The Charlotte News

Saturday, March 24, 1956

FOUR EDITORIALS

Site Ed. Note: The front page reports that Secretary of State Dulles this date, in a statement via television and radio, reported to the nation of his first-hand impressions regarding conditions in Asia, where he had visited ten countries during the previous three weeks, saying, "If we wish to see the free world preserved and enlarged, we must help, or forces of despotism will take control," and that he was "encouraged" about the future of Asia despite "Soviet and Chinese economic tactics" being a danger. He said that the one spot in the Far East where "conflict most threatens" was in the area of Formosa and that the U.S. was working "patiently and persistently" to obtain agreement with the Communists on a renunciation of force there. He said that he had returned convinced more than ever of the "vital importance" of U.S. foreign aid, both past and future, but assured that the country had no desire to dominate other nations, did not seek ties of mutual defense with any country unless that country wanted such ties, and wanted only the independence and improvement of the free nations. His address was designed both as an appeal for American support of Administration foreign policy, particularly the foreign aid program presently before Congress, and partially as a reassurance to Asian peoples of American respect for their aims and way of life. The President had asked Congress for authority to pledge up to 100 million dollars per year for the ensuing decade to long-term foreign construction projects, with that request, along with the increase in the size of the program, drawing sharp Congressional criticism. Mr. Dulles also said that Russia was trying to insinuate its technical experts into key positions in lands which the Russians hoped to dominate, and that they were playing on Asian fears of Western colonialism, while holding out bright promises of economic assistance and industrial development. He said that he had found that the leaders were quite aware of the danger of penetration by international communism and of the fact that Soviet and Chinese Communist "economic lures generally had a hook and line attached" which led to Moscow or Peiping.

In Paris, Premier Guy Mollet declared to a group of about 20 visiting American editors and commentators this date that "some kind of arms embargo" had to be established for the Middle East under the auspices of the U.N. The group had toured North Africa, the Middle East and through part of Europe, with some of them expecting subsequently to visit Russia.

In New York, it was reported that Marshal Tito, President of Yugoslavia, was a big winner from Communist Party Secretary Nikita Khrushchev's earlier denunciation of Joseph Stalin, as diplomatic sources in New York indicated that Tito could have played a key role in persuading top Soviet leaders to denounce Stalin for his rule of terror. Later in the year, Tito was scheduled to visit Moscow, though he had been one of the few Communist leaders who had ever defied Stalin and lived. Only a little more than three years earlier, prior to the death of Stalin in March, 1953, Soviet newspapers had depicted Tito in cartoons as a dog and an executioner in a Gestapo uniform. Pravda, the Communist Party newspaper, now referred to him respectfully as "Comrade Tito" whenever it discussed the events in Yugoslavia. The rapprochement between Tito and the Kremlin had begun soon after the death of Stalin, at first moving slowly, until diplomatic relations were normalized with Yugoslavia. Eventually, Premier Nikolai Bulganin and Secretary Khrushchev had visited Belgrade the previous year, a trip initiated by the Soviets and accepted by Tito. Upon arrival, Mr. Khrushchev had made a statement at the airport taking the blame for the Soviet Union having caused the difficulties between the two countries, saying that it had been the fault of the executed police chiefs, L. P. Beria and Victor Abakumov. That trip had resulted in a general understanding between the two men and it was believed that Tito had made it clear to Mr. Khrushchev that there would have to be an open break with Stalinism before Yugoslavia could consider moving closer to the Soviet camp.

In Tunis, it was reported that opponents of the powerful National Front had called for massive abstentions the following day, when Tunisia would elect its first legislature under its new status of enlarged home rule. The National Front was expected to sweep all 98 seats in the new National Assembly, as other principal groups had refused to offer a slate of candidates. The Communists had put forth about 20 candidates, primarily for propaganda reasons. Tunisia had 750,000 eligible voters, all males.

In Rising Sun, Ind., two husky woodsmen battled each other with an ax, an iron coal stove shaker, a hatchet and knives the previous night, before one of them was stomped to death by the other. The deceased, about 60, had been hit on the head with the back of an ax, slashed across the throat with a pocket knife and beaten with a coal shaker before being stomped on the head, chest and stomach, according to the sheriff. The other man, 40, was being held without charge, and he had also been hit in the head with the backside of an ax but was not injured seriously. He had gone to a neighbor's house carrying a partially filled jug of wine and told the neighbor that he had been in a fight with his friend, the deceased. A deputy said that he had found a third man, 65, asleep in the bedroom of the three-room home where he lived with the deceased. He told deputies that he had witnessed the fight but then had gone to bed, indicating that it had started with an argument, the origin of which he was unaware. He said that the three men had been drinking heavily for about three days.

In Whiteville, N.C., an unemployed carpenter was charged with robbing a branch bank in Jacksonville the prior April 14. The man had once driven a laundry truck in Jacksonville. He was also charged with kidnaping a Whiteville woman. Almost half of the robbery loot, $12,800 of $28,900, had been recovered by FBI agents at a hiding place in Bladenboro, after the man had disclosed to the agents where it was, in a safe. A .22-caliber revolver, the type used in the holdup, had been recovered in a cardboard box with the money.

