davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1954-04-04
Present Danger

But the great danger to America
today is the possible outbreak of
a war with which this Nation
could not cope. It could retaliate
murderously against aggression
But if a war were to be fought on
Russian terms 1t could ruin us.
And Russian terms would parallel
quite exactly the concept of many
non-American powers. This con-
cept is based on roughly the fol-
lowing considerations:
/. Conventional war is bad.
2. Atomic war is worse.
8. Hydrogen war is worst Of all.
4. The use of the H-bomb in a
future war would mean the end of
civilization as we know it.
S. Therefore let us outlaw the
hydrogen bomb-even if we cannot
outlaw war-and fight any future
war with conventional weapons
only.
The American answer to this is
obvious. Conventional weapons
presuppoSe masses of men. The
Communist bloc outnumberS us in
manpower six to one. Therefore
we cannot diSarm ourselves in the
only area in which we have a
fighting chance.
It is unlikely that the United
States would use either the A-bomb
or the H-bomb in a localized stu
alton. But to give up these weap-
ons before the battle is joined
would be to drop our defense COM
pletely.
The United States defense policy,
however, is built around use of
nuclear weapons as a measure to
conserve manpower. Our military
concept Of massive retaliation"
would be meaningless without
atomic arrows in our quiver. We
would have to retaliate, in such an
event, not with bombs but with
men.
And this, President Eisenhower
and Secretary Dulles have made it
clear, we are not willing to do.
Yesterday, the United States and
Britain called for an early meeting
of the U. N. Disarmament Com
mission. But there was nothing
in this move to indicate that
America is planning to retreat
from its present position. The
commission handles not only H
bomb and A-bomb questions, but
also those concerning conventional
arms. Any conceivable American
plan would necessarily handle
disarmament as single issue, not
two issues-one nuclear, the other
non-nuclear.
Evening star., 1954-04-04

at feveriSh rate. Coincidentally,
but much more slowly, it has been
manufacturing and stockpiling
conventional weapons.
Today, if well informed OBJ
servers are correct, the Nation is
close to having complete and
well-balanced stockpile of nuclear
weapons, both in quantity and
quality. There is no way of guess
ing how many billions of dollars
or how many tons of fashionable
materials are tied up in this
stockpile.
No one expects that these weap-
ons will have to be used tomor-
row. But neither is any one GER
tain that they will not have to
be used in some more or less
immediate tomorrow.
Either way, the United States
should be in good shape. The ra-
dioactive substances that go into
atomic and hydrogen bombs do
not deteriorate; they lose their
punch so slowly that they are
still uSable thousands of years
after they are fabricated.
No matter how long America
must wait, it can sit on its stock
pile and know it is not deteriorat-
ing.
And If at some time in the
future genuine peace should be
assured, the nssionables in these
weapons could be taken apart and
put to peaceful uses Of a thousand
kinds.
To this extent, at least, the
United States cannot lose.
Evening star., 1954-04-04
Nuclei for Peace

There are two big differences
between fashionable atomic prod
ucts and conventional explosives:
1. In military application, nu-
clear weapons are so vastly more
potent than TINT as to be entirely
out of the latter's class.
2. Once manufactured into mill
tary tools, conventional explosives
are utterly worthless for any
other purpose.
Since the end Of World War II
the United States has been build
ing up q stockpile Of atomic arms
Evening star., 1954-04-04
Unemployment

Unemployment figures usually
follow seasonal ups and downs,
fiuctuating with the weather and
with holidays. In March there
usually is a downswing in unem-
ployment. Weather is better and
construction industries step up the
pace. Pre-Easter buying also
brightens the picture.
President Eisen wer two
months ago told a press conference
he expected the usual March trend
to ease the gloom in the unem-
ployment picture. If it didn't, he
added, he would consider emer-
gency pump-priming action
Last week, unemployment figures
as of the week ended March l3
were announced by the Census
Bureau. They didn't say yes; they
didn't say no. Unemployment
rose, but by only $4,000, compared
with monthly jumps of from 1885,
600 to 100000 since last October.
Total unemployment is 3,725, 1000.
In other words, there was a level
ing-off in March.
Department of Labor figures
confirmed this. 1t was announced
last week that new claims for
unemployment compensation had
declined by 1000 in the week of
March 27. Compared with total
new claims of 92,7OO, the decline
was negligible.
There was no indication that
the administration thought the
picture was bad enough to call for
emergency action or good enough
to announce an end to the recess
sion.
Evening star., 1954-04-04
Nuclei for War

