it. (I wonder if
Stephen Potter has included
this Continental gambit in his
Lifemanship books?)
Whenever I meet a suspicious-minded
man who is
trying to be openhanded. I
am reminded of Amiel's
shrewd observation that
"He who is loo much afraid
of being duped has lost the
power of being magnani
mous." While it is possible to be
bored with one's environment,
the most overwhelmingly
prevalent form of boredom
is boredom with one's self;
and such media as television
are able to capture large aud
iences, not because people like
trash, but because even
watching trash is preferable
lo confronting one's own lack
of inner resources.
No person has room for
more than one "major
theme" in his emotional
life: for example, if tome
one has remarried and still
bears active hate and re
sentment for the former
partner. Ihe new marriage
it not a happy one - if it
were, the happiness would
drive out Ihe ancient
grudge.
Best and briefest descrip
tion of a prig was given by
Oscar Wilde, w hen he observ
ed of a stuffy colleague. "He
hasn't a single redeeming
vice."
Definition of a cultural
snob: someone who is living
beyond hit intellectual in
come. The liar always talks too
much and therefore traps him
self into disclosure; there is
something in the nature of a
lie that makes the teller keep
on over-elaboraling it until he
is no longer believed. The
truth lin life, as in art) is al
ways terse.
To achieve an increase in
knowledge without a cor
responding increase in won
der it to let the mind be- j
come rotten before it be- ;
comet ripe.
Germany Becoming
Gaulle of France in the post
tion that Soviet obligations
under four-power agreements
leave nothing to be negotia
ted. Of the proposal for German
initiative, he said:
"It makes no sense to be
driven to initiatives if the
Soviet Union insists on Ger
many's division and the sub
jugation of Berlin."
After making known his po
sition in advance, it then was
announced that Adenauer
would visit Washington on
Nov. 7.
It seemed scarcely coinci
dence that the date fell just
one day after the U.S. con
gressional elections. N i k i t a
Khrushchev had announced
earlier that the Kremlin
would withhold any pressure
for renewed Berlin negotia
Today & Tomorrow
By Walter Lippmann
(cl New York Herald Tribune Syndicate
SHOWDOWN AT BERLIN
Following the German For
eign Minister, Dr. Schroeder,
who is in Washington this
week, Chan
cellor Aden
auer will
come on the
day after our
elections. That
is the day
when, so Mr.
K h r u slichev
has told us, the
pause will
end, and he
Lippmann
will thereafter reopen active
ly the Berlin question. While
we do not know just what or
how he will do this, it is pru
dent to expect some action de
signed to affect the status quo
in West Berlin.
Thus Dr. Adenauer and
President Kennedy have im
portant business to talk about.
Secretary Rusk's conversa
tions with the Soviet govern
ment, which have been going
on for more than a year, have
been stalled since last spring.
Until then we are both talk
ing about possible arrange
ments, such as a proposed in
ternational authority for man
aging access to West Berlin,
which would make the con
tinued presence of Western
troops acceptable to the
Soviet Union.
Western access and the
presence of Western troops
are the crucial positions from
which we cannot and will not
recede. There should be no
misunderstanding about this
in the Kremlin. President
Kennedy cannot surrender
Berlin even if he were the
kind of man who wanted to.
A surrender would destroy
him. Access and presence are
not negotiable. It is the fringe
problems, which include the
degree of recognition given
the East German state, that
are negotiable.
11HE U.S.-U.S.S.R. conversa-
tions did not have the bles
sing of the German Chancel
lor and of Gen. fie Gaulle.
Nevertheless they went on.
About the monlh of May,
something happened in Mos
cow which caused the Rus
sians to brush aside the talks
and to insist that the Western
powers remove their troops
from Berlin. As this is not a
negotiable question for us, the
discussions have been stalled.
The question is whether
they can be resumed. That de
pends on the Soviet govern
ment. If they continue to in
sist that the only question is
Western military withdrawal
from Berlin, there will be a
showdown. If they wish to ne
gotiate about an arrangement
which guarantees presence
and access, the door will he
open wider and wider for
larger explorations.
There is as yet. we must
realize, no firm agreement be-
tween Washington and Bonn
on either of the two great al
ternatives a showdown or a
negotiation.
y, 4,
I
i
J '
"Why do I watch ii? Why do t welch it? He wint m all -every
one. Bui I've got to wetch until Perry Maton loses a
ease. I'm hooked!"
tions until after the election)
were over.
Cynics also saw another ex
planation. At home, Adenauer ia un
der pressure from his own
Democratic coalition partners
to announce the date when he
will leave office in accordance
with his promise that he
would do so well in advance
of West Germany's 1963 elec
Hons. There were suggestions that
by his visit, "Der Alte" (the
old one) sought to downgrade
not only Brandt's Washington
visit but also the visit of his
own foreign minister, Gerhard
Schroeder. Both are regarded
as aspirants to Adenauer's
job.
Adenauer would seek to
demonstrate that his still j
the magic touch.
WHILE high
officials ani
If
experts of the Western
allies have drawn up com
prehensive plans for dealing
with the various possible ac
tions by the Soviet govern
ment and the East Germans,
these are as yet only plans.
They are not the decisions of
governments. It is true, at
Mr. Alsop was the first ti
point out the other day, that
we do not mean to wait for a
unanimous decision by the
British, French, German, and
American governments. Wa
shall act if there is a show
down provided we can count
upon West German coopera
tion. But that cooperation is es
sential to any kind of response
which is short of nuclear war.
If there is to be a military
response to interference with
Western access or Western
presence, the German Federal
Republic in Bonn cannot sit
on the sidelines and go on do
ing business as usual with
East Germany The Germans
have by far the biggest stake
in Berlin. It is their country
which will suffer the first con
sequences of a conflict. It is
overwhelmingly their trade
which will be cut off if there
jra. blockades and counter
blockades. These hard realities of de
cision cannot be dealt with by
slogans.
IT IS necessary for Bonn and
Washington to come down
to brass tacks on the subject
of how to negotiate if by
standing firm we bring
about a resumption of nego
tiations with the Soviet
Union. We must realize that
we stood firm and we pre
vailed against the blockade of
West Berlin in 1948. But,
while that stand succeeded in
deferring the crisis, no such
showdown can solve the Ber
lin problem. When the show
down comes, and if we pre
vail, West Berlin will still be
half of a vulnerable city deep
inside the Soviet empire.
If the situation of West Ber
lin is not stabilized as the cold
war and the race of arma
ments become more intense,
Berlin will become increas
ingly a supreme danger point
for the outbreak of a ther
monuclear war. Despite the
external prosperity, which is
highly subsidized, of West
Berlin, there are ominous
signs that the constituted
authorities, German and Al
lied alike, may be losing con
trol of the crowd. The Berlin
wall, we must remember, is
manned on both sides by
Germans, and there are in this
situation the makings of a
civil war into which we might
all be sucked against our will.
Those who tell us to stand
firm, to rebuff the Russians,
and then do nothing, are play
ing with fire. We must hop
that the Chancellor Is a
much aware of this as are an
increasing number of hi
countrymen.
V III