Site Ed. Note The front page reports that the United States had demanded the immediate release by Yugoslavia of seven British and two American military personnel taken captive in the vicinity of Trieste. Five soldiers had already been released. They had reported serious mistreatment while in custody, requiring upon return their hospitalization for gastroenteritis and typhoid fever from bad food and water.

The scheduled conclusion of the 16-nation Paris foreign ministers conference to determine needs under the Marshall Plan was postponed by Foreign Secretary Ernest Bevin because of dissatisfaction by the U.S. with the report issued by the conference. The objection was communicated by Undersecretary of State Will Clayton. The conference might thus need remain in session for as much as three additional weeks. The report was said to call for 18 billion dollars worth of aid from the U.S. over the course of the ensuing four years. The problem appeared not to be the amount of aid requested but the form of the report, which Mr. Clayton found hard to decipher.

Britain's president of the Board of Trade, Sir Stafford Cripps, announced before 2,000 industrialists and unionists in London that there would be new cuts in Britain's armed forces and a reduction of permitted capital investment by as much as 200,000 pounds per year, in furtherance of efforts to ward off economic collapse. He urged a one-third increase in exports. He warned that the country could not rely necessarily on the Marshall Plan or further relief from the United States. A high Government source had already stated that military personnel cuts would amount to 230,000 from the 1.3 million men in service.

Jack Bell of the Associated Press reports from Santa Cruz, California, that Senator Robert Taft of Ohio was beginning his Western tour, to determine his presidential prospects for 1948. He had said that he would make his decision on whether he was a candidate only after completing the tour. He told the State Bar of California that the New Deal had sought to abolish states' rights, to concentrate all power in Washington. He saw the great issue of the day as a free people against a totalitarian state—unclear as to whether he meant Russia or the New Deal.

The Army Air Force announced that the new XB-47, a new bomber, with six GE jet engines, was ready to begin ground and taxi tests at Boeing Aircraft. Blueprints called for use of two rocket motors to provide added emergency thrust. The dimensions of the aircraft were similar to the B-29, but the XB-47 had a swept back, thin wing design.

It notes that the present speed record, about to be eclipsed within a month by Chuck Yeager in the Bell X-1, was 650.6 mph.

A caption to a photograph on the page explains that Stetson Kennedy of Jacksonville, Fla., anti-Klan crusader and underground infiltrator of the Klan in Georgia, had gone to the Capitol in Washington dressed as a Klansman and entered the office of HUAC, in protest of that Committee paying attention only to left-wing activities in the country and largely ignoring right-wing activities, including the Klan. He stated that he had evidence of un-American activities by the Klan. The Capitol Police were summoned and Mr. Kennedy, still in hood and gown, was escorted from the building.

He might next show up as Superman.

Lt. General Robert Lee Bullard, 86, who had begun his fighting days during the Indian wars of the 1880's and served in World War I, died in New York the previous night.

The executive committee of AFL postponed a decision on whether AFL officers would sign the affidavits averring non-Communist affiliation, as required by Taft-Hartley for the AFL member unions to continue to utilize the services of the NLRB. The postponement took place because John L. Lewis, head of the UMW, still opposed the signing. UMW had barred Communists since 1927, but Mr. Lewis opposed the affidavit on principle. Based on an interpretation of the Act by the NLRB counsel, if one union leader refused to sign, the whole organization would be barred under the provision.

Former King Carol of Rumania and Elena Lupescu, who had been together for many years, were formally wed in Rio de Janeiro.

In Winston-Salem, the Board of Aldermen was asked by its Finance Committee to approve an immediate election for a four million dollar bond for expansion of the City's waterworks, in light of the critical water shortage—reason still unknown.

Senators Clyde Hoey and William Umstead sent a message to the President, seeking a declaration of a Federal state of emergency for Winston-Salem, to grease the skids for receipt of equipment to resolve the crisis.

An Atlantic hurricane, packing 143 mph winds, was moving toward the Virgin Islands, in the general direction of Puerto Rico, at a rate of 20 mph. The storm was 300 miles east of that location, 1,500 miles from Florida.