"Mike"-the test device of Oper-
alton Ivy-was a touch-and-go
proposition. No one was sure, back
in 1852, whether it would even
work. And If it did work, no one
was sure what would happen. The
scientific men had pretty we'll
scotched the notion the device"
would set off a chain reaction in
the hydrogen of the water and air,
and thus destroy the world. But
beyond that, they had only theo-
retical frames of reference on
which to build their predictions.
Since Mike, the scientists have
learned lot about H-bombs.
Coupled with what theoreticians
already knew-and had made pub
lic-it| seems clear that H-bombs
now have been built in the range
of 1000 times the power of Hiro-
shima's. This seems near the
upper limit of usefulness
such a word can appropriately be
used about a weapon of annihila-
tion.
Rule of Thumb
In The Star of August 8, 1858,
DR.. George Gamow, professor of
theoretical physics at George
Washington University, offered a
rule-of thumb about nuclear
weapons and their effects:
. The range of incendidry action
varies as the square root of the
force.
The range of blast destruction
varies as the cube root of the force.
. The range of nuclear radiation
damage varies logdrithmically
with the force.
From this rule (and knowing
what we do about the basic Hiro-
shima bomb) it can be calculated
that soaring heat would be felt
IS miles from Point Zero in an ex-
plosion of a bomb 1000 times as
powerful as Hiroshima. Blast
damage would be destructive about
ii miles out. Radiation damage
would extend S15 miles.
But double the bomb, and make
1t 1000 times as powerful: Only
about 10 miles would be added to
its incendiary radius; its blast
area would be increased in radius
by only a few thousand yards,
and the radiation area would ex-
pand hardly at all.
For this reason, many observ-
erS believed last week that the
business Of making H-bombs big
ger and bigger was close to the
point Of diminishing returns. And
Atomic Energy Commission Chair
man Lewis L. Strauss indicated
last week that his top-secret
agency Is turning to thoughts of
peaceful uses Of atomic energy.
Evening star., 1954-04-04

TINE COMBINED talents of
l. Hollywood and the scientific
world gave Americans a look into
the heart of the hydrogen bomb
last week. And the American peo-
pie reacted predictably: They
seemed neither more nor less per-
turbed about the future than they
had been at the unveiling of the
atomic age nearly nine years ago.
Unexpectedly, a week ahead of
schedule, the Government was
forced to take the wraps off a
Technicolor film of "non-Secret"
portions Of Operation Ivy, the first
H-bomb explosion at Eniwetok in
the fall of 1852.
The bomb that exploded across
millions Of television screens last
week was perhaps 100 times as
powerful as the Hiroshima weapon
that hastened the end of World
War IL million tons of TINT
equivalent against 10000 tons. It's
f1reball was 31a miles in diameter.
It's mushroom cloud shot Is miles
into the air and spread across 100
miles of sky. It's blast effect caused
damage as far away as 10 miles
from Point Zero. The iSlet on
which it had rested vanished in
cloud of sun-hot gas, and in its
place was a hole a mile wide and
ITS feet deep.
Awesome statistics, yes. But the
edge was taken off these statistics
and off Thursdays f1lm-by the
fact that they we're utterly out
moded. Since November, 1852,
there has been a whole series of
shots. The one month ago must
have been six or seven times as
big as "Ivy." Another, fired off
March 26, was even more potent.
And still another blast, scheduled
for this month, is expected to be
more tremendous still.
The people of the United States
knew these facts. This knowledge
may have reduced the impact of
last weeks TV movie. Operation
Ivy was a tremendous spectacle,
all right. But the public was wit
Messing not an absolute" weapon
merely an obsolete weapon.
Evening star., 1954-04-04

