davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1959-12-20
Cos+ro'sCub
Tighter Reins

Premier FideI Castro speeded
his military tribunals in their
trials of accused plotters,
warned of an invasion of Cuba
in 1860, and repeated charges
that the United States sought
to impede Cuban economic re-
form.
The firing squads in Cuba, si-
lent since last June when they
executed the last of almost 900
Batista war criminals" were
busy again last week. On Friday,
two Cubans accused of plotting a
counter-revolution against the
Castro regime were executed at
Pinar del Rio.
The military tribunals, recon-
stituted to deal with rising oppo-
Sition to the Castro government,
also sentenced another American,
John v. Martino, to 13 years. He
was accused of serving as
courier between Havana and
tlof1da antl-CaStro groups.
Premier Castro himself testified
for seven hours at the trial of his
erStwhile aide, Maj. Hubert Matos,
former military commander of
Camaguey Province and a hero of
the revolution. Maj. Matos had
resigned in october, charging that
the Castro regime was being in
filtrated by the Communists.
The Castro testimony consisted
of another long harangue on
Cuba's enemies, domestic and
foreign; threats to reserve "6 feet
of Cuban soil" for invaders: pre-
dictions Of belt-tightening in
store for the already very tight
belts of Cuba's citizens. The Pre-
mier also accused the United
States of discouraging Americans
from visiting Cuba, and Of re-
sisting the agricultural reform
measures now being carried out.
SMaj Matos was sentenced to
20 years, although the prosecu-
ton had demanded the death
penalty. Twenty-one other ac-
cused officers drew shorter terms;
13 were acquitted.
Evening star., 1959-12-20

or what he is charged with. The
State Department believes he is
in Shanghai.
Unlike the other relatives. none
Of Bishop Walsh's kin have re-
ceived any mail since he was
seized more than a year ago.
Most of the close relatives Of
the prisoners keep flow of let
ters en- route to their loved ones
behind bars.
Although no answers are ever
received from Bishop Walsh, his
brother and two sisters write him
regularly, keeping alive their faith
in his survival and hope for his
release.
Reodine Motter
Twice a month, through a spe-
cial arrangement with the Post
Office Department and the Com
merce Department, the prisoners
families may send 4-pound pack
ages. of reading matter-Sports
pages from newspapers, articles
from magazines and books that
are not likely to offend the Chi
nese Communists political sem
sitivities.
I'VE have no guarantee that
any of this gets through" Will
liam Downey said. The prisoners
are permitted by their Chinese
jailerS to write one letter
month, censored, Of course.
Receipt of a letter from China
is an occasion for celebration IN
the family circle. Sometimes
they are read over the long
distance telephone to brothers or
sisters away from home.
The best news, always. is that
he's still alive and able to write"
said Mr.. Downey's brother.
But the Downeys haven't had
a letter from China for two
months now. Redmond's family
went almost a year without a
letter until one arrived reCe 'tly.
Gifts Cut in Hoif
Samuel Krakow. ARC lnterna-
tional relations officer here, says
that, until about year ago, the
American prisoners were getting
packages over the Lo-Wu Bridge
twice a month. Then. suddenly,
the Chinese Reds terminated the
middle of -the-m month delivery and
reduced the package weight from
A pounds a month to % pounds
for each prisoner.
Although the American Red
Cross demurred at this violation
of the 1855 agreement between the
two societies, it could do nothing
but accept the Chinese terms. The
Red Cross parcels are packed in
Japan. The packages from the
families, with the same maximum
weight, are flown to Japan from
Travis Air Force Base in Cali
fornia. Both kinds of parcels
then are flown from Japan to
Hong Kong where the British Red
Cross keeps them until the 30th
of each month.
The Chinese Reds will not ac-
cept delivery Of the packages
from the British Red Cross, in
sisting they be delivered physically
by an American.
Evening star., 1959-12-20

holds the highest administrative
elective Office ever attained by a
Negro in the United States. He
has become something of a SYM
Dol of equal opportunity in this
country.
1t was. therefore, all the more
distressing to New Yorkers and
many other Americans to hear
Mr.. Jack admit that a real estate
operator, who was seeking a $50
million contract from the city
(via the Board Of EStimate), gave
the politician $500 last year to
help pay for the remodeling and
redecoration of his apartment.
Mr.. Jack said the money was
a loan" and that he expected
to pay it back.
Mayor Robert Wagner sees an
improper act" Two newspapers,
the Post, which dug up the story,
and the Herald Tribune, have
called for Mr.. Jacks resignation.
Evening star., 1959-12-20
Talks to Resume

