davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-07-08
Munitions Lobby Probe

The investigation Of the munitions
lobby" which has been opened by Repre-
sentative HebertS subcommittee can be
beneficial or harmful-depending upon
how 1t is conducted.
A primary target of the inquiry will
be the employment of several thousand
retired military officers by private COM
panieS holding or seeking defense con-
tracts with the Government Obviously,
In such situation, there is reason to
suspect that conflict of interests may
be involved. This is matter which can
not be judged fairly, however, without
first aScertaining what the retired officer
does for his private employer If he is
lobbying with former associates in the
Pentagon or preSSuring former Subordi-
mates, then his private activity is clearly
wrong. But If his work consists of tech
nical advice to his private employer,
based on his service experience, or even
If he is merely lending the prestige of
his name, we see nothing wrong with
such employment. And we hope the sub
committee will concentrate on getting
the facts as to the nature of the private
employment in individual cases, and
forget about headlines which will I'M
Justly embarraSS "big name" officers who
have served their country well in years
past and who have every right to supple
ment their heterogeneous retire.
ment pay by taking an appropriate job
in private industry.
Mr. Hebert has indicated that his
investigation will cover not only retired
military personnel, but also retired civil
ian workers and former Congressman.
This is entirely proper, for these people,
too, may be involved in improper activi-
ties. In this connection, the inquiry
might also be extended to cover men,
berS now serving in Congress- For they
also are capable of eXerting pressure in
the Pentagon in behalf of one weapon
or another, and we see no reason why
their activities should be immune to
investigation and exposure.
The subcommittee main effort I'M
doubtedly will be directed, however, at
the conduct of the retired service officers,
for this is the largest area of possible
abuse. We hope that the inquiry will be
thorough, careful-and fair.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-07-08
HOLDING the Line

AS was to be expected, the PreSi-
dents veto of the omnibus housing bill
has provoked an angry chorus of Dem
ocratic protest. On the basis of the
cost figures in the veto message, how
ever, and we assume them to be correct
until the contrary is shown, Mr.. Essen
hover was fully justified in refusing to
approve the bill.
The President cited several points
IN opposition to the bill, including the
claim that it would tend to drive private
Investment out of the housing field
In favor of Federal spending. His main
point, however, was that this measure
contains spending authorizations total
Ing $2,2 billion-all of which would be
available for commitment without fur
Their congressional or presidential action.
This compares with an administration
budget recommendation of 1910 million.
Almost certainly, this would lead to big
ger Federal deficits and still more in
f1ation. On this ground alone, we think,
the veto was proper. For if, in the in
tereStS of stable dollar, we are to hold
must be held at all major points A
breakthrough here and breakthrough
there can only serve in the end to de-
Stroy the defenSeS against imitation, and
we hope this veto means that the PreSi-
dent, possible political consequences
aside, intends to stick by his stated de-
termination to fight the "spenders."
With respect to this last point, it is
quite true that the Democratic leader
ship in Congress toned down this bill in
an effort to produce a measure which
would be acceptable to the President.
1t was proper to do this, and we hope
that partisan attacks on this veto
proof" legislative policy will not be so
stimulated by the housing bill veto that
Lyndon Johnson and Sam Rayburn will
be forced to yield to those among their
colleagues who are clamoring for "iS-
sues" rather than legislative accomplish
ment.
1t is important, and in some re-
SpectS essential, that housing bill be
enacted at this session. The President
has outlined the kind of bill which he
will approve. If Congress cannot, or
does not, override this veto then it has
clear obligation to draft and adopt
measure which will become law. We
hope that it will do so.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-07-08
Sends Up Same Dove

You gave no news men,
ton to a speech in Congress
June Is by Representative
Elmo of New York in behalf of
his resolution CHR 272) urg-
ing the President to present
to the United Nations a pro-
posed amendment to the
U. N. Charter requiring all
member-nations to renounce
the right to wage aggressive
war except upon express
mandate by popular vote of
a majority of their citizens.
Mr.. Elmo has come up with
the only possible solution to
prevent a third world war. I
t in k that your re a d erS
should write to their Con-
gressmen in support of this
resolution.
What assurance have we
that some paranoiac dicta-
tor, who may want to die
anyway. may decide to press
the button" Are we to live
for the rest of our lives in
fear of this possibility, that
some one crazy man can de-
eide to destroy the world?
Frank E. VanderhOOf.
Editors note: The Star
ran a news story about Mr..
Fino's proposal when he in
troduced a similar resolution
a year ago.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-07-08
VISTAS IN SCIENCE
Ocean Research 'Skyscroper Urqed
By THOMAS R. HENRY