On the editorial page, "Eisenhower: The Early Phase" tells of the the movement to draft General Eisenhower as the 1948 Republican nominee for the presidency despite his having thoroughly denounced the effort. The formation of Eisenhower Clubs was set nevertheless to continue. Former Kansas Governor and 1936 GOP candidate Alf Landon and Kansas City Star Editor Roy Roberts—for whom Editor William Reddig of The News had worked until late July—would continue the effort to effect the draft despite the would-be candidate's resistance.

"Straight from the Pocketbook" comments on the fact that amid all of the inflation, Duke Power electricity rates had remained exactly the same in the post-war period. The piece gives Duke kudos for maintaining Reddy Kilowatt at the same price per hour.

"Now We Can Get to Work" comments on the resignation the previous day of the Park & Recreation Commission because, it claimed, the City Council had, in March, usurped its authority in allowing, without notice, the National Guard to use the basement and, part of the the time, the auditorium, of the Armory-Auditorium for its training. Such was at the expense of other civic activity, notably taking over the meeting room of the Teenage Club. The piece compliments the Commission for its work and hopes that the Council might wind up smoothing the waters, realizing that recreation facilities were necessary to the city.

A piece from the Louisville Courier-Journal, titled "The Mind of Taft", comments on Senator Taft's opposition to universal military training, suggesting his retreat into isolationism, much as he had opposed the draft prior to Pearl Harbor. He had prevented action on UMT in the Republican Steering Committee, of which he was chairman.

Drew Pearson tells of the President's Council of Economic Advisers being more concerned than ever about inflation and even now considering recommending reinstitution of price controls. They were aware that it would face almost certain defeat in the Congress but wanted to impress on the President that the inflation would continue for some time to come and that continuation in that direction would ultimately lead to depression. Low-income consumers were saving their money in the face of high prices.

Marquis Childs, in Warsaw, tells of 96 percent of Poles being Roman Catholic. When the Parliament was sworn, objection was raised by the Socialists to the words in the oath "by Almighty God", whereas the Communists wanted it retained. The Communists won out. Regardless of such symbolic gestures, the Communists were gaining absolute control of the economic machinery of the nation. One of the key Communist managers was Jakub Berman, Undersecretary of State of the Council of Ministers. Mr. Childs spoke with him for an hour.

Samuel Grafton suggests it to have been characteristic of the Jews that they did not become dismayed when two British destroyers rammed the "Exodus 1947" in July, killing three men in the process and firing small arms and swinging clubs aboard ship. The Jews fought back, hurling potatoes and cans of food, not having any conventional weapons. The British appeared dismayed that the Jews were not frightened by the tactics.

A letter responds to the letter from the pastor of the Thomasboro Baptist Church, who had responded unfavorably to the editorial regarding the Southern Baptists' disapproval of the President's communication with Pope Pius and reappointment of the envoy to the Vatican, Myron Taylor, claiming it to be violative of separation of church and state under the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. He had agreed with the Southern Baptists that the Vatican practiced "clerical totalitarianism".

This writer finds that notion absurd, that no Catholic priest had ever sought to influence the vote of a parishioner or anyone else. The Protestant preachers had been the only clerics exerting influence on the electorate during the 1928 election between Herbert Hoover and Governor Al Smith, a Catholic. Likewise, no Catholic clergyman had ever advocated a Catholic State anywhere in the world, outside the Vatican itself. The Catholic clergy took care only of spiritual matters.

He then quotes at length from the Vatican Council regarding the doctrine of infallibility of the Pope, as an office, not as an individual.

A letter writer states that he had seen The News in Greensboro recently, finding in it a published list of what ABC stores would charge for liquor in Charlotte and Mecklenburg County when the ABC system was up and running. Two railroad men with whom he spoke said that it was against the law to publish such a list and he wants some definite clarification on this point.

Quotes of the day: "Well, if politicians can't settle the peanut problem, what can they do?"—Greensboro Daily News.

On those you can perhaps close your eyes and suddenly it is 1976 all over again—or at least 1974.

Framed Edition

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