The Charlotte News

Tuesday, June 14, 1949

THREE EDITORIALS

Site Ed. Note: The front page reports that in West Berlin, the railway workers voted 6 to 1 to continue the 24-day old railway strike against the Russian management, thus surpassing the necessary 75 percent majority. The union thus voted against a proposal of the U.S., supported by France and Britain, to end the strike, recommended by union leaders. Russian-licensed newspapers had renewed threats of reprisal against the strikers, influencing the vote negatively. The threat ran counter to the Russian management promise that there would be no reprisals as part of the settlement. The strike had been called the "little blockade" as it was preventing the freight trains from supplying West Berlin.

In Paris, at the Council of Foreign Ministers meeting, the Western powers proposed to Russia that a four-power commission be formed for Germany but with strictly defined functions, to counsel on economic matters, encourage trade and commerce, speed the movement of goods between Berlin and the occupation zones, and settle specific quarrels as they might arise. The West asked that in return for this Russian-favored council, the Soviets would promise never again to impose a blockade. The day's meeting was held in secret and Andrei Vishinsky had left after an hour, but it was described as good-humored on all sides.

Senator Brien McMahon of Connecticut, chairman of the Senate-House Atomic Energy Committee, said that the Committee intended to examine the checks which the Atomic Energy Commission made on the loyalty of its workers. The Committee would likely take up the issue Thursday regarding the loss of about an eighth of an ounce of U-235 from a University of Chicago laboratory. Senator Bourke Hickenlooper, who had called for the investigation of AEC, was now stressing the financial aspects of the program, the next day intending to examine the costs of the secret atomic plant at Hanford, Wash., which was now estimated to cost nearly 25 million dollars, after having an original budget of 6.255 million.

HUAC voted this date to grant a hearing to Dr. Edward U. Condon, head of the Bureau of Standards, whenever he chose to appear. Representative Richard Nixon said that if Dr. Condon did not choose a date, he would push for setting one. A HUAC subcommittee the previous week had reiterated a HUAC charge from the prior year that he was one of the weakest links in atomic security. Dr. Condon had replied that he was completely reliable.

The brother of Dr. Robert Oppenheimer, Dr. Frank F. Oppenheimer, told the Committee that he had been a Communist for three and a half years, between 1937 and 1940 or 1941, before working on the Manhattan Project at the U.C.-Berkeley atomic laboratory. He said that he had always been loyal.

Mr. Nixon had been critical of the Justice Department's handling of the prosecution of Judith Coplon, accused former Justice Department employee in an espionage case involving alleged passing of secret documents to a Russian, former employee of the U.N. Secretariat. Mr. Nixon said that the matter was discussed by the Committee this date but that nothing was done. Representative Cecil King of California, in a speech before the House, called Mr. Nixon's criticism of the Justice Department "highly inappropriate".

You haven't heard anything yet. The best is yet to come.

In the trial of Ms. Coplon in Washington, the defense motion to direct a verdict of acquittal after conclusion of the Government's case, on the basis that it had not proved all of the essential elements of the alleged charge of espionage, was denied. The defense counsel said that if the motion were denied, he would be calling a long list of witnesses, including Hollywood stars and Mrs. Edward Condon.

In New York, the trial of Alger Hiss for perjury was nearing the end of the Government's case. Esther Chambers, wife of accuser Whittaker Chambers, had become confused as to critical dates and places in her testimony the previous day.

In Washington, Robert Denham, general counsel for the NLRB, turned over to the Justice Department non-Communist affidavits of three officers of the CIO-affiliated United Furniture Workers Union. He took the action, he said, because Max Perlow, secretary-treasurer of the union, stated that he had resigned from the Communist Party but was not forswearing its principles. It was the first such referral by Mr. Denham. The Justice Department, however, was said to be looking into the affidavits of several officers of other unions.

FDR, Jr., 34, was sworn in as Congressman for the Twentieth District of New York, replacing deceased Sol Bloom. Eleanor Roosevelt observed the ceremony from the House gallery. Mr. Roosevelt's name inadvertently appeared in italics on the roll call booklet, an indication that he was a Republican. A member of the Clerk's staff said that it was simply a printing mistake and would be corrected.

The printer may have been asleep with Rip for twenty years or so.

