Evening star., 1953-03-15

partment thought "Messer
Marco Polo" an excellent ro-
mantle novel. New England
has the lions share among
Americans with Hawthorne.
Thoreau, MarQuand. Park
man, Cannon, Rich and En-
erson on hand. There is, how
ever, a fair distribution Of
other regional material. Two
Guthrie novels on the West
and an Ernest Haycox; Sin
clair Lewis ''Dodsworth" for
the midwest, Marjorie Kin
an Rawlings South Moon
Under" and for Texas Hold
Autumn in Your Hand" by
George Sessions Perry.
Novelists include Ellen Glas-
Cow ("Vein of Iron"), r. Scott
Fitzgerald ("The Great Cats
by"), Edna Ferber ("Saratoga
Trunk~, Paul Calico ("The
Lonely"), Christopher Morley
('"Thunder on the Left"),
Pearl Buck ("The Good
Earth~, Mark Twain ("Tom
Sawyer") and John Hersey
CA Bell for Adano").
It seems on the whole an
admirable and enlightened
cross section of some of the
happiests aspects Of western
civilization.
Presentations Proerom
Another phase of State De-
partInent information opera
tions that shouldn't offend
any one except maybe the
SovietS is the presentation
program. This is a project
which puts into the hands of
selected opinion -molders" all
over the world the latest and
most telling in pro-American
and anti-Soviet literature.
For instance, 10000 copies
of Edward Hunters Brain
Washing in Red China" went
out recently. AS a follow-up,
"The Reds Take a City," by
Riley and Schramm, a blow
by-blow account of the Red
occupation of Seoul was sent.
1.-The God That Failed" an
anti Communist anthology
edited by Richard Crossman;
1.-The Room on the Route" a
vividly realistic novel of life
in present-day Russia by Cod
frey Blunden, and Koestler's
Darkness at Noon" (until
recently, were made available
to public affairs officers for
distribution throughout the
world.
Thomas E. Dewey'S Journey
to the Far Pacific" went out
to a selected list. So did John
Foster Dulles "War or Peace"
and What Eisenhower
Thinks" by Allan Taylor.
Alistair Cookies witty view Of
us, "One Mans America" was
widely distributed.
The U. S. Steel Company's
25th anniversary volume,
"Steel Serves the Nation" was
handed around. The company
presented 5000 copes for the
pose. Technical books are in
heavy demand, and a donation
by Government Services. Inc.
of 100000 U. S. Armed Forces
Institute manuals was pressed
into service.
Non -lnflommoble Titles
None of these titles at first
blush would seem likely to set
off inflammable congressional
wrath, although you never
know. They seem, instead,
more likely to confirm an opin-
ion voiced by publisher who
said that, if the Department
erred, it was on the side of
conservatism rather than rad
icalism.
BY way Of example, two
novels of unquestioned literary
merit, Irwin Shaw's "The
Young Lions" and Ralph Ell
lison's Invisible Man." would
not be sent out by the State
Department. Shaw is one Of
the finest younger novelists in
America, but his book depicts
realistically anti-semitism in
the army. Ellison's first novel
recently won the fiction prize
of the National Book Awards.
It also adds up to an indict-
ment of communist exploita-
tion of minority groups in
America. Yet, because 1t shows
in strong detail anti-Negro
discrimination, it is not con-
sidered suitable for overseas
reasons.
Why" asked q department
spokesman, should we send
out books which show our dis
NAL faults when the Russians
are telling about them all the
time?"
Which reminds us that these
are propaganda rather than
fine arts endeavours.