President Eisenhower returns
home Tuesday from a triumphal
tour of II countries on three con-
tinents and a Western summit
meeting. But he is not likely to
receive one message he had hoped
for while abroad-word of a set
tlement of the steel dispute.
After an 11-day suspension and
no signs of encouragement to
speed them on, steel labor and
management resume their bar
gaining sessions tomorrow at the
behest of Federal mediators.
A week from tomorrow, the
three-man fact-finding board set
up by the President under the
Taft-Hartley Act will hold public
hearings in another effort to settle
the dispute.
The panel must report by jan
uary industry's final offer" to
the union. If there is no agree
ment meanwhile, the 100000 steel
workers will vote on this offer
sometime between January 8
and 20.
Evening star., 1959-12-20
THE NATIONAL SCENE

sequently referred to a noun
tain" Of evidence that has been
gathered in a 27-city study and to
probable hearings late next month
or in February.
Last Monday, a committee
memorandum released to the
press made it plain that not only
certain disc jockeys were guilty
Of deceit and corruption. Higher
ups-some network officials, rec
ord company employees and others
also are allegedly involved.
Among the charges (not all of
which have been checked and sub
stantiatedO the committee staff
has received are these:
Directors who decide who gets
recorded in the first place are
receiving in some instances payola
in sums far exceeding those paid
to disc jockeys; some station en-
ployes have long, serious criminal
records" and some have forced
juvenile talent to kickback part
of their earnings for appearing on
programs; top tune" ratings have
been falsif1ed by some retail rec
ord sellers in return for payoffs,
and some broadcasters have rigged
man-in-the-street interviews in
systematic villification" of indi-
viduals. including political candi-
dates, and companies.
1t appears that the committee
has uncovered an Augean Stable.
1t will take Herculean efforts to
clean it.
Evening star., 1959-12-20

June II, 1851, Mr.. McCann disap-
peared. Five years later, after
repeated entreaties, Mrs. McCann
received letter from the Chinese
Red Cross at her home in Pasa-
dena, Calf. 1t said her husband
was serving a 15-year sentence
for Grimes against the state"
Hugh Francis Redmond, jr., 40,
Of Yonkers. N. Y, is an army
veteran of World War II who went
to Shanghai to enter the import
export trade. He also chose to re-
main when Mao Tse-Tung's Com
muniSt regime took over ten years
ago. Redmond was arrested April
26, 1851, during the Korean War.
Two-and-a-half years later, on
September II, 1854, Peiping radio
reported that Redmond had been
convicted of being an American
'undercover agent" and sentenced
to life Imprisonment.
Catholic Bishop Held
Bishop James Edward Walsh,
68-year-old Roman Catholic pre-
late from Cumberland, Md. Bishop
Walsh served as a Maryknon
Father in the China mission field
from 1918 until 1896 when he re-
turned to become superior general
Of the Catholic foreign mission
society. But in 1948, he elected
to go back to Shanghai. He was
the only American Catholic
clergyman not arrested in the big
Red Chinese roundup Of June
1858, presumably so he could be
paraded as an example Of re
ligious freedom" But his sur
veillance grew gradually tighter
and finally. on October 10, 1858,
the bishop disappeared from his
home. The Chinese Communists
insist he is alive. But the bishops
exact whereabouts are unknown.
OF the 158 American civilians
who have been detained by the
Chinese Reds since 1949, these
five are the only ones known to
be still in prison. The rest have
all been returned. Not since June
IS, 1958-when two Catholic
priests, Fathers Joseph McCor-
mick and John Wagner, walked
across the Lo-Wu bridge-has
there been any lifting Of the
bamboo curtain.
Yet on September 10, 1855, the
Chinese Communists agreed for
mally at Geneva to release all
detained Americans.
They have never fulfilled this
pledge, despite 109 meetings be-
tween United States and Chinese
officials at Geneva and now at
Warsaw. The 10th one-between
United States Ambassador Jacob
Beam and Red China's Ambas-
sador Wang Ping-nan gets under
way on January 10.
Red China appears to be keep
ing the five Americans as pawns
in a diplomatic game Of chess
being played to force eventual
United States recognition of the
Communist regime as the lawful
government of China.
Although the four civilians are
accused Of spying and other
Evening star., 1959-12-20