In Dallas, Tex., storms and floods in Dallas County claimed at least ten lives. Ten inches of rain fell at Garland. About 2.5 inches fell during the night in Dallas. A flood warning was issued for the Trinity River, as the Weather Bureau predicted it would rise to 38 feet, 10 feet above flood stage at Dallas, protected by a system of levees.

A two-day heat wave through New England claimed twelve lives.

Plans for creation of a "czar" for the soft coal industry were reported to be nearing completion. UMW president John L. Lewis and a large part of the Northern coal industry were said to be in agreement with the move.

Moody's Investment Service disclosed that it had reduced the investment rating of North Carolina bonds from "AA" to "A", apparently in response to the June 4 voter approval of the 200-million dollar rural road bond issue and the 25-million dollar school construction bond issue. The Service did not state its reason, however, for the action.

Broadway columnist Earl Wilson tells of the Charlotte Boys Choir being in New York for an appearance at Madison Square Garden before the International Rotarians convention, singing "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles", with a bubble machine supplied by the brother of actor Randolph Scott, a native of Charlotte. The members of the Choir then viewed the RCA television exhibit at Radio City Music Hall, escorted by a group of Boy Scouts, and would later meet Mayor William O'Dwyer.

On the editorial page, "Education Bill Dangers" applauds General Eisenhower for having stated in a letter to Representative Ralph Gwinn of New York, member of the House Labor Committee which had approved the education bill recently, his opposition to Federal aid to education except where poorer states without sufficient tax revenue could show need. While General Eisenhower's letter would likely not sway the Congress, it had raised issues of which the American people, suggests the piece, ought be made aware, regarding the paternalistic strings potentially attached to the aid.

"Resort Wins Its Case" applauds the victory by Resort Air Lines in obtaining authority from the Civil Aeronautics Board to operate on flights from the U.S. overseas in conducting all-expense vacation tours. The company of veterans headquartered in Southern Pines, N.C., had waged a three-year fight and had overcome great odds to achieve its authorization. Other airlines had picked up the idea and were planning to operate their own tours. Resort, unlike the major airlines, would not be subsidized by the Government and so it was all the more reason that it should be given a chance to operate.

"ECA's Critical Stage" tells of ERP administrator Paul Hoffman urging Congress not to reduce the allocation for ERP aid further than it had already been reduced, from 370 million dollars per month to 322 million, lest the economy backfire by causing the program to have to continue longer. As it was, the four-year program would probably be four billion dollars less than the originally estimated 17 billion dollars.

The piece finds Mr. Hoffman to be an able businessman, former head of Studebaker, and therefore deserving more weight for his opinion than that of Senator Kenneth McKellar, one of the chief advocates for additional economy.

The New York Times had reminded that the purpose of the program was not charity, but to aid Europe in rebuilding, to provide security for the world, that it was better to spend for peace than to have to spend much more for a future war.

A piece from the New York Times, titled "The Whippoorwill", tells of the bird which could not sing but whose call was known and admired by most Americans. It gave its three-note call redundantly until it had to catch its breath and then resumed. Waiting for the call and hearing none was as maddening as the monotony of it each evening.

The second installment appears in the series from Fortune anent the Hoover Commission Report, making recommendations on reorganization of the Government to cut waste and bureaucratic redundancy. Good administration, it posits, required a clear line of command from top to bottom and an equally clear line of responsibility and accountability from bottom to top. Adequate staff was also essential. Good administrators with good workers under them was a requirement. And the administrator had to be free to exercise initiative and enterprise in adapting his organization to changing situations. A budgeting and accounting system were also necessary.

All of these factors had been identified by the Hoover Commission as weaknesses of the Federal Government. The following articles in the series would provide the recommendations for the specific areas of the Government.

For the President, the Commission recommended a personal adviser, an economic adviser to replace the three-man Council of Economic Advisers, a new staff secretary, authority to reorganize his office freely and determine the membership and assignments of Cabinet and Cabinet-level committees, plus adequate funding to provide for special citizen advisory committees and occasional consultants and personal advisers.

Drew Pearson tells of Mao Tse-Tung having become bitterly anti-Russian. It resulted from the Russians having moved into the seaport of Dairen in North China when the Nationalists had left. Mao wanted the Chinese Communists to take over the Chinese part of Dairen, the other part having been been given to Russia by agreement of the Big Four. But the Russians refused. Mao had come to believe that under the Russian-Communist system, China might not have as much land as under capitalism.