full independence they cannot be
sure they are fighting for them
selves or for the hated French.
Chief of State Bao Dai, French
chosen head of Wet Nam, dealt the
nationalists another blow last week
with his plan to conf1ne his war
cabinet" and consultative assembly
to a hand-picked crew. The most
respected nationalists will not be
given voice in Bao Dai'S advisory
organs. With some ignored ma
tionalists already proposing
coalition with Wet Mimi Leader
Ho Chi Mini, the chances seemed
good that the Wet Namese would
remain badly split between their
hatred for rule by French stooge
and their fear of Communist con-
troll.
It is against this background of
insoluble theological confusion and
crucial military action in Indo-
China that the Big Four is making
its preparations to meet with Com
munist China at Geneva three
weeks from tomorrow.
Geneva Prospects
French Premier Joseph Laniel
has already stated his price for
negotiated peace in Indo-China.
1t is sufficiently high so that there
Is little prospect that the Commu-
nists will accept it. He wants the
Reds to withdraw completely from
Laos, Cambodia and all of Wet
Nam except the northern sector
on the fringe of the Tonkin Delta.
That would leave the Reds nothing
but northern mountains and
jungle. Ho Chi Mimi is not ex-
pected to accept.
But the French National Assem-
bly, is much more eager for peace.
If M. Laniel'S performance at
Geneva is not satisfactory, the
Assembly can ouSt his government
and replace it with one which will
not exact such a high price.
There is also the possibility that
M. Laniel will modify his terms
under pressure of French public
opinion. If he settles for less
Red occupation of the vital port
of Haiphong or Korea-type par
tition at the 10th parallel-both
the Wet Namese and the Ameri-
cans believe it will be only a
matter Of time before all Indo-
China falls. Subsequently, South
east Asia probably would come
under Communist sway.
There are indications, however,
that Red China, which appar-
emily speaks for the Wet Mini in
the same tone that France speaks
for Wet Nam, may have another
kind of deal in mind.
A Red economist, Chen Yum, re-
Gently made a statement in Pei
ping which is widely interpreted
as preparation for a withdrawal
of aid from the Wet Mini. Chen
remarked that temporary retreats
are sometimes unavoidable even
in Communist campaigns, as the
Russian Reds proved early in their
own revolution when they aban-
doned China. The aptness of the
analogy to the Wet MinhRed
China situation today is inescap-
able.
Western pundits are Speculating
that Communist China's price for
withholding aid to the Wet Mimi
land thus ending the war In Indo-
Evening star., 1954-04-04

ese and French Union defenders
were facing the acid test at Dien
Bien Phu. In Western minds the
. fortress has now become barom-
eter of the French will to carry
on the fight in all Indo-C China.
If Gen. de CaStries' troops win at
Dien Bien Phu, the theory goes,
the home-front morale will be
propped up enough so that there
will be no sellout at the Geneva
conference on Far Eastern affairs
later this month. If De CaStries
loses, however, it is feared that
France will trade too much to
bring the conflict to an end.
The outcome hangs on the
weather. Gen. de CaStrieS has
told his men to stand and fight to
the death. He has the cream of
the French Unions crack Foreign
Legion as cadre for the predom-
inantly Wet Namese platoons and
companies under his command.
The Communists are attacking in
sdroves. With manpower odds
against him ranging from 4 to l
to 8 to l, Gen. de Castries needs
periodic reinforcements. Since the
Wet Mimi have him surrounded
on the saucer-shaped fiat, re-
placements must be brought in by
air, either dropped by parachute
or landed precariously on the one
intermittently operated airstrip
still in Franco-Viet Namese hands.
With a reasonable break in the
weather-that is, not too long a
stretch of soupy skies-Gen. de
Castries should get the help that
will enable him to hold.
Combodio
A new military development
unrelated to the Diem Bien Phu
action was reported Friday in
Cambodia. Wet Mini troops were
reported to have invaded the
northern provinces of that here
tofore untouched associated state
of the French Union. Reports on
the action there were sketchy.
What the Communists hoped to
gain also was unclear. There was
speculation that they we're setting
up in Cambodia in the hope of
extracting French concessions at
Geneva in return for withdrawing.
Both this excursion into Cam
bodia (total population 3 million)
and earlier thrustS into Laos (pop-
plation is million) are still side
shows, however, for the main event
in Wet Nam population % mil
lion).
Spiritual Crisis
There the campaign to get
wholehearted Wet Namese sup
port for the war effort sputtered
along at its usual unconvincing
rate. Prince Buu Loc, Prime Min
lister, came back to Saigon from
Paris without any more independ-
ence for his people than when he
left. The French would have none
of his proposal to give Wet Nam
commonwealth status. That leaves
Wet Nam still subject to French
control in important phases of
foreign affairs. prime example:
All United States military aid to
Wet Nam is routed through the
French.)
Wet Namese nationalistS are
saying openly that unless they get
Evening star., 1954-04-04

