VAGI t A
HERALD AND NEWS, Klamalh Falls. Oregon
Sunday, September 1, 1963
EDSON IN WASHINGTON
Purely Theoretical?
Lodge In Political
Hornet's Nest In Viet
A Day
Labor Day is such a familiar fixture on
; the national calendar that it is somewhat sur
; prising to realize it is one of our most recent
'. holidays.
": True, the first Labor Day was held in
;New York City as far back as 1882, and by
1894 Congress had legalized the observance
in the territories and District of Columbia.
Yet only for the past 40 years have all the
states officially observed it.
Four decades is a short time in the life
of a nation, even one so young as the United
States. But Labor Day is firmly established as
a national habit.
Undoubtedly this is because the holiday
has come to mark the end of summer in our
minds, with schools starting up immediately
afterward and families split up into their
; Various pursuits.
:: It's the last holiday until Thanksgiving,
:a long three-day weekend just made for a
short trip or an outing, or perhaps it's an op
portunity to finish those chores around the
house that have been put off all summer.-
This is so much the case that most of us
never think of the original"reason for the
day that It was established as a recogni
tion of and tribute to the American laboring
man. But though we still call it Labor Day,
: it is no longer labor's day.
Very few, even those of us who carry
'runion cards, will attend a labor rally today,
j-few cities have parades any more. Yet at one
.time, Labor Day was a magnet drawing folks
' downtown to the park to listen to the band
and speeches and shoot off the fireworks left
over from the Fourth of July.
:' Those who have been advocating more
: -efficient use of expensive schoolbuildings by
"air conditioning them and converting them
into year around usage might just have an
.assist from the high school kids of today.
: Indications are that more teen-agers arc
going to school this summer. Nashville, Tcnn.,
is a city that can oile some figures. More than
; 9,000 are taking summer courses out of an
renrollincnt of some 80,000. Approximately
; one-third are high school students.
r; Summer classes have been looked upon
mostly as "make-up" classes. Indications are
that this isn't exactly true in the Tennessee
city. Many of the students are taking subjects
they were unable to work into their regular
programs during the fall-winter terms.
The result is that city officials in Nash
ville are taking a new look, with emphasis on
.the idea of operating schools on a 12-month
basis. Mayor Beverly Briley has instituted a
speed-up study of a 12-month program.
There's a strong hunch that more high
HOLMES
By HOLMES ALEXANDER
WASHINGTON D.C.-Sccrccy in
Washington is never leak-proof,
;tut a reporter must satisfy his
conscience that in revealing hush
hush testimony he is not giving
information to the enemy. With
that restriction in mind, 1 think
it enlightening to report the ten
or of General LcMay's dialogue
in his closed door session with the
Preparedness Subcommittee.
LcMuy and the other Joint
Chiefs of Staff were called, sep
arately and Individually to the
;Whitc House, a day or so alter
;tiic Moscow signing of the Nu
clear Treaty. Tliey were told that
-Oioir opinions on llie treaty must
be based upon both military and
"political considerations. The legal
basis for asking military men to
make political judgments lies in
Chapter 5. paragraph 1)(8, of
the fundamental Defense Depart
ment statute and it reads:
". . . The Joint Chiefs shall . . .
perform such oilier duties as the
President or Secretary of De
fense may prescribe."
On this broad authority, LeMay
was instructed to think political
ly, but he was then turned over
. to State Department briefers to
be told what to tliink. He was
told that among the major politi-
ml results exccted to flow from
the treaty were ( widening
' the Sino Soviet rill and (bi
achieving a world-wide detente,
or relaxation of tensions, be
tween the USA ami the USSR.
LeMay told the Preparedness
Subcommittee that lie didn't be
lieve either of these results would
follow the treaty ratification.
That is. he remained unconvinced
by whatever proof the Stale De
For All Americans
On one hand, it is regrettable that the
American scene Jias changed so much, that we
tend nowadays to retreat from each other into
our immediate families, that Labor Day has
become a private public holiday.
On the other hand, this change in Labor
Day is part of the penalty of success for the
labor movement and for America. With rec
ognition of labor has come the loss of a cer
tain militancy, a certain separateness from
"other" Americans.
No, Labor Day is no longer labor's day
alone. It belongs to all Americans, for all
of us are laborers in the sense that the work
we do contributes to the country's strength.
Perhaps the name "Labor Day" is a little
anachronistic in 1963, almost a misnomer. The
word "labor" is not quite broad enough to en
compass the meaning the holiday has ac
quired. It should have a name that tells the
world just what free Americans have accom
plished for the working man, what we have
achieved in the way of the good things in life
not just material comforts but the basic
freedoms so much of the world has never
known.