submarines, that's true Of any
other weapon.
@. Like the "overkill" argu-
ment?
A. Yes. it is part Of the argu-
ment.
Building Of PoIoris
@. On the Polaris submarine,
1t seems to me that construction
Of only three a year is fairly
slow rate?
A. 1t is. We asked for more, Of
course, but we we're told. Let's
wait for another year until every
thing has been tested" Our tests
are right on schedule and we have
had some surprisingly good sue
cess. But, after all, 1t is not an
operational weapon yet.
@. Could the Navy become, with
the addition of the Polaris, both
the limited war striking force (the
Marine Corps is part Of the Navy
and the nuclear deterrent?
A. You could envisage possibili-
ties where that could be-if you
eliminated a lot Of very important
factors. q. In a general war there
is no one weapon, or no service,
no one Of anything that can win
all by itself. We are dependent
Upon the Air Force doing their
Job. We are dependent upon
the Army holding in Europe and
Korea. II they don't, we are in a
bad spot in the Navy. Likewise
they are absolutely dependent
upon us because If we don't
perform. their people Just won't
accomplish anything.
@. Assuming a major attack
on the United States, wouldn't
the Navy in the initial period
after the attack be about the only
force available for retaliation?
A. 1t depends upon the attack
force and that Is probably true,
the reason being that it takes so
much effort to hit things at sea.
The same effort devoted to other
type targets industrial completes,
fixed missile bases, etc. pays of
much better. -.
@. Can you see any possible
early development of an anti
missile missile, any possible de-
fense against a Polaris-type SUBJ
marine?
A. Oh, yes, the best defense
against the submarine, Of course,
is to kill the submarine. The diff
ficult part is to kill all the
submarines at one time. 1t is i'm
possible. Any anti-misSile missile
defense is pretty hard to conceive
of now.
@. Is there any defense against
the Polaris-type submarine?
A. No.
Evening star., 1959-12-20

Whatever else is said, Mr.. Jack
exhibited an extraordinary lack
of good judgment and apprecia-
ton of the high ethical standards
demanded of elected officials. The
Sherman Adams case apparently
made little impression on him.
A grand jury is looking into the
matter. including a charge that an
attempt has been made to get one
Of the apartment decorators to
change his testimony. 1t will de-
eide whether there was anything
illegal in Mr.. Jacks actions.
Meanwhile, Mr.. Jacks most
bitter Harlem political foes are
rallying to his side in a demon
Stration of Negro solidarity. 1t
would be unfortunate if there is
discrimination against Mr.. Jack
because of his color, in this or any
other case. 1t would be Just as un-
fortunate If there is discrimina-
ton for him.
Evening star., 1959-12-20
New York;:
Sad Case

Manhattan Borough President
Hulan E. Jack admitted that a
real estate operator seeking a
city contract helped pay for
remOdeling of his Harlem apart
ment.
Hulan E. Jack is president of
the Borough of Manhattan. Each
Of New York's five borough presi-
dents sits on the powerful Board
of Estimate, along with the
Mayor, president of the city
council and the controller.
AS a borough chief, Mr.. Jack
Evening star., 1959-12-20

them at 20 miles or 80 miles, we
would be happy. -.
@. Well, now about the num-
Der Of ships? These are very large
oceans.
A. That's right. The number
Of ships we have is small COM
pared to the numbers of ASW
ships and their capability, and the
German submarines and their ca
pability in World War II. The
capabilities have increased. We're
short of ships. particularly mod
ern ships, and we're concerned
about our shipbuilding.
Could We Counter?
@. If the Russian submarines
began an abrupt dispersal, appar-
emily going on station, would we
have the means to counter them
all?
A. No, and you never will have.
You can never have an absolute
defense for anything.
@. Getting back to the Polaris.
You have used the figure 40-45
missile submarines. How did you
arrive at the maximum figure?
A. Forty-f1ve is not a fixed fig
ure. Forty-flve is a number. 1t
is in that neighborhood, under the
circumstances that exist now. The
reasons for using that figure are
these: Supposing you have as
many as 80 submarines on station,
and you can do that-keep about
two-thirds of your submarines on
station with 16 missiles each.
(The SSBNs will each have
two crews, one resting ashore
and the other on duty at sea.
Two crews will enable an SSBN
to remain at sea almost con-
stantlyO
@. That is an awful lot of mis-
siles.
A. That is an awful lot Of mis-
siles. And supposing, we'll say,
half Of those missiles for one
reason or another miss the target.
You put two missiles on each
target. That's eight targets per
ship. Eight times 80 is 240 tar
gets destroyed.
Q. That should cover an awful
lot Of territory, too?
A. Yes. Now, when you plot a
horsepower curve, you start off
fairly low and then you go up
fairly rapidly and then you start
leveling of. .. You get up to
a certain place and 10 more sub
marines won't do you nearly as
much good as three down at the
lower or early part of the curve.
In other words, 10 more subma-
rineS at the top won't be worth
the cost. That's not only true Of
Evening star., 1959-12-20
By J. TER HORST