ers. This was significant for two
reasons:
Q It extended American policy to
resist not only Communist Chi
nese military conquest Of Indo-
China and Southeast Asia, but
political conquest as we'll.
. It openly fouted French wishes
that Indo-China be kept a private
affair.
On Wednesday President Eisen-
hover reported that "as usual he
and his Secretary of State were in
complete accord. But the PreSi-
dent added he couldn't imagine
any greater disadvantage to Amer
lea than to use our ground forces
meeting each little situation as it
arose.
Present Position
Newsmen spent the rest of the
week trying to sift the wheat
from the chaff. AS Of this week
end most of them concluded our
position is this:
We think Indo-Ch is so i'm
portant that we would seek some
form of free-world action to pre-
vent its fall to communism. But
for the present we want local
peoples (the Wet Namese, Cambo-
dianS and Laotians) and neighbor-
ing nations more directly affected
(the Thai, Burmese, Filipinos,
Chinese NationaliStS, Indians,
Pakistanis) to wake up to the
danger and take a more active
role in helping France resist the
Reds. The tacit implication is that
we stand ready to equip any inter-
national forces which elect to come
to the defense of the Wet NameSe
and any other, associated states
who need assistance. Quite con-
spicuously, involvement of Amer
lean troops is not ruled out.
The administration is trying to
avoid the Scylla of downgrading
Indo- -China's Importance (thereby
losing free world support for the
war there) and the Charybdis
of overplaying it's Importance
(thereby alarming Congress and
the American people about send
ing troops to a new foreign war;.
Mr.. Dulles last week threw out
the first hint to people in this
country that our new world-lead-
ership responsibilities might very
we'll ultimately require our send
ing men to help keep the Commu-
nists out of Southeast Asia.
But that is at present a far-off
prospect. No matter how the fight
ing goes at Diem Bien Phu, the
French and Wet NameSe have the
manpower and other resources
(from the United States) to beat
the Wet Mimi. In the American
view, what they need most is Cd
the will to win, both among people
in Indo-China and among people
in France, and f2) the determine
ton to train large numbers of Wet
Namese troops swiftly. If these
two qualities are attained, official
Washington has great hopes that
the French plan for victory in
Indo- China by 1856 can be brought
to fruition.
Diem Bien Phu
Meanwhile newly promoted
Brig. Gen. Christian de Castries
and his brave band of Wet Nam
Evening star., 1954-04-04
NATO

A more alert Soviet foreign
office might have warned the
Kremlin last week that Thursday
was April FOOLS day In many of
the NATO countries.
But apparently there was no
warning. On Wednesday the So
Wet leaders dropped a fat wallet
on the sidewalk, tied clearly to a
bigger, fatter BOBBY trap.
What the Russians did was this:
They handed American, British
and French ambassadors identical
notes offering to welcome the
United States into the Iron Cur
tain counterpart of NATO. And if
the United States joins the So
Wet bloc, the Reds said, Russia
will probably be willing to join
the Western bloc. Thus, they an
nounced happily, international
tensions will be eaSed.
BY sundown April FOOLS day
there were outlaws and smiling
mo, thank youS" from all Big
Three capitals. They pointed out
the joker in the Soviet offer:
NATO is a Western defense
against Soviet aggression. The
Iron Curtain alliance purports to
be defense against Western
aggression. So the only practical
aim the Russians could have for
wanting to enter the Western camp
would be sabotage. If her inten-
tions were peaceful, and If she
were convinced the Vests inten-
tions were peaceful, then there
would be no need for either alli-
ance, and no need for any one to
join the Opposition"
There were two lines of Specu-
lation on Russia'S motives:
/. The Reds wanted to dangle
more peace talk. before the Euro
peans and further delay ratifica-
ton of EDO and strengthening of
NATO. (EDC did receive a setback
last week when French seven-star
Marshal AlphonSe-Pierre JUN was
fired by the French cabinet for
speaking against EDO without
permission of the government. 1t
was not known whether Marshal
JUN would also lose his high
NATO post.)
2. They are sincere in wanting
a lessening of tensions.
But If the latter is the case, then
there are plenty of opportunities
through the United Nations to
prove that sincerity.
The West last week was still
holding out for deeds, not April
Fool tricks.
Evening star., 1954-04-04