The name for this day should tell the
world how we honor the working, doing, ac
complishing man by casually taking a day off
from the routine, not by massing ranks of
.uniformed lathe operators or high school ca
dets and parading them in front of our "max
imum leaders."
Still, maybe we don't really need a new
name for the holiday. We all know what La
bor Day means.
Let Them Go To School
school students are attending classes this sum
mer in other cities, too. The kids are think
ing in terms of getting their education over
with ns soon as possible. A vacationer return
ing from a long trip said he was impressed at
the sight of teen-agers headed for classrooms
early in the summer mornings, rather than to
playgrounds or just loafing away the lazy sum
mer's day.
With the hue and cry of school officials
that more and more money is needed, the tax
payer is beginning to question the sense of
letting expensive buildings be idle the three
months of summer. Air conditioning can make
them as comfortable in July as in December.
If the students themselves are showing
an inclination riot to while away the summer
months foolishly, then hooray for them. If they
want to hurry up their education then let's
let them. For those who do want a vacation, a
staggered system can be worked out, if the
school executives will stop thinking negatively
and get on with it.
ALEXANDER
Military Opposes Treaty
partment offered him. The Air
Force Chief of Staff later told
the Fullbright Committee in
open hearing that, had the treaty
not been already signed, he would
have opposed it wholeheartedly
ratlicr than accept it, as lie did,
with misgivings.
What misgivings? LeMay dis
believes, as does Edward Teller.
Secretary McNamara's stated
optimism that the USA has nu
clear superiority and can main
tain it under the treaty. The Mc
Namara opinion is not based on
technical knowledge of Russian
nuclear power. It is based on in
telligence estimates. This means
we take Die little thai is known
about Russian discoveries and
then extrapolate this material to
reach some conclusions. When
asked what if these conclusions
were faulty in the wrong direc
tion, the burly LeMay, with his
expressive voice and manner
said:
"School's out!"
Well, what are the chances that
the intelligence estimates arc re
liable enough to sustain lite risk
that Russia may soon come up
with a missile defense system
which will make tlie I'SSK rcla-ti-ely
impregnable to an Anicri
c a n retaliatory attack? This
same Stennis Preparedness Com
mittee on May tl. 1963, Hiblished
a document entitled "Investiga
tion of the Preparedness Pro
gram." While directed specifical
ly to the Russian sneak occupa
tion and fortification of Cuba, the
Stennis Report does assess our
intelligence estimating capacity
as follows:
"The deficiency in the perform
ance of the intelligence commu
nity appears to have been in the
evaluation and assessment of ac
cumulated data. .Moreover there
seems to have been a disinclina
tion on the part of the intelli
gence community to accept and
believe the ominous portent of the
information which had been gath
ered. "In addition, the intelligence
people apparently invariably
adopted the most optimistic esti
mate possible with respect to the
inlormation available. This is in
sharp contrast to the customary
military practice of emphasizing
the worst situation which might
be established by the accumula
tion of the evidence."
There, in brief, is why LeMay
and others are skeptical of a trea
ty which proposes a limited dis
armament on the basis of intelli
gence estimates. Our policy mak
ers, on whom the President re
lies, arc not good at "evaluation
and assessment." They have a
"disinclination ... to believe . . .
tlie ominous portent." They adopt
"the most optimistic estimate
possible" and this habit is "in
sharp contrast to Uie military
practice."
Underestimating the enemy
is the cardinal sin in military
strategy. When we did it last
year, tlie Russians moved into
Cuba in such force that we dare
not try to dislodge tiiom. If e
underestimate this year on th
matter of Russia's nuclear po
tential, "School's out!"
That's the opinion, not of a
newsman, but of our foremost
military airman, tlcn. Curtis Le
Moy, and of oilier military men
wlm n loss outspoken.
v. : ;
If
safe
.- . . fe mr x mv :;. y-.r-
I He oLUbAL VlbW
By LEOX DENNEN
Newspaper Enterprise Analyst
NEW YORK IKEA' - Some
thoughtful Asian diplomats won
der if. the nuclear test ban agree
ment between Russia and the
West doesn't create the need for
completely rethinking United
States policies on such basic mat
ters as:
Admission of Red China into
the United Nations.
A "two-China" policy involv
ing recognition of the Peiping as
well as the Nationalist govern
ments. Paradoxically, some of com
munism's bitterest foes have
been turning over such thoughts
in their minds.
