Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-02-02

Then there Is john Bruce MI
This Is no split personality.
military man who believes the
this world.
The 55-year-old general is c
Agency. where the space age
blends with the worrisome realities
Of budgets. buildings and investi-
eating committees.
ABMA is the heart Of the Army's
missile program. It was here that
the satellite-carrying Jupiter G
missile was developed by q team Of
former German scientists headed
by Gen. Medaris' technical direc-
tor, DR.. Wernher Won Braun.
And It is under Gen. Medaris
that the United States already is
working on a satellite to weigh 500
pounds or more. which viii take
pictures Of potentially hostile
areas as it orbits around the globe.
Spoce AGE Product
AS a public figure Gen. Medaris
is q product of the space age. He
came into view shortly after
Russia launched Sputnik I when
he told Senate committee that
back in 1855 the Army had offered
to perform Q similar feat but had
been turned down by the Depart
ment Of Defense.
He henceforth will be more and
more In the public eye. He has
lust been handed the added chore
for running the new Missile Plan
ming Once for the Army'S De-
partment Of Ordnance. This new
ONCE, set up last month, has as
its objective:
"The development Of long-range
plans for military and scientific
achievement in missile and related
fields, exercising the widest posi-
BILE latitude in advanced thinking"
If this advanced thinking"
follows the outlines Gen. Medaris
already has laid before the Senate
Preparedness Subcommittee, the
United States is space bound. He
told the Senators January Is that
"as sure as anything in the world"
men eventually will be fighting in
space.
"You get up there" he said.
with military capability satellites,
which have reconnaissance capa-
bilities. This requires q counter
capability to blind the other
fellow.
by the time you get that coun-
tered, the enemy comes along and
puts men UP there who can defeat
your ability to blind him by auto
matte mechanisms, because the
enemy has the power of decision
aboard his craft and he can handle
both maneuver and counteraction
against anything that can come
up to him.
80 now" the general concluded,
you have to put men up there to
attack him and this is just as
sure as anything in the world"
Long Ronee Ideas
Gen. Medaris has long been
Pumping for long-range planning.
In mid December he toldHhe Sem
ators what he had been saying to
his Pentagon superiors privately.
Our goal" he said, should be
nothing short of mans domination
of space. We will never get into
this race as we should so long as
our detectives are short term"
That Gen. Medaris should wind
up as a missile man is fitting. He
has had a fantastic career.
Son of William r. Medaris, a
Milford tOhio) attorney. he moved
when he was about five to Column
bus with his parents. Shortly
thereafter they were divorced.
John Medaris lived with his
mother, the former Jessie LeSourd,
and his Basque descended grand
mother, Mrs. E. G. LeSourd, in
Springfield.
MY mother" he recalls. was
a brilliant woman. She was beau
tiful, too She was educated as a
school teacher, but after the di-
vorce she went back to school and
was trained as an accountant. She
became one of those early rarities,
an executive business woman.
Grandma ran the house and the
grandson.
Stort Work EorIy
In those days. says Gen. Medaris.
money wasn't too free at our
house. I worked almost all the
time"
Since he was large for his age.
Jobs came easily. During his first
year in high school he worked as
a mail sack HEAVIER at the depot.
TT was in those years." he goes
on, that I learned how kind
people can be. When I was work.
ing at the station. s pm. to 8 am.
they'd let me sleep on the mail
sacks until train was due. Then
they'd wake me. I'd heave up the
sacks and 60 back to sleep.
I'm my second year, / drove a
night-hawk taxi. There was only
one stand in town. I'd sit in the
cab in line waiting for q fare and
those tough cab drivers would push
my cab UP for me as the line
moved up"
During his third year, he worked
as a trolley operator, studying
during the two or three minutes
turn-around at each end Of the
line.
Through his high school career
Medaris was No. 2 man in the
class enthusiastically by a very mar
row margin. How? I'm blessed
with a Photographic memory"
Even now he can read q 300-page
book in two hours and recite large
portions Of 1t back, almost word
for word,