Evening star., 1952-07-06
Herter Predicts
Suitable Wording
On Air Power
By ]. A. O'Leory
Sfur Stoff Correspondent

Stof StoH @OTOsPoHoeH
CHICAGO. July 5.-Signs of
possible disagreement among Re-
publican platform builders over
the extent to which air power
should be stressed in the national
defense plank appeared to be dis
appearing tonight.
Representative Herter of Mass
achusetts, an Eisenhower sup
porter, conferred late in the day
with platform drafters and said
he expected the reference to air
power to be worked out satisfac-
torily.
Earlier in the day he had raised
some question about the tentative
draft Of the defense plank. which
was said to place the accent on
air strength to check Communist
aggression. This has been one OF
the steps stressed by Senator
Taft Of Ohio, who has questioned
the wisdom Of attempting to cope
with Russian land armies.
Eisenhower Backs Air Power.
Gen. Eisenhower himself pro-
claimed his belief in the impor-
tance of air power at his first
press conference here this after
noon.
mo one has fought more for
air power than I have" said the
General. II can claim a fair
share of the credit for the fact
that it operates as a separate
branch today. I don't know what
the other concepts are, but know
it (air) is a dominant force in
war and must be maintained"
The defense plank also is un-
derStood to be silent on the sub
ject of universal military train
ing, and Gen. Eisenhower said
he did not regard that as a
"momentouS" question.
He explained that his reason
for saying that he does not see
how a UNIT system could be de-
vised now, while state of semi
war continues in Korea.
Civil Rights Troublesome.
The civil rights plank, however,
may yet give the Republicans
some trouble. Usually this issue
is troublesome only to the Demo-
Gratis. But this year the Repubh-
can subcommittee is divided
over the reference to FEPC.
The subcommittee has filed two
reports with the main platform
committee, which will have to iron
out the conflict.
1t is understood that the plank
recommended by the majority
does not propose a compulsory
federal FEPC, but a federal COM
mission to seek to eliminate dis
elimination in employment.
Other subcommittee members
are reported to feel that the plank
equivocates. They believe the
party should take a more definite
position against further central
ization Of control in the Federal
Government over problems that
should be settled at the state and
local level.
Only in Tentative Form.
The entire platform is still only
in tentative form.
The foreign policy subcommit-
tee, headed by Senator Millikin of
Colorado, meets again at 10 am.
tomorrow to go over a draft he
expects will be acceptable to both
the Taft and Eisenhower forces.
The foreign policy plank lists
mistakes the Republicans believe
the Truman administration has
made in world affairs since the
end of World War II, and outlines
a course of action G. O. P. leaders
believe would more effectively and
more economically cope with the
Communist threat.
The G. o. P. farm plank will
seek to take basic agricultural
policies out of politics by recon-
|mending that the politically ap-
pointed Secretary of Agriculture
be deprived of the power to fix
basic policies. The plank sug-
gests a non-partiSan board for
that purpose.
A tentative plank favors a re-
turn Of jurisdiction over the oil
rich tidelands to the States.
Indications are that the Repub-
licans again will give some recog-
milton to the plea of Washing
tonians for suffrage, as they did
four years ago.
Work on the platform will con-
tinue. and a final draft probably
will not be made public until
Tuesday or Wednesday.