This line of thinking is abso
1 u t e 1 y contrary to consistent
American policy running through
Republican and Democratic ad
ministrations since 1949.
Should it be given even casual
examination now? To answer, it
is necessary to trace this new
thinking step by step.
Step one: President Kennedy's
advisers seem to have a simple
approach to the Chinese problem.
As they see it, the Russians have
cut off their military and eco
nomic aid to Peiping, are isolat
ing Mao Tse-tung. The "extreme
revolutionary" Chinese are
now harmless according to this
view. So Khrushchev proceeds to
concentrate on peaceful coexis
tence with the West. Administra
tion advisers seem to believe we
can turn this to our advantage.
Step two: But is the Soviet
premier, who hates Mao, right
in thinking that Red China can
he banished to utter darkness?
Should the NATO nations accept
Khrushchev's way of punishing
Mao Tse-tung?
Moscow's apparent concern is
to maintain world peace or, at
least, to save Russia from nu
clear destruction and an unbear
Letters To
Prodded
In a letter to the Herald and
News a few monUis aao 1 took
sharp issue with Frank Jenkins
over one of his expressions, of
his financial ideas. I've always
been a little sorry 1 picked on
him specifically. My criticism
might better have been directed
to the general economic policy of
the paer. A column of his just
happened to !x- the linal push
that sent me to the typewriter.
On (Ik whole, his writings give
me a picture of him as a good
neighbor, and a Iricnd to man
kind as well as to his neighbors.
So I'm glad that in his laid
column on the lct ban treaty he
has written something that seems
to me so gixxl that I have to s.iy
so. Ordinarily 1 distrust words
like ' instinct" in connection with
human affairs, but in suggesting
tlie decision on (he treaty lie lelt
to tlx' instinct of the people, he
probably couldn't have chosen a
In-lter one. Anything we do in
volves risk; it's 3 matter of
choosing tlie lesser one It
brings back tlie memory ol the
Hiroshima bomb. Immediately on
hearing the news, nearly every
body was struck with the iceliiig
tluil the human race must change
its ways. Is tlie treaty the occa
sion to start to put tlie chaise
into effect? Frank Jenkins has
pickled me into action a second
if '$.'..
'
Mi Mr:. ' 1'l'fi
NewChina Policy Coming
ably costly arms race. This
should not obscure the fact that
the Russians, for internal rea
sons, have been extremely tough
with the Chinese.
Step three: It would be naive
to assume that the Russians will
be content with merely turning
their back on the Chinese. Mos
cow's quarantine of China is
surely intended to bring about
changes in Peiping's foreign pol
icy or among Red China's top
leaders or both.
If a revolt against Mao's re
gime started, say, in Manchuria
or Sinkiang, with which the Rus
sians have good connections, it
would not be difficult for Khrush
chev to find an excuse for armed
intervention in China.
Step four: Is the United States,
then, prepared to help Khrush
chevactively or passively to
defeat the Chinese in order to
make Russia master in Asia?
Suppose tlie Chinese cannot be
starved into submission. Might
they not even as the Russians
before them endanger world
peace by embarking on new ad
ventures? India, Formosa or
Southeast Asia could be targets.
Step five: Khrushchev and
some of President Kennedy's ad
visers may want to ignore the
fact. But Mao Tse-tung derives
his strength not solely from com
munism, but also from the tre
mendous upsurge of nationalism
in the underdeveloped nations.
He led a Communist revolution
in China, but intrinsically he
symbolized the convulsive Asian
revolt against centuries of
"white" including Russian
domination.
Mao Tse-tung. with or without
nuclear weapons, will hardly re
main inactive when he finds him
self blockaded by the West in
alliance with Russia. China be
lieves she can sacrifice 2(10 mil
lion people and still emerge vie-
The Editor
lime. I'm taking his advice and
writing our senators.
Hubert Hermlon,
Box 522.
Lakeview, Ore.
BERRY'S WORLD
1
'mm
r am 'Jt
"Hou'd J on txer get booked into this deal
Mr. Lodge ."
torious in a nuclear war.
Step six: The dimension of the
Chinese problem will change
even more dramatically once
Mao Tse-tung acquires the abil
ity to explode even a crude atom
ic device. This will terrorize 100
million people of Southeast Asia.
Step seven: The danger of Red
China, then, is not remote but
ever present. Unfortunately, no
new or fresh ideas on the Chi
nese problem are percolating in
the Kennedy administration, so
hypnotized are the President's
advisers by the nuclear test ban
treaty and by Khrushchev's peace
pose.