A storm out of New England, which had brought a forecast of 5 to 10 inches of snow, was moving down the Atlantic Seaboard this date, threatening the Carolinas with more cold weather the following day, with the Weather Bureau indicating that temperatures were already beginning to drop, forecasting a low of 30 degrees the following day in Charlotte. It was the third storm in nine days to hit the Northeast. By midmorning, 5 inches of snow had been recorded in northern Connecticut, 3 inches in Rhode Island and in Boston, with 8 inches in Jamestown, N.Y., and 5.1 inches at Syracuse, bringing the season's total in the latter city to a record 131.4 inches. Rain changed to snow in New York City, where the temperature dropped from 40 to 30 early in the morning. The streets of the city had only recently been cleared of the previous weekend's 18.1-inch snowfall, with the Weather Bureau predicting that the current snow would quickly melt after 2 to 4 inches had fallen.

In New York, it was reported that NBC had announced that evangelist Billy Graham and his group would appear on its radio network as a sponsored program starting April 22. Previously, all religious programming on NBC had been presented on a noncommercial basis, but the Graham program would be heard on a weekly series, called "Hour of Decision", which would last for half an hour each Sunday morning and would be sponsored by Walter F. Bennett Co., a Chicago agency which handled religious accounts. NBC said that its decision to accept the program on a commercial basis had been made after the network had polled member and affiliate stations. The network did not disclose how many stations had agreed to broadcast the program.

Charles Kuralt of The News follows up on his story appearing the previous day on the front page regarding 19-year old Sung Nak Pil of Pusan in South Korea, who had befriended a former G.I., Jack Pentes, a local commercial artist in Charlotte, while the latter had been a soldier in the Korean War. After the story had appeared, Mr. Pentes was overwhelmed with telephone calls from people who wanted to pay Sung's $100 entrance fee to Pusan National University, which Sung had sought in a letter from Mr. Pentes, who had explained to Mr. Kuralt in the earlier story that he would like to provide but had his own obligations in establishing his new business. As a result of the inquiries, however, a cabdriver, a salesman, a business executive, a former G.I. and a group of civic club members, plus many other Charlotte residents, were going to pool their resources to provide the $100 needed by April 1, with enough left over for Sung to purchase his student uniform, books and to pay a month of tuition costs. The special children's fund of the Variety Club had volunteered the $100. A cab driver said that he would contribute two dollars so that someone else could obtain the education that he had never received. A woman had called to say that she would try to raise some money at her church circle meeting. A salesman had offered to contribute $10, and a Korean War veteran from Belmont, who had once been stationed in Pusan, said that he would like to contribute $25. A Charlotte businessman, after learning of those gifts, said that he wanted to contribute the $100 anyway, so that Sung could have tuition funds for the weeks to come. The crucial $100 was to be mailed or cabled this night so as to arrive on time by April 1.

Helen Parks of The News reports that a 15-hour nightmare had ended for the Mozarteum Orchestra from Salzburg, Austria, after early in the morning, a three-state alarm had gone out for the Orchestra's wayward truck bearing its instruments, which had failed to arrive in Greenville, S.C., for the scheduled performance the previous night, forcing its cancellation and the full house to be sent home. The truck was eventually located in Charlotte, where the driver had come when he gave up trying to find Greenville, N.C., which he mistook as the destination. The Orchestra was scheduled to perform in Charlotte during the afternoon and the members said that they did not have anything with them except their toothbrushes. The booking agents had arranged for the local Symphony and Opera Association musicians to provide their instruments at the Auditorium for the performance in case the truck had not been found, and also planned to call Greenville radio stations to have them broadcast an invitation to this night's performance for any of those who had not been able to attend the performance in Greenville the previous night. The all-Mozart program was in commemoration of Mozart's 200th birthday, January 27, 1756.

In Washington, it was reported that David Walter, chairman of the board of the Symphony of the Air out of New York, had stated that there was no basis to allegations of Communism against some of the orchestra's members, the charges having caused the State Department to cancel a projected good will tour by the orchestra, which the Department had sent to Asia the previous year. Mr. Walter said that there may have been one or two disgruntled people who were "peeved and set the thing in motion". Robinson McIlvaine, deputy assistant Secretary of State for public affairs, had testified in an executive session before the House Appropriations Committee the previous week that the FBI had uncovered derogatory information about 30 persons of the 100-member orchestra. The group had formerly been under the leadership of Maestro Arturo Toscanini and was heard on the NBC network, but was now playing on a freelance basis.

Emery Wister of The News indicates that with public ice-skating having been a success in its first week at the new Charlotte Coliseum, the chances were good that more such skating time would be allotted the public the following month. Ice up your skates.

If you can't ice skate, you can always dust off your old horn and seek to hit the high note.

In Tokyo, the influential Tokyo Shimbun newspaper suggested this date that local governments had missed one source of income, a tax on golfers, with the newspaper saying that local governments had taxed dogs, pigs, automobiles, timber cutting and had plans to tax cats, cameras and electric fans, urging that the Japanese who played golf considered it as a sign of a privileged person and that they should be taxed, stating that, generally speaking, taxes ought be taken from those who could afford them.

In Santa Monica, Calif., a Superior Court judge decreed that three cats could not inherit the $1,600 willed to them by their late mistress, who had 17 cats and had left the major portion of her $50,000 estate in trust to her sister. A contest of the will was filed by a couple, whose relationship to the deceased is not provided by the story. The judge ruled that the bequest was invalid because California law did not permit animals to inherit money.

On the editorial page, "Stopper Needed for a Legal Loophole" finds that there was a need to plug the loophole for the state's financial responsibility law, permitting drivers who had an accident and had not been able to show financial responsibility to continue to drive, notwithstanding the provision mandating loss of the driver's license for a year, while a petition was pending before the Superior Court, to challenge loss of the license.