after meeting, supposedly, the lofty
standards laid down by Senator
Mundt, acting chairman of the
subcommittee. Mr.. Sears was an
nounced as rare individual who
was able and alert, who had a
national reputation and who had
never stated an opinion, publicly
or privately, on either Senator
Mccarthy or Army brass.
Senator Mundt vouched for Mr..
Sears ability, and Mr.. Sears him.
self vouched for his past detach-
ment from the controversy over
"McCarthyism."
Only minutes after the applause
had died down, however, news
papermen began producing bits Of
evidence which added up to an
entirely different picture. Mr..
Sears, it seems, long has been an
active and vocal supporter of
Mccarthy and McCarthyism. For
instance:
. The Boston Herald of November
10, 1852, quoted Mr.. Sears as say
ing, "The Senator Mccarthy has
done a great job, and he will con-
tinue to do so as he drives the
pinks and Commies out of the
Government. =. Why, there
would be 200 more Communists
in the Government II 1t wasn't
for Mccarthy"
. Mr.. Sears, according to Boston
newspapers, started q campaign
fund drive for Senator Mccarthy
IN 1852.
. He actively took Senator Nc
Carthy's side in dispute between
the Senator and Mr.. Sears alma
mater, Harvard University, over
Fifth Amendment Communists"
In the student body.
. He had planned to debate NC
Carthyism" with a Boston rabbi
three weeks ago, but the debate
was Cancelled.
. In a public debate last fall, &C
cording to the Boston Herald, Mr..
Sears said, IF ridding the Govern
ment of hundreds of traitors, If
bringing home to the American
people the threat of communism
is called McCarthyiSm, then l am
glad 1t has place in the die
tionary."
. Mr.. Sears had actively sought
the job as committee counsel in
messages to Senator SaltonStau
and Representative Curtis, Repub-
licans, of Massachusetts,, making
himself available" for the position.
Senator Mundt had said this
had to be case of "the job seek
ing the man.~
Mr.. Sears, when asked to COM
ment, did not say any of these
reports were untrue. But he did
say that he had mot done anything
that would disqualify me-"
There was uncertainty among
committee members, however.
whether Mr.. Sears had diSquali-
fled himself. All committee mem-
bers indicated they had not known
of Mr.. Sears previous record as q
supporter of Senator Mccarthy,
but several members said they
would ask him tomorrow If he
thought he could conduct an i'm
partial investigation. Hearings
could not start, at the earliest, for
another week.
Meanwhile the new white
knights armor stood in need Of
a good reburnishing. Whether he
would succeed better in his mis-
sion than Mr.. Norris, however,
would be up to the no-doubt
fascinating events of the coming
week to determine.
Evening star., 1954-04-04

Persons shopping for $4,000
mink coats or Accent light bulbs
found late last week they could
save, respectively, $400 or 4 cents
on their purchases, courtesy Of the
Continued on Page ABB
Evening star., 1954-04-04

China) will be recognition by the
United States and France, or ad-
mission to the United Nations, or
increased opportunities for trade
with the free world, or a united
Korea for a disunited Indo- China,
or all four.
Secretary Dulles is going to &C.
neva, Of course, firmly committed
against all these ideas. He holds
two aces which by themselves
should prevent a large-scale SELL
out to China. He must for home
political reaSons) withhold Amer
lean recognition of the Reds and
he also must veto Peiping,s appli-
cation for membership in the
United Nations. The United
States also can exert lot of pres
sure around the world to prevent
large-scale resumption of trade
with Red China.
That leaves France with these
things to barter: French recogni-
ton of Communist China; in
creased trade by France, and prob
ably by Great Britain, with the
Red Chinese; and territorial con-
ceSSions in Indo- China.
If Secretary Dulles can keep
the French from giving away
vital territory or influence in Indo-
China, that would be q victory at
Geneva, ut small price to the
United States in either prestige or
materiel.
The price the United States
probably will Aave to pay, how
ever, is q further breakdown in its
united front with France and
Great Britain, the cornerstone of
free world resistance to the en-
croachment of international COM
munism.
Evening star., 1954-12-05
Mutch-t1e-Roon

For daytime receptions in
the Blue Room at the White
House. Mrs. Eisenhower de-
cided on a shirtwaist dress Of
Persian blue silk satin de-
signed by Mollie Parnis, its
simplicity of line contrasting
well with the rich fabric. and
its color blending with the
historic brocade on the walls.
Incidentally. this completes
Mrs. EiSenhower's trilogy Of
match thereon dresses. She
has a red peau de sole which
Miss Parnis designed for the
Red Room, and q green satin
for the Green Room!
Important formal occasions
will find the First Lady in
really grand ball gowns. From
the Nettie Rosenstein collec-
ton, Mrs. Eisenhower selected
an evening dress Of white silk
damask, made with halter
neckline. and a voluminous
skirt flowing from a fitted
waist. Another Rosenstein de-
sign which Mrs. Eisenhower
will wear for state occasions
is Of blush pink peau de sole,
made with q drop-shoulder,
sleeveless bodice and q full
skirt.