ported to the American Asso-
citation for the Advancement
Of Science by DR.. Kenneth
Hunkins of Columbia Univer-
sity, who has analysed the
records.
Echoes from explosions
were used to study the depth
and slope Of the bottom. The
sea floor was seen to have as
much relief as any part Of
the Rockies. Depth meas
urements provided new in
formation about a large sub
marine plateau extending
across the region of the Pole
from Ellesmere Island to
Eastern Siberia.
1t is a far more prominent
feature Of the earth's sur
face than hitherto has been
realized, DR.. Hunkins said.
In its central parts it comes
within $500 feet of the sur
face from depths of 10000 to
$4,000 feet on either side.
Bottom Rock Strewn
The outstanding feature Of
the submarine pictures is
the abundance of rocks of
all shapes and sizes strewn
over the bottom. These rocks
evidently have been RATED
by floating ice from their
origins near shore and
dropped to their present
resting places on the bottom
ooze hundreds of miles from
the nearest land. Such a
landscape never has been
revealed in undersea pic
lures taken in temperate
climates. Large numbers of
these rocks later we're
dredged from depths of more
than a mile. They are chiefly
of limestone.
Life on the Arctic floor,
DR.. Hunkins said, is some
what sparser than in other
oceans but still is present
only a few hudred miles from
the North Pole. 1t consists of
such weird animals as sea
cucumbers and brittle stars.
Many of these were brought
up by dredging and represent
species hitherto unknown On
earth.
First measurements Of the
speed of currents sweeping
slowly across the ocean bot
tom were made by the sub
marine camera. Clouds Of
sediment stirred by the cam
era were observed to move
slowly across the field as the
camera took a time sequence
of pictures. Velocity of these
currents was found to be
about 6 inches per minute.
Depths of the bottom also
were studied with a piston
corer which plunges into the
sediment and removes a ver-
teal sample 6 to 7 inches
long. A dark surface layer
filled with organic material
about 6 inches thick was
found all along the stations
track. This now is being
dated by means of radioac-
tive iSotopes and is expected
to reveal much new informa-
ton about the glacial period
in the Far North.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-07-08
THIS AND THAT
By CHARLES E. TRACEWELL

THE point of this letter is
that this afternoon I was
trying to clear some of the
tropical jungle our back
yard has suddenly become.
when l heard a noise. a
chattering. that would
awaken the dead. coming
from another part.
Il flew to the scene, and
found that two catbirds were
making the din in the lilac
hedge, and there on the path
our gentle little cat, holding
something in her mouth.
"She crouched there, not
seeming to know quite what
to do next or where to turn.
She is a timid cat that
doesn't like noise or strange
people. and she Just crouched
there. x X X
II raced up the path and
turned on the hose, full on
her.
"She dropped the almost
full-grown baby catbird and
ran off The bird walked. or
hoped, with no apparent
injury, into the next yard.
Then I saw the cat by the
helpless bird. She was not
doing anything. but seemed
puzzled, as she shifted its
beak.
If it had moved, I'm sure
she would have bounced, that
being a cats nature.
Il picked up my cat, put
her down in the basement.
and dried her off. She was
purring and rubbing herself
against me, forgiving me for
wetting her.
Il thought, You don't
know what's right, and
what's wrong. You were
simply following your ma
ture-anything that moves
or flutterS, even a ball or a
piece of string, is something
to be played with, even if
you're not hungry enough to
eat it. We, mankind, know
what is right or wrong if
we are sane, don't always
The f1edgling had gone"
In such cases, it is best to
keep all Notwithstanding
people-out of the yard until
the bird RECEIVERS.
After the excitement dies
down, the parent birds will
be able to feed a nesting. but
they cannot, of course, get 1t
back in the nest. This is one
of the failures of bird life.
If the fledgling cannot fly,
even if the parents feed it
on the ground, II is almost
sure to die. If it can fly,
even a little, it has a much
better chance.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-07-08
Indonesiu in Trouble

