The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1951-06-27
Key West School Youths Above
A,erage In Achievement Tests
U2CoHTo PbiIV1yAe5Dste,pse
Proposals Ambor VIII Use Pen
Washington Not
Ready For Full
Scale C.iUiiIinn
Defense Plan
BY SUSAN MeAvoY

Philip Wylie, best-seIling and
versatile writer is going back to
writing books after months spent
as would be man of action trying
to persuade the Congress. Civil-
ian Defense leaders and the milI-
tary. that they should prepare
Americans for the horrors of
atomic warfare.
Il know can get this important
message over to the American
people through my writing" said
Wylie at his Coral Gables home.
Il know cannot get the Govern
ment 10 take the necessary action
to prepare the people to meet the
horrors that will come. l hit a
blank wall in Washington"
Wylics last two books, THE
Disappearance" and Opus 81"
have. both had the theme that
since August. l945 when the at
omic, age began, Americans arc
living on borrowed time.
we could cut casualties by 20
percent il we prepared the people
psYeholagically and physically for
what will happen when the atom
bomb strikes"
The lean greying Lincnlnesque
.Wylie, lighted a cicaret inpatient
lg,
but they-the-powers- that be
wont undertake such a civilian
defense program.
q, WylieiS next book will tell what
he thinks the American people
should do to prepare nnmfor what
he considers .sn inevitable atomic.
attack. He wiIEsalsoi elaborate on
some of the longrrun theories Of
human devctopnentthat have run
like continuous threads through,
bis latest books and articles.
Sitting ia his magnificent mod
ern homo with his beautiful wife
"Ricky' who decorated tho Coral
Gables house in her favorite pur-
pie and chartreuSc. Wylic slipped
his favorite black coffee while
interviewed him,
His old friend Ted Lessen, was
responsible for obtaining the
hard-to-get interview, Wylie and
his wife have tried to protect
themselves from z a. m telephone
calls, sightseerS clomping over
their lawn. and unwanted but en-
thusiastie fishing fans, by moving
away from. Miami Beach to an
isolated section Of Coral Gables.
While Lessen and'Wylie brought
each other npato date on the is
years that have interviewed since
their old days in Greenwich vim
agcJ 'Ricky" Wylje showed Ruth
Bowen and me. through the mos
conf etable mndern house l hav,
ever sec |
She pointed to the broad acre
age Of palmetto that separates the
WyIics from their nearest neigh
Dor.
"Wc hope to build a swimming
pool here Sometime--Now am
happy to have some land in which
to garden"
Back in the cool, high ceilineed
living room, for a moment then
Philip Wylic showed us his corn-
pact and book lined study, his
daughter karen's room, the guest
room. and the huge master bed
room on the second floor. All car
ried out the chartreuse color
scheme with contrasting fnschias
or violet shades.
Tho prolific writer OF more
than 80 books and hundreds OF ar
ticles, short stories and essays,
though discouraged about the ifIie.
mediate future of the world, IS
hopeful abou, tho next two or
three centuries.
"The dark Ages didn't end with
the renaissance. as We have had
been led to believe. We are still
in the dark ageS-We know so
little about man himself The
study Of MISUNDERSTANDING is
back where medicine was when
II was the study Of the four biles
This very knowledge Of
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