Precisely at II am. on December
80, an officer Of the American Red
Cross will walk across the lonely
length of Lo-wu bridge, the unused
railway trestle connecting British
Hong Kong with Communist
China.
The officer, Joseph Carniglia Of
Plainfleld, N. j., will be keeping
another once-a-month rendezvous
with the Reds.
At the barricade on the far side,
he will be met by a representative
Of the Red Cross society of the
Peoples Republic of China. OF late
1t has been a woman and Mr.. Car
niglia will address her thus:
"In accordance with the agree
ment reached between our two ma
tional societies in 1855, I hereby
deliver packages for the Americans
detained in China. viii you accept
them?"
II there has been no change
in Instructions from Peiping, the
woman will say yes"
Mr.. Carniglia will uncross his
fingers. The barrier will be raised
and the coolies who accompanied
him will quickly place 10 packages
on Red Chinese soil and Scamper
back again.
The woman and Mr.. Carniglia
will bow stiffly in farewell and he
will return across the 100-yard-
long bridge with the British Gus
toms police, a British Red Cross
and the retinue Of coolies.
The 10 packages, each weighing
II pounds, will not be tardy items
from Santa's bag. loaded with be-
ribboned luxuries for men who
have everything. Indeed, they are
far more precious than that.
Five From Red Cross
Five will be from the American
Red Cross and contain identical
items-powdered coffee and milk.
jam, canned meat and soup,
crackers, candy, cigarets. The
other parcels will vary in con-
tempt, for they are from the
mothers, wives or close relatives
of five Americans who are spend
ing another Christmas season in
the bleak solitude Of their Red
Chinese prison cells.
Every month, on the 30th day,
the scene on Lo-wu bridge re-
peats itself. The square boxes
and a trickle Of mail constitute
the only direct link between the
prisoners and this country.
For, despite all that the White
House and the State Department
have tried to do, despite the
solemn promise of the Red Chinese
and the recent "maybe-I-can-
help" offer of Soviet Premier
Khrushchev at Camp David, free
dom is not in sight for these flve
lonely men.
Who are they and why are they
in prison?
John Thomas Downey, 90, Of
New Britain, Conn, was an Army
civilian employe aboard a United
States military plane that disap-
peared while en- route from Korea
to Japan on November 20, 1852.
Presumably 1t crashed on Chinese
territory. Nothing was heard for
two years until the Red Chinese
radio, on November %, 1854, an
nounced that Mr.. Downey had
been convicted Of espionage and
sentenced to life in prison.
Bishop Is Prisoner
Richard George Fecteau. 80, Of
Lynn, Mass, was aboard the same
plane. He, too. was an army
civilian employe. The same
radio broadcast said Mr.. Fecteau
also had been sentenced for spy
ing. He got a 2O-year sentence.
Robert Ezra McCann, 58-year-
old businessman, was born in
China of missionary parents. He
was one of the top American
businessmen in Tientsin, an i'm
porter-exporter and Chrysler auto
dealer who chose to stay on after
the Reds took over in 1949. On
Evening star., 1959-12-20
Broadcosting:
New Charges

House radio and TV investi-
gators received charges that
payOffs, kickbacks-and worse
involve network station mana
gers and other higher ups, as
well as disc jockeys.
Since early November, the
House Subcommittee on Legisla-
tive Oversight has been investi-
eating payola, undercover payoffs
to disc jockeys for plugging GER
tain tunes, and other shady prac-
tices in the broadcasting and re-
cording industries.
Committee Spokesmen have sub
Evening star., 1959-12-20
PAWks IN The COLD WAR
5 Prisoners Who Are Not Forqotten

