The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-04-08

TOT them WnaC our Office of Indian Affairs has done for the American Indians on their reservations in Arizona and New Mexico.
 The story begins some ten years ago when the Institute of World Affairs, the private foundation es- tablished by the late plumbing king and practical philanthopist, Charles R. Crane, sent a young scholar and engineer, K. s. Twit- chell of Burlington, Vt, to Yemen, Arabia, to study the ways of of the people and see what he could learn from them or do for them. Twit- chell soon had them building roads and digging wells. And he promoted native arts and crafts.
 He travelled around Arabia good bit and in neighboring Saudi he struck up friendship with the old king, 1bn Saud. Twitchell began to act as an informal adviser to the king and in one of their many talks they hit the subject of what might be done to improve the Arabian desert and the Bedouin people. Where in the history of the world had there been similar civiliza- ton in a similar climate and what had been done to improve 1t?
 THE KING LISTENS
 Twitchell had an idea. He thought that the work of improving the lot of the American Indians of the semi-arid southwest might offer a parallel, The idea was presented to Ton Saud, who thereupon asked Twitchell to return to the United States, make a study of the situa- tion and bring him back a report.
 The Vermonter returned to the United States in February, 1941. He spent some tiTpe in Washington, studying the work of the Office of Indian Affairs in the Department of the Interior. Then he went On a tour of the Navajo, Pueblo, Apache, Papago and Pima reservations in Arizona and New Mexico, studying conservation of land and water, ir- rigation and the development of In- dian arts and crafts as 8 source of income. He took 8 lot of pictures and wrote big long report. On his return to Arabia, he presented the whole thing to the king, who was enthusiastic. Why couldn't similar things be done for his Bedouin tribesmen?
 With that beginning and lot of subsequent diplomatic dickering, a plan was finally worked out where by a couple of experts could be loaned to the Saudi Arabian gov ernment to see what could be de- veloped. A mission was created with State Department blessing. Twit- chell Is its chief, the other mem- berS being Albert L. Walthen, act ing chief of the engineering branch of the Indian Bureau, and James C.. Hamilton of Albuquerque, an agronomist in the Soil Conservation Service of the Department of Agri- culture. They have arrived safely at Jiddah, so news of the expedition can now be given.
 MAN FROM SOUTH
 GETS JOB
 With an official mission in Saudi Arabia, 1t became advantageous to have a U. s. legation on the job. Theoretically, Alexander c. Kirk has been accredited as minister to both Cairo and Jiddah, but with Kirk spending most of his time in teh increasingly important Egyp- tian post, the legation at Jiddah will be manned by James Sayle Nose, Jr., of Morrilltown, Ark, as secretary and charge d'affaires. Moose goes to Jiddah after service at other Near Eastern posts.
 All this is Lawrence of Arabia, stuff, with 8 1942 American twist. Lawrence went into Arabia in the last war as 8 political and military organizer. The Americans go in now as an economic and agricultural mission, trying to do something constructive in helping the people of Arabia to better way of living.
 Keeping Arabia as 8 friendly na- tion is just as important in this war as 1t was in the last. From the 1 American point of view, more SO. American supply lines now go up the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf, carrying munitions to the British in Africa and the Soviet in Asia. Let Arabia fall under Axis domination | n1aS1f1y V1af0It hapNan