Step eight: Yet in the view of
some specialists on communism,
now is tlie time for the West to
take advantage of the rift in the
Red camp and start to negotiate
with the Red Chinese.
This can be done, among other
tilings, by exploring Peiping's re
cent proposal to world govern
m e n t s, including the United
States, for the convocation ol a
nuclear disarmament conference
in which Red China as well as
Nationalist China would be rep
resented. Klirushchev does not like this
proposal since he has his own ac
counts to settle with Mao. But
why should the West play his
game?
Should the United States take
another look at the idea of "Two
Chinas" a Red China on the
mainland and a Nationalist China
on Formosa? Should the West
agree to Mao's admission to
membership in the United Na
tions? Admittedly, these are contro
versial issues. Tlie political risks
involved in reopening tlie de
bate on China have made Presi
dent Kennedy reluctant to gener
ate a search of new ideas.
But socialists on communism
warn that a delay until after the
U.S. presidential election in 1M
and until the Red Chinese de
clare themselves a nuclear pow
er will leave the West with hardly
any room for diplomatic maneu
ver. Should Russia and Red Chi
na become reconciled, the West
would be left in a most uncom
fortable trap.
By PETER EDSOX
Washington Correspondent
Newspaper Enterprise Assn.
WASHINGTON t.NEA) - The
only safe prediction to make now
on troubled Viet Nam is that new
United States ambassador, Henry
Cabot Lodge Jr., is going to find
Southeast Asia politics even tough
er than trying to beat the Ken
nedy machine in Massachusetts.
While Washington has con
demned Vietnamese President
Ngo Dinh Diem's latest repres
sive actions against the Buddhists,
there is reluctance to abandon
him to his many enemies. If his
declaration of martial law does not
prevent it, or if Diem himself is
not overthrown by a coup before
hand, Vict Nam is scheduled to
elect a new one-chamber nation
al assembly.
There are 350 candidates for
123 seats. Eighty per cent of the
candidates are said to be "inde
pendents." Up to now, a big ma
jority of the assembly has sup
ported Diem and the National
Revolutionary Movement he
heads.
The Buddhists have no political
party of their own and no candi
dates. But they have advocated
boycotting the election, to show
nonsupport of the Diem govern
ment. The Communists, as tlie
National Liberation Front, tried
this tactic in 1961 but Jailed.
Diem was overwhelmingly elect
ed for a second five-year term as
president, although when t h e
French picked him to head a pro
visional government in 1954, they
said he would not last six months.
Washington thought so, too. But
he is now entering the 10th year
in office.
And the American position is
that there is no better man in
sight for the job.
Whether Diem can complete his
term ending in 11)66 is question
able, however. For a coup is
feared from any one or a com
bination of the many elements op
posing his regime.
For one, Diem's principal advis
er, his brother Ngo Dinh Nhu,
heads a Revolutionary Workers
Party and there are reports of a
power grab on his part. It is
Nhu's beauteous wife Mme. Nhu
who is the principal mouthpiece
WASHINGTON REPORT . . .
House Members Seek
Senate 'Promotion'
By FL'LTON LEWIS JR.
The late Sam Rayburn never
had much use for those Congress
men who used the House of Rep
resentatives as a stepping stone
to the Senate.
The beloved Speaker made it
crystal clear he would help any
member. Republican or Dem
ocrat, who had as his goal a ca
reer in the House.
"The House of Representa
tives." he insisted, "is not the
'lower House,' as some have
termed it. It is the co-equal
House."
Over the years many of Mr.
Sam's charges took his advice.
Powerful men such as Hale Boggs
and Carl Albert and Howard
Smith and Charles Halleck and
Carl Vinson and Jerry Ford long
ago decided to make the House
their life work.
Others John Kennedy and
Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nix
on and John McClcllan and Ever
ett Dirk-sen ignored the Speak
er's words.
Once again, many of Mr.
Sam's boys will try to make llie
big jump. New Mexico's Joe Mon
toya will risk six years of Hou.se
seniority in an attempt to un
seat Republican Senator Ed Me
chem. Ohio's Bob Taft . Jr.. elected
Congrcssman-at-large last fall,
w.ll almost certainly go for the
Senate seat once held by his late
great father.
Four Indiana Congressmen are
known to be flirting with a race
for Democrat Vance Hartkes
seat. They are Don Bruce. Ross
Adair. Bill Bray and Richard
ltoudebush.