In decreeing the establishment Of
IndoneSia'S 1945 constitution, President
Sukarno has endowed himself with vir-
tually unlimited governing power, but he
insists that he does not propose to be
dictator. Presumably he intends to rely
on the advice of the Peoples ConSulta-
tive Assembly (Which meets only occa-
Sionally) and on the new cabinet he has
yet to appoint to help him carry out his
diSturbingly vague principles of guided
democracy"
Actually, IndoneSia is Sorely in need
of firm and perhaps even dictatorial
leadership. For its economic situation,
with imitation mounting from day to day,
is desperate More than that, politically
and otherwise, it is house gravely
divided-a house in which rebel forces
are still fighting bitterly in certain areas
of the Sprawling archipelago republic,
which embraces 5000 islands and poly
glot population of well over 80 million.
Needless to say, in such an obviously
tempting situation, the Communists tit
will be interesting to see whether DR..
Sukarno names any of them to the cabi-
metz have been Sparing no effort to in
hltrate the government and otherwise
promote as much SubverSion as possible.
The picture is not all black, of course,
Some encouragement can be derived,
for instance, from the fact that Indone-
Sia'S military establishment-in which
the key figure is General NaSution, the
strongly anti Communist Army Chief of
Staff-haS backed DR.. Sukarno'S revival
of the 1945 constitution and that it seems
determined to prevent the Reds from
increasing their present power and eX-
plotting guided democracy" as prelude
to coup d'etat. To that extent at least,
assuming that the NaSution group will
be we'll represented in the prospective
new cabinet, there is some reason to
hope that the situation will grow no
worse than it is already
With that said, however, the fact
remains that Indonesia, ten years after
Severing itself from the Dutch as an
independent nation, is far from achiev-
ing political and economic stability. In
deed, its troubles have multiplied so
much that many of it's citizens must
sometimes feel that they would be much
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-07-08
A sky-scraper in the mid

A sky-scraper in the mid
die Of the sea-
This seems essentially the
proposal of oceanographers
OF the National Academy Of
Sciences as part OF a pro-
posed program of marine re-
search where continuous OBJ
servations for weeks or
months are essential.
The actual proposal is for
a very large anchored buoy
from 800 to 1000 feet high,
extending as far as possible
towards the sea floor and at
least 800 feet above the sur
face. Equipped with win
dows. it would allow scien-
lists to observe sea life close
hand at various levels.
ideally" says a National
Academy report, lone would
like to erect a tall building
starting at the bottom and
extending up to the surface
and into the air. The next
best thing is the manned
spar buoy. This seems to
be the most practical for an
early venture. Such a man
ned platform will need to
have suitable quarters. lab
oratorieS, communications
and equipment for transfer
ring personnel and equip
ment into it. The anchoring
could be done with either
steel, plastic or combination
cables"
Cost and Upkeep Estimated
The cost of such a struc-
ture is estimated at initially
$2.509,000 and it would cost
about $500 a day to operate.
1t would be constructed and
anchored in deep water-pre-
sumably the Sargasso Sea of
the mid-Atlantic, or some
where to the east of the
West Indies.
A structure of this sort. it
is claimed, would be in many
ways superior to any research
ship.
Several laboratories" says
the report have anchored
ships for days but nobody
has felt it important enough
to anchor a ship in a fixed
position for as long as a
year. We feel that this
should be done as soon as
possible. Experience with
such a facility would be so
valuable as to raise a con-
siderable clamor for a per-
manent, moored, marine OBJ
servatory and eventually for
a set of deep ocean stations
"Buoys can be surface, mid
depth or bottom. They
either can record data d.
rectly or telemeter it to the
surface by electrical cables
or acoustic signals. They can
be anchored or drifting"
4
The floor of the Arctic
Ocean is like a Landscape of
the Rocky Mountains.
This has been determined
from soundin2s and deep
water photographs of an In
ternational Geoohysical Year
Air Force party which spent
more than a year or a float
ing ice foe drifting toward
the North Pole. 1t was re-
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-07-08
Our Neut Postmen

