Evening star., 1951-07-18

the Office OF De fenSe M0biliZati
leviate suffering and to put the
community back on its feet again"
Pick Wants Remedy.
Gen. Pick declared that ".these
floods need not have occurred.
We have got to impound these
flood waters up in the upper
reaches of the basins :. to pre-
vent catastrophes such as you
have seen in Kansas and Missouri
it can be done. And the cost
is nothing to the damage which
has occurred here in the last four
or five days"
Charles e. Wilson. defense
mobilization chief who was on
the tour, said the President "has
ordered an organizational setup
that we hope is going to enable
us to cope with the situation and
deal with the States officials in
trying to alleviate the really awful
conditions that this flood has
caused"
With President Truman on the
flight to his native State were Mrs
Truman and their daughter, Mar
garet, Mr.. Wilson and several
members OF the White House staff
Mrs. Truman and Margaret left
the plane at Grandview airport tc
motor to their home at Independ.
ence, Mo-, where they plan te
spend the remainder of the sum-
mer. The President then took of
Immediately to tour the remainder
of the flood zone in Kansas anc
Oklahoma.
Flood Worst He's Seen.
AS his plane paused at tht
Grandview airport. Mr.. Truman
who UP to that point had seer
only the flooded area along thu
Missouf: River between Kansa.
City and ST. Louis, commented:
The flood is terrible-awful
It's the worst thing ] have evel
SEEN" sst
At that point. the President had
seen nothing of the devastation
in the Kansas River valley where
Topeka, Kans., alone, had suffered
la loss Of at least $500 million.
Mr.. Truman got his first
glimpse of the disaster at st. Loui!
where the muddy Missouri wa.
pouring its torrents into the Mis-.
tsissippi. All along the Missouri
in his flight to Kansas City, ths
picture was the same-a swoller
river oyerfiowing its dikes inte
Ilowlands, small communities. fac.
tories and homes.
Watches With Field Glasses.
President Truman watched in,
tently through field glasses as tn,
Independence banked from sid'
to side to give Mr.. Truman ant
his party the fullest view of thl
desolation below.
! On the second phase of his tour
Mr.. Truman got a steady briefinl
from Gen. Pick and other Fedora
officials who boarded the Inde.
pendence at Grandview.
| But no finger pointing wa
needed to emphasize the awe
some picture.
Beginning at Kansas City tn,
President saw at least ! million
acres-much like the acres h
titled at Grandview himself in tn
1920s-under countless tons o
water.
| Sees Scene of Desolation.
Kansas City itself looked from
the air like a bright and shining
toy village with Its low-lying in
dustrial sections half-submerge,
in mud puddle.
Gas tanks great industria
plants s. radio towers :. stree
car tops stood desolate in a re
ceding reservoir of river water.
The President returned to Gran,
view from the 2-hour- -35-minut
tour at 5;37 pm. Before takin
loft for Washington at 1857 pm
1.-THE President hurried to indie
Ipendence to cast his ballot for
Isl, ,750 900 bond proposal to bull
new bridges, fire stations an
other improvements in his hom
town. One proposal. $3.50. 900 70
Ia new city hall. lost because it di
mot get the required two-third
majority, but SIS million was ap
proved. President Truman sal
lhe voted for the entire proposal.