In Maryland. Democrats Rich
ard Lankford and Carlton Sickles,
are under consideration for tlie
Senate seat now hold by the
aging Republican, J. Glenn Beall.
If Heail should not run. the nom
ination could gn to GOP Repre
sentative "Mac" Mathias.
Tennessee's Bill Brock, a fresh
man Republican elected in a
smashing style last fall, may, too.
seek a Senate seat. Two seals
will be up Inr crabs next year,
those of tlie late Estes Kefauver
and the very mach alnc Albert
Gore.
New York Congressman S.im
Stralton. a Democrat, is chomp
ing at the bit. He'd loc to take
on Republican Ken Keating. Penn
syh ania Democrat William
Moorelwad may tackle GOP Sen
ator Huch Scott. Each of H.i
wans two Congressmen would
and cause of embarrassment.
There are also socialist, demo
cratic socialist and other splinter
parties of opposition.
The most active opponent, of
course, is the Communist Viet
Cong, recruited and supplied by
North Viet Nam. fighting guerrilla
warfare in scattered pockets all
over the country.
They tried to organize a revolt
in 1959 but failed.
They are still trying, first to
neutralize the country, then to
drive out what they call the "Unit
ed States-Diem regime." Reunifi-
cation with North Viet Nam under
Ho Chi-minh is the ultimate aim.
President Diem's non-Communist
opponents are put in numer
ous groups. Many of them are
headed by former ministers of gov
ernment whom Diem has fired
as incompetents.
In a second category are lead
ers of militant sects that controlled
private armies. When they lost
their local power under Diem's
nationalization program they fled
tlie country. Some went to Cam
bodia, some to Paris. From these
points they propagandize against
Diem and for their return.
There arc some military leaders
in exile backers of Col. Thi, who
led his 500 paratroopers in a 1960
attack on the presidential palace.
They were forced to flee by the
loyally of the regular army.
The military is still rated by
American advisers as a good
army, with increasing success
over the last six months in fight
ing the Viet Cong and defending
the strategic villages where three
fourths of the people live.
Diem's greatest trouble comes
from the Buddhists. Last May the
government made the mistake of
banning all flags except the na
tional emblem, as part of a unifi
cation program. In a protest dem
onstration, eight Buddhists were
killed by security forces.
Buddhist protests have grown
since and Mme. Nhu's comments
made a bad situation worse.
What the Buddhists want, in
summary, is equal status with the
Catholics. Diem has proposed new
laws that would grant such rights.
They will be taken up by the new
National Assembly when it con
venes Sept. 17. If he can stick it
out till then, he has a chance.
like to oppose incumbent Senator
Hiram Fong, a Republican.
Representatives Bill A very
(Kansas', Charles Jonas (North
Carolina) and Arch Moore (West
Virginia) are talked of as gub
ernatorial candidates. And roly
poly Elmer Hoftman would like
nothing better than to give up
his House scat and run on the
GOP ticket for Secretary of State
in his native Illinois.
Note: Congressmen contemplat
ing a Senate race may consider
what happened to those colleagues
who tried to move up last year.
New Hampshire's two Congress
men, both Republicans, ran for
the Senate and lost.
Illinois' Sidney Yales gave up
a safe Cook County seat to chal
lenge GOP Senate Leader Everett
Dirksen. The Democratic nominee
was clobbered.
Pennsylvania's Jim Var Zandt
gave up years of seniority in
a losing effort against Democrat
Joe Clark. Connecticut Repre
sentative Horace Seely - Brown
lost his seat when he ran against
Abe Ribicoff for the Senate.
Utah Democrat David King
tried for the Senate seat his fath
er once held. Incumbent Wallace
Bennett won easily.
Only Peter Dominick. Colorado
Republican, successfully made
the jump from House to Senate.
South Dakota's George McGov
ern gave up his House seat in
1960 to run unsuccessfully for the
Senate. He won last fall on his
second trv.
Al
manac
By United Press International
Today is Sunday. Sept. 1, the
244th day of 1963 with 121 to fol
low. The moon is approaching full
phase.
The morning star is Jupiter.
The evening stars are Mais
and Saturn.
On this day m history:
In 1807. Aaron Burr was ac
quitted of treason in Richmond,
Va.
In 1878. tlie first woman tele
phone oieralor was hired in Bos
ton. In 19:3. New York City's
Mayor. Jimmy Walker, resigned
after an investigation of corrup
tion by the Seaburv committee.
In 19.19. World War II broke
out jg Gerr.iany invaded Poland.