The Chronicle-star combined with the Moss Point advertiser., 1949-07-01
Inside
Washington

Tic lSSue OF IL, Dut Is quietly
pressing for the payment of in
demnity for the lives of Albert
Krefting of Seattle, Wash, and
T. J. H. O'Connor of Pasadena,
Cal, the two American mining
engineers who were killed
when rioting Bolivian tin min
ers held them as hostages.
There is no doubt that an
early settlement will be made,
probably with the mining com
panies footing the bill. Pay
ments are likely to be made
also to two engineers injured
in the rioting.
While Americans may look
askance at a situation requiring
the Bolivian government to
make payments for harm done
Americans who were in that
country of their own accord,
well-established principle calls
for payment by the host gov
eminent.
For instance. Americans held
hostage or injured by Chinese
Communists have always re-
ceived compensation from the
Chinese government on the the
DRY that the authorities are re-
sponsible for the maintenance
of law and order within their
borders.
In the Bolivian case, the pres
ent regime is friendly to the
United States and - as in in
Dictated by the recent disorders
is on shakv ground politically.
Nothing will be done to en-
barass the regime publicly,
thereby encouraging the al
ready strong revolutionary
movement.
The United States is building
is experimental planes, each
designed to go faster than its
predecessors until the last
reaches a speed of 1000 miles
an hour - two and one-half
times the speed of sound.
The first six planes. in this
series have been identified.
Several of the six are actually
flying. The first in the series
the Bell x-f-was the first to
break through the sonic bar
rier to reach a speed faster
than sound. Others which have
exceeded the speed of sound
are the x-2 and two Douglas
built craft-the D558, Marks I
and II.
According to the country's
top aeronautical engineers, who
are working on a program to
assure this country speed SUI
premacy and thereby insuper-
able air power. enough infor-
nation has been obtained now
to build a vast force of super
sonic planes if an emergency
arises.
These scientists, starting from
scratch two years ago, have as
sembled the data on a hitherto
unknown field of human en-
deavor They disclose that SUI
personic planes with speeds up
to 1900 miles an hour will have
swept-back wings, while above
that speed the wings will re-
turn to the "old-fashioned.
straight edge.
Americas new Secretary of
Defense, Louis Johnson, has
succeeded in getting himself in
the "doghouse" with many
members of the Senate and
House armed services commit
tees.
His troubles are not only with
Republicans, but also with the
Southern Democrats who hold
the chairmanships. The charge
against Johnson is that he is
too political"
On the bright side for John
son, however, is the fact that
the powerful Senator Willard
Tydings CD. Maryland, chair
man of the Senate committee,
does not hold this view very
strongly. Tydings. of all the
Southerners. is kindliest dis
posed toward the late James
Forrestal's successor.
However. the other Southern
ers on the committees are up in
arms against Johnson's move
to wipe out all segregation in
the armed forces. They are ex-
other class of our citizens. I'm
doubtedly. this proposed pro-
gram of public housing is the