Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-01-08
Wild Blue Yonder

These are times that try the soul
Of Mr.. Average Citizen-the man who
must rely on what he is told. rather
than on what he knows. and who must
try to guess under which shell the truth
is hiding.
Take yesterday. for example. The
President conferred at the White House
with a Republican delegation AS the
latter emerged, Minority Leader Know
land assumed the role of spokesman.
Mr. Knowland is knowledgeable man.
He said confidently that Mr. EiSen-
hower's program for meeting the Rus
sian space and missile challenge is ade-
quate He does not believe the world
situation is one that should cause the
American people to be either frightened
or complacent.
Up on Capitol Hill. at about the
same time, another knowledgeable man
Majority Leader Lyndon Johnson
was talking to the Senate Democrats.
There was no all'S-well- the world
tone to his remarks In fact, had he
made the same speech only short while
ago, most people would have thought
that the Texas Senator was soaring of
into the wild blue yonder But not many
people are likely to think so today.
The majority leader believes, or
certainly seems to believe. that the
American people do have something to
be frightened about
He says the real challenge which
eonfronts US is not the race TO perfect
long-range missiles. important though
this may be. There is something more
important" he said, than any ultimate
weapon. That is the ultimate position
the position of total control over earth
that lies somewhere out in space"
Senator Johnson presented pretty
grim picture of the outlook for the
nation which loses the race for this
ultimate position. Summing up what
competent scientists. testifying before
his subcommittee. have said. the Sena-
tor declared: Control of space means
control Of the world. far more certainly
far more totally. than any control that
has ever or could ever be achieved by
weapons, or by troops of occupation
From space, the masters of infinity
would have the power to control the
earth's weather. to cause drouth and
flood. to change the tides and raise the
levels OF the sea. to divert the Gulf
Stream and change temperate climates
to frigid"
In short. says Senator Johnson,
"this is the future, the distant future,
though not so distant as we may have
thought Whoever gains that ultimate
position gains control, total control. over
the earth. for purposes Of tyranny or
for the service Of freedom"
This Congress, he thinks, can make
only small beginning toward meeting
this challenge. But he wants 1t to
start, for the significance OF space con-
troll renders irrelevant the bookkeeping
concerns Of fiscal oficers" Inciden-
tally, for what value 1t may have in
appraising his views, Senator Johnson
also believes we must build a strong
country as well as a strong military
force. Therefore, he says, we cannot
ignore the problems Of the unemployed,
Of the farmers, of our school children,
Of housing, Of credit, of the soft spots
in our economy, Of small business and
Of conserving natural resources. This
II quite an order, an order with certain
election-year overtones, and noitemized
bill was submitted by the majority
leader.
Politics aside, however, 1t seems
clear enough that Senator Johnson and
Senator Knowland are far apart in
their estimates Of what will be required
of this country to meet the Russian
challenge. Yet both men undoubtedly
are quite sincere. This is what makes
1t so hard for the average citizen to
know which way he should Jump or,
perhaps, whether he should not Just
60 of somewhere and hide.