Our Neat PoStmen
The Stars June 10 story,
"Postmen Face New Peril,
Daily Check on Uniform,
contained insinuations rela-
tive to the behavior and con-
duct of letter carriers in
Washington. That story was
resented by every letter car
rier in the Washington Post
Office. The letter carriers in
Washington are sober. law
abiding and hardWorking. The
Capital Carrier. published by
Branch 142. National Asso-
citation of Letter Carriers, re-
Gently carried the following
statement:
Acting Postmaster Carlton
G. Beall asked me to ex-
press his appreciation and
congratulations to all the car
riers who participated in the
recent ceremonies honoring
the visiting letter carrier from
Norway. Mr.. Beall was very
proud that these carriers
looked so fine and neat"
The association has al
ways contended that super
viSors should insist that car
riers dress in a neat and
proper manner. The men
work under their supervisors
for 212 hours while they are
preparing their mail for de-
livery. The supervisor has
ample opportunity to look
them over. 1t is ridiculous to
hold the first one ready to
make his delivery until the
last one is ready to put on a
dress inspection. The uni
forms could be inspected
without delaying the mail.
There are more than 1900
letter carriers in the Wash
ington area. 1t is futile to
have four men roaming the
streets under the guiSe of
supervising that many men.
There are II stations in
Washington, each one with
at least two supervisors; there
are a number of supervisors
at the main post Office. The
route foreman accompanies
each carrier for a full day
once a year to check the
route. The routes are adjust
ed for a full eight hours.
The good supervisor knows
what his men are doing. 1t
is a little on the comic-opera
side to have a number of
men running Willy-nilly all
over town in the role of pri-
vate eyes.
We, like The Star, are anx-
ious to give Washington
the very best postal service
possible, and to be pleasant
to the public and to present
as neat an appearance as
possible while we are do
ing it.
Robert B. POStOn
President.
William d. Tiff,
Secretary.
Capital Branch 142, Nation
al Association of Letter Car
riers,
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-07-08
ARLINGTON, Va.
Dear Sir:

Dear Sir:
I'm defense of being in
ruts:
1T is true that ruts are
stable, safe and good for
long-term growing.
They hold water for lots
of seed. They feed multi
tudes and stock the barns
with SURPRISES we cannot
sell. They keep the home
fire burning and provide work
for the many.
But there are other things
that make the wheels go
round; engineering, plan
ming, expansion and conser-
walton, of industry and credit,
buying and selling, co-ordi-
mating, uplifting. educating,
discovering, identifying and
entertaining.
THE creative Jobs are not
so stable, and the idea men
are not in constant demand.
The stock market f1uctuates
and so do our financial in
terestS.
Seventy per cent of small
business fails.
Those who take a chance
are not always paid for their
efforts. There is never enough
work to go around, and
mans working years are
about 30. hence the tramps.
mo one aims to be a
tramp unless he has to. Even
then he finds there are COM
pensations. For something
in his nature is satisfied. The
Almighty has arranged 1t so
that there is always some
thing to be got out of life,
a wanderlust. freedom for the
mind and release of the spirit.
After all. in spirit princi-
Piles originate, laws originate,
higher mind functions and
produces the ideal that makes
everything worthwhile.
Eyes. thank God if you are
in a rut, but also thank Him
if you have escaped.
IF you are long on leisure,
you may be short on COM
fort.
IF you are free you are
probably unhealthy.
IF you are rich and free
you may either lose your life
or your soul through self
indulgence, imprudence or
carelessneSs. You can't win
hands down, but God will al
ways give you enough to keep
you interested.
Sincerely, K. L. B."
X
H. F.. writing from Thir-
ty-ninth street, paints an at
tractive picture of a cat:
The reason I have trained
the birds to come to the
roof for raisinS is because
you may have guessed last
fall we were given a tiny
kitten. far too young to go
out by herself, but the flu
ture was foreseen. The day
would come, and it has.
Her eyes have long since
changed from blue to green.
She is very affectionate,
sleeps on our beds, and is
always purring.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-07-08
UNLIMITED Guest