crimes against the state-the
usual Red charges-not even the
Chinese seem to follow this line
completely. other, similarly
charged Americans have been
allowed to leave China.
They called him a master spy
but I know my brother wasn't
an espionage agent" says William
Downey, younger brother of one
Of the prisoners.
Couldn't Speak Chinese
Jack was only % when his
plane crashed, just a year out Of
Yale. He couldn't speak Chinese
and he certainly couldn't pass
for one-he is 6 feet tall, weighs
over 200 pounds, has blond hair
and fair skin"
How are the Americans faring
in their prison cells?
II saw my brother three times
during an 11-day visit to China
last July" william Downey said.
He seemed to be all right physi-
cally, although not his old. happy
go-lucky self. Although it's been
seven years for him, he is not
respondent Of the future.
"Of course, I never had chance
to find out how he really felt"
Mr.. Downey's brother is the
last American to have talked with
any Of the prisoners. 1t was his
second trip. since he accompanied
his mother and the mothers of
Fecteau and Redmond on a spe-
cially arranged visit to Red China
early in 1858.
In July, the State Department
helped him obtain a second visa
to visit his imprisoned brother.
He enter China over the Lo-Wu
Bridge, took a train to Canton
and then flew to Peiping where
Downey and Fecteau are being
held.
Il saw Jack a few hours every
other day during the six days
was allowed in Peiping," William
Downey said. I'VE met in a small
room and there we're always two
Chinese present, one of whom
understood English perfectly"
No American CeIImotes
The two brothers were forbid
den to discuss anything about Mr..
Downey's case, or about efforts
to free him.
Jack has other cellmates-no
Americans-but apparently one or
two Chinese who can speak some
English. Jack told me he can
speak enough Chinese now to ask
for food or other necessities" his
brother related.
Has Mr.. Downey seen Mr.. Fec
teau or any other Americans re-
Gently?
Jack told me he had seen Fec
teau some time previous to my
first visit" William Downey said.
II asked permission to visit Fec
teau myself, but I was refused.
Apparently he is all right, how
ever"
The status of Bishop Walsh,
however, is an enigma.
Despite repeated requests by
Ambassador Beam, the Chinese
refuse to say exactly where he is
Evening star., 1959-12-20
Continued From Page B-1

Continued From Page B-1
their generation and your union
strong, with material resources"
Thomas Kennedy. 70, vice pres
ident of the UNIV, will succeed
Mr.. Lewis. He is expected to fol-
low the policies Of his old boss
which have brought labor stability
to the coal industry since 1850.
Evening star., 1959-12-20
THE FOREIGN SCENE

and West in international trade.
At present. about rs per cent Of
trade in the Communist bloc is
inside the bloc.
Evening star., 1959-12-20
On Loss Of Europe

@. Several experts lately have
indicated a belief that Western
Europe would be lost in event of
a major war. Do you believe
that?
A. No. With the advent of the
ballistic missile, combined with
nuclear weapons, the probability
of general war is becoming more
and more remote, but we always
have to be prepared for it. In the
event there is a general war, how
ever, the role of ships at sea will
actually be increased. A bal
listic missile is something that re-
quires a fixed address. Conse-
Quently, ships at sea, not having
fixed addresses, are less subject
to destruction by ballistic missiles.
@. believe the latest figure for
Russian submarine strength is
something around 500, including
2S0 to 300 medium and long range
submarines.
A. think that is correct.
@. Are you satisfied now with
the Navy's ability to protect the
Atlantic and Pacific sea lanes?
Are you satisfied with your anti
submarine warfare (ASW) capa-
bility?
A. No. I'm not satisfied with
any other capability we've got,
either.
@. What is your shortage in
ASW?
A. Well, before we talk of short
ages we have made some re-
markable progress in a good many
fields, but we haven't made
enough. We would like to detect
at much greater ranges.
@. When you speak of long
ranges :?
A. Miles. In los of miles. If
we were sure that we could pick
up all submarines and identify
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-06-10
Smoe-Like Haze
May Linqer Here

A smoky haze blanketed the
Washington area today. caus-
ing scores of damp-eyed citi-
zens to call the Weather Bureau
and newspapers to find out
what was wrong.
Weather Bureau officials said
the area, along with much Of
the East Coast, was covered
with about a 1,000-foot- high
blanket of warm. nearly mo-
tionless air, which trapped ir-
ritating smoke and fumes at
the ground level.
1t is a similar, but less seri-
GUS, version Of Los Angeles
smog, bureau officials said.
It causes the eyes to smart
and water, but nothing more
serious, he said.
The situation has been build
ing up for two or three days.
the bureau said, and no relief
a brisk breeze-is expected TO-
day or tomorrow.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-06-10
By the Associated Press

Secretary Of the Treasury
Anderson told Congress today
that removal Of the interest
rate ceiling on Government
bonds would not result in In
creased interest rates generally.
He entered the denial in pre-
senting to the House Ways and
Means Committee the admin
istration's request for an in-
crease in the limit on the Fed
eral debt, and repeal Of the
present AZ per cent interest
ceiling.
Mr.. Anderson said refusal BY
Congress to give the Treasury
more competitive elbow room In
marketing its securities ano
managing the debt would actu-
ally have an adverse effect BY
raising worldwide apprehen-
sion over the value Of the dollar
Nothing contributes sc
strongly to forcing interest
rates upward as fear Of inf1a-
ton" he testified.
Those investors who want
to invest in fixed-dollar obliga-
lions (rather than In Stocks)
will demand higher interest
rates to compensate for Their
expectation Of q shrinking pur-