Vice-President Alben Barkley's son-in-law, Max Truitt, a law partner to former Attorney General Homer Cummings, had been cashing in on his family ties, representing in the process such nefarious persons as Generalissimo Francisco Franco of Spain, Rafael Trujillo of the Dominican Republic, and, indirectly, Juan Peron of Argentina.

Often, the Vice-President opposed the position taken by his son-in-law's representation.

Congress would likely cut in half the President's proposal to put 20 million more people on the Social Security rolls, nixing his proposed addition of farm workers, members of the armed services, casual domestic servants, and other smaller employee groups. Minimum pensions of $25 per month would likely be implemented, raising the level from $10, but the maximum would likely only be raised from $82.50 to $100 instead of $150. The payroll tax would be raised from two to three percent to help pay for the increased benefits.

Joseph Alsop discusses the Senate-House Atomic Energy Committee investigation into the allegations of mismanagement of the Atomic Energy Commission, charges brought by Senator Bourke Hickenlooper. The obsession with secrecy in the country had exaggerated relatively minor differences between commissioner Lewis Strauss and the other four members of the Commission.

The major issues were not in dispute on the Commission. The primary area of difference was in foreign policy, what radio-isotopes to send to foreign countries, to what extent to carry the Anglo-Canadian-American partnership in atomic energy, whether Britain ought produce atomic weapons given the proximity to Europe, and the like. The Strauss dissents had been ballooned out of proportion by the power interests, inimical to chairman David Lilienthal.

That which made the investigation of the Committee appear foolish was the fact that 1952 had been adopted by the Joint Chiefs as the target date by which Russia would have the atomic bomb. Many experts regarded the date as too early. Britain believed it would not be the case until 1957.

Regardless of when the Russians obtained the bomb, the issue was not secrecy but military strength and wise national policy. Secrecy and concern over "subversives" were false concerns. The same men who were most concerned about such matters also favored "feeble and foolish" foreign and defense policies. The Politburo, he posits, would gladly accept the latter and forgo the atomic secrets entirely.

Marquis Childs tells of HUAC having been prodded for inactivity, now suddenly having issued through chairman John Wood a letter to nearly every institution of higher learning, requesting lists of textbooks and their authors. The letters were sent to large private institutions, such as Harvard and Vassar. Smaller institutions, as well as secondary and primary school systems, were asked for lists of their textbooks. The request was narrowed in scope for the larger institutions, limiting the request to American literature, geography, economics, government, philosophy, history, political science and other social sciences.

The stimulus for the action appeared to be the obsession with subversive activities, especially as such doctrines were perceived to be taught in the schools, though the pressure had come from those who believed that anything which differed from the propaganda of the National Association of Manufacturers was "subversive". In some instances, those pushing for the investigation were patriots of advanced years who had seen the New Deal as part of a Communist plot. Others were cynical opportunists deliberately whipping up fears about education to serve their own political ends, sometimes as subversive as Communism.

If HUAC received responses from all of the letters, the volume of material submitted would be too great on which to make any intelligent decision. In about 30 states, a board approved of the textbooks for the public schools. In other states, the county or local school boards made the choices.

HUAC had received a petition from the National Council of the Sons of the American Revolution demanding an investigation of the nation's textbooks, in response to a resolution passed at its most recent convention. Representative Wood downplayed the importance of the letter and said that the Committee would decide whether the textbooks were in any manner subversive.

Mr. Childs regards it as an ominous move as it would, regardless of the Committee's action, further increase fear and doubt among the people, with its concomitant demoralization.

He cautions about the pending Federal aid to education bill, that it could lead to policing of teaching. He believes, however, that it was necessary to provide Federal financial aid. And those who opposed it also wanted the Government to become a thought police.

A pome appears from the Atlanta Journal, "in Which Is Revealed What Usually Happens When Teen-Agers Are Introduced:

"When girl meets boy
They both act coy."

A second pome appears "in which is given a piece of advice with regard to not catching a cold:

"Get out of that breeze
At the very first sneeze."

But infinitives, cold or no, do not split,
Or, in English, sound as a stupid, little git.

Regarding gerunds, though, they're alright.
So, gesundheit.

A third pome appears "in which is pointed out the value at times of a tight-lipped Policy in human relations:

"You'll avoid many a trap
By not opening your yap."

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