On June Is the Republic
can Party of Fairfax County
and Falls Church City held a
mass meeting to nominate
candidates for the local and
county Offices to be voted on
next November.
Such a mass meeting has
the same legal status as a
primary election.
August johnson, Democrat
chairman for Fairfax County,
came to the meeting (unin-
vited), was welcomed never
theless, was not challenged,
and stayed for the entire
meeting.
This was entirely proper.
Since it was an open meeting,
there was nothing to hide,
and all nominations we're
made from the floor, and
were subject to approval of
the mass meeting.
Mr.. johnson has seen fit
and I believe in extremely
poor taste-to write a letter
to the editor, deploring the
methods used in the conduct
of our meeting, and the NOM
ination of our candidates.
A primary election costs
the taxpayers of Fairfax
County about $4,000.
We Republicans nominate
our candidates at a mass
meeting at no cost to either
the county or the taxpayers,
and achieve the same result.
Bob BrOckhurSt,
Chairman, Fairfax County
Republican Committee.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-07-08
Merchants of Fear

1 nereDy nominate the
Honorable Chef Holifield,
Democrat of California, for
the Order of the Red Star,
First Glass, for his providing
a stage for the poor. futile
and laundering scientists"
OF Civil Defense, thus per-
mitting them to once more
attempt to brighten the
American people.
In the testimony about the
"fall-out" from atomic bombs,
one bright chap mentioned
something approaching 1000
bombs that would be dropped
on American communities in
one day. This holocaust
would cause millions of
deaths. he said.
Apparently this scientist"
did little more than take a
map of the United States,
mark various cities as targets,
and then dream up casual
ties. He seems to have for
gotten that we have a de-
Tense against such a ire
mendouS task; that bombeIs
are never as accurate as his
fanciful report developed Call
of the bombs dropped, he
said, would be right on tar
get, in every instance. He
seems to have dreamed that
the enemy would not seek to
develop its complete victory,
through use of ground troops
"a necessity in any war,
atomic or otherWise-for he
listed as destroyed every
landing place that could be
used on both coasts.
At least so per cent of the
targets which would be de-
stroyed were neither mill
tary nor essential and i'm
portant targets, for atomic
bombing.
One wonders why, when so
many retired combat officers
are employed by States and
other communities as civil
defense directors, these ex-
perienced and factual officers
were not called to testify.
I have believed for a long
time that the most ineftec-
tive and inefficient organi-
cation in the Government is
the Civil Defense. IT is time
for the President to clear
out the desk-commissioned
officers and replace them with
practical professional COM
bat officers. If this were
done, perhaps Washington,
as an example, would have
a workable and effective
plan for evacuation in an
emergency.
Charles Coulter.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-07-08
Communism's Crimes

Personal experience and
comparisons with other dip
plomats and various govern
ment officials strongly in
dictate that we can make no
successful effort to correct
and to prevent further Com
munist crimes against hui
man!ty. such as the genocide
in Tibet, unless we achieve
a realistic system of commu-
nications with the peoples
of all free nations. 1t is true
that many Asians are aware
of the mass murders carried
out by the Communist Chi
nese in Tibet. and Of Pei
pings plans to repopulate
the top of the world" with
Chinese Reds. But there are
many, many more ASlanS
and Europeans and South
Americans and Mid-East-
erners who don't know these
hideous truths, and there
are many who don't believe
them because the Commu-
nists have reached them first
with their vicious propa-
ganda.
What seems to be re-
quired is a twofold program.
First, we must obtain a
strong, scathing indictment
of the Communist Chinese
on charges of genocide. This
can be accomplished in vari-
Gus ways, but perhaps the
most effectiNe would be to
have the United Nations
General Assembly adopt a
resolution. seeking an c=;z-
ion from the international
Court of Justice.
Armed with this indict-
ment, we must go to all cor
ners of the free world and
publicize it. Our communica-
tons with other nations are
fine so far as they go, but
they do not reach much be-
yond the city limits of coun-
tries abroad. Shortwave
broadcastS are ineffective in
many rural areas because the
people are too poor to have
receivers. We must ct ont
there personally, If neceS-
sary, and reach the people
on farms and in villages and
small towns. We must get
them to know what the Com
munistS really are and how
dangerous they can be and
how ruthless they have been
proved. The Communists get
to these people, as we'll as
members of labor groups and
university students and ether
city folk. In fact, it was from
the fields and the farms and
small villages that Mao TIE
tung gathered the armies
that defeated Chang Kali
shek. Unless we can stretch
our influence to these areas
other Macs will spring up to
further reduce the dimen-
sions of the free world.
Phelps Phelps,
Former Ambassador to